This changed my thoughts about Satan

[Hallelujah]

No, sin does not effect Salvation. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.

Psalms 1:5 - "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous."

Romans 10:13 - "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."

To be continued...

 

[ChrisT]

I understand it differently.

First, one needs to understand God's permissive vs. explicit will. God's explicit will is that none should go to Hell, that none of His creation had rebelled. His permissive will is to allow us to make our own choice in accepting His free gift of salvation, and essentially by "allowing" the fallen angels to exist beyond their rebellion.

In that context you could consider the angels that left their first estate "instruments" of temptation. However, I would be cautious to call Lucifer after the fall a servant of God, as that would more accurately describe angels who willingly kept their first estate and loyalty to The Most High. His name even means the adversary and all he does is an act of rebellion against God and hatred for humanity who, unlike him, have been offered redemption through Christ's atonement. Job is the perfect example.

The Bible also says Satan will be made unto a footstool for Christ, literally a place for The King of Kings to rest his feet, the ultimate symbol of subordination. But I don't take that to mean Satan actively submits himself to the Will of God. I take that to mean the only power he has is that which is temporarily permitted by God for His purposes and Glory, and eventually Satan's true spiritual position will be made apparent. Servants of God are not destined for destruction as the fallen angels are.