Many people picture good and evil as two equal forces. Like two sides of the same coin, they seem locked in an endless struggle, each one balancing the other, with no clear end in sight. In this way of thinking, Jesus stands for the good, the devil stands for the evil, and the two are evenly matched rivals whose battle could go either way. If that is how you have imagined it, you are far from alone. It is one of the most common ways people make sense of a world where both good and evil feel so real to us.
But there is a problem with this picture, and it is worth looking at honestly. It assumes that Jesus and the devil belong in the same category, as if they were two competitors of the same size. When we look at who each of them actually is, we find something very different. They are not two equal powers at all. To see why, we have to start not with what they do, but with what they are.
Jesus Is the Maker of Everything That Exists
The first thing to understand about Jesus is that he is not a part of creation. He is the one who made it. Long before anything existed, Jesus already was. He is God the Son, eternal and uncreated, together with God the Father and the Holy Spirit. And when the universe came into being, it came into being through him.
| For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:16 (ESV) |
All things. Everything that exists, seen and unseen, was made by Jesus and belongs to him. When the Bible says God made all things, and when it says Jesus made all things, it is not describing two different makers. Jesus is God the Son, and he was doing the one work of the one God. That includes every spiritual being, every power, every authority in the entire universe. There is nothing in all of creation that Jesus did not make, and nothing that stands outside his ownership. This is the starting point that changes everything, because it means the devil cannot possibly be Jesus’s equal. And to understand why, we need to see clearly what the devil actually is.
The Devil Is a Created Being
The devil is real. He is not a made-up character or a symbol for the bad things in life. He is a genuine spiritual being who opposes God and seeks to harm the people God loves. The Bible does not pretend otherwise, and neither will we. If you have felt the reality of evil in the world, you are not imagining it.
But here is what the popular picture gets wrong. The devil is not an eternal force standing opposite to God. He is a creature. When God first made him, he was not evil at all. God created him good, as God creates everything good, and God is not the author of evil. Evil entered only when this creature used his freedom to rebel against God and turn away from him. He chose to become what he is now. He was not made that way. But even in his rebellion, he never stopped being a creature who depends on God for his very existence. Jesus himself described the devil’s true nature and origin.
| He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44 (ESV) |
Notice that the devil had a beginning. Jesus did not. The devil is a liar with a character and a history, a created being who was made good and then turned against his Maker. Jesus is the eternal God who has no beginning and answers to no one. The moment you see that one of them was created and the other is the Creator, the whole idea of them being equals falls apart.
Good and Evil Are Not Two Equal Powers
This is the heart of the matter. The picture of good and evil as two balanced forces feels true because both are so real in our experience. We see genuine goodness in the world, and we see genuine evil, and it can seem as though they are two powers of the same size pulling against each other. But feeling matched and being matched are not the same thing.
An artist is not the equal of the painting he creates. A builder is not on the same level as the house he builds. And the Creator of all things is not in the same category as one of his creatures, no matter how powerful that creature may seem. The distance between God and the devil is not the distance between a strong fighter and a slightly stronger one. It is the infinite distance between the One who made everything and a being who would not exist for a single moment unless God allowed it. The devil is not God’s opposite. He is God’s creature in rebellion, and a rebellious creature is a very different thing from an equal and opposite god.
The honest answer to the question is no. Jesus and the devil are not equals, and they never have been. The struggle you sense in the world is real, but it is not a contest between two matched powers whose outcome is in doubt. And that leads to the best news of all.
The Devil Is Already Defeated
If the devil were truly God’s equal, then the outcome of history would be uncertain, and we would have reason to be afraid. But he is not, and the outcome is not uncertain. It has already been decided. When Jesus came into the world, he came with a purpose, and one of the reasons he came was to undo everything the devil had done.
| Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 3:8 (ESV) |
Jesus did exactly that. Every one of us has sinned and turned away from God, and that wrongdoing put us under the power of sin and death, the very things the devil uses against us. So Jesus took our place. He lived the sinless life we could not live, and on the cross he died the death our sins deserved, offering himself as the perfect sacrifice to pay for our sin in full. Then he rose from the dead on the third day. In doing this he broke the power of sin, defeated death, and stripped the devil of any lasting claim over those who belong to him. The devil is not a rival who might still win. He is an enemy who has already lost.
Jesus Holds All Authority
After Jesus rose from the dead, he made a statement that settles the question completely. He did not say that he shared authority with anyone, or that he was one power among several. He claimed all of it.
| And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:18 (ESV) |
All authority. Not most of it, not a contested portion of it, but all of it, in heaven and on earth. There is no realm where the devil rules as Jesus’s equal, and no corner of reality outside of Jesus’s command. For anyone who has ever feared that evil might have the final word, these words of Jesus are the answer. The devil is real, but he is on a leash. Jesus is Lord over all, and the victory belongs to him.
Coming to Jesus for Yourself
Maybe you came to this page carrying a quiet fear, a sense that the world is a battlefield and you are not sure the good side wins. Or maybe you have simply thought of good and evil as two equal forces, and you are beginning to see it differently. Either way, there is good news for you. The God who is greater than every dark power is not far away, and he welcomes everyone who turns to him.
If you are afraid, or searching, or unsure, you can tell him so right now. You do not need the right words. You can simply pray something like this:
| God, I have felt afraid of the evil in this world, and I have wondered whether good really wins in the end.
If you are greater than every dark power, please show me. Bring peace to my heart, and lead me to what is true. |
And if you can see now that Jesus is Lord over all, and you are ready to stop standing at a distance and start trusting him as your own Savior and Lord, you can tell him that too. You do not become his by being strong enough or good enough. You come to him by faith, and he receives you as a gift of his grace. If you are ready, you can pray from your heart:
| Jesus, I believe that you are the Son of God, that you died for me and rose again.
I have sinned and I need your forgiveness. I am truly sorry for the wrong I have done. I turn from my old life and I ask you to be my Savior and Lord. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me. Amen. |
If you prayed that prayer and meant it, the Father heard you. He promised, in his own Word, that everyone who calls on him will be saved, and he always keeps his promise.
| For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13 (ESV) |
You do not have to be afraid of the dark any longer. You belong to the One who made all things and holds all authority, and nothing can take you out of his hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the devil real, or just a symbol for evil?
The devil is real. He is not merely a way of talking about the bad things that happen or the darker side of human nature. He is an actual spiritual being who opposes God and works against people. At the same time, he is not everywhere and he is not all-powerful. He is a created being, not a force that fills the universe. Taking the devil seriously and refusing to fear him are not opposites. Both are possible at once, because Jesus has already overcome him.
What about demons and other spiritual beings? Is the devil alone?
No, the devil is not alone, but he is far from the most powerful being in the picture. God created many spiritual beings, and the ones who carry his messages are called angels, a word that simply means messengers. Some of these beings rebelled against God. The Bible calls the first to rebel Satan, or the devil, and the other rebellious spirits are called demons. They were all created good, and the ones who became evil chose it by their own rebellion. The devil has followers, but they are far outnumbered by the beings who stayed faithful, and every one of them, faithful or fallen, was made by Jesus and answers to him.
If God is good and all-powerful, why does the devil exist at all?
God created the spiritual beings as good, with the freedom to love and obey him. One of them, the being we call the devil, used that freedom to rebel against God. The evil in the devil came from his own choice, not from the way God made him. God allows him to continue for now, within limits that God alone sets, but this does not mean God and the devil are partners or equals. It means God is patient and is working out his purposes in his own time. The existence of the devil is not a sign that God is weak. It is a sign that God permits real choices, even wrong ones, for a season.
Does the devil have as much power as God?
No. The devil has real but limited power, and God has unlimited power. The devil cannot create, he cannot be in all places at once, and he cannot do anything that God does not permit. God has none of these limits. To compare the two is like comparing a spark to the sun. The devil can do harm, but he can never overpower the One who made him and holds all authority over him.
Did Jesus and the devil ever fight?
The devil tried to turn Jesus away from his mission, most famously by tempting him in the wilderness, but this was not a battle between equals. Jesus answered every temptation and never wavered. The real defeat of the devil came not in a dramatic clash but at the cross and the empty tomb, where Jesus broke the power of sin and death for good. Jesus won not by being a stronger version of the devil, but by being an entirely different kind of being, the Son of God laying down his life and taking it up again.
If the devil is already defeated, why is there still so much evil in the world?
The devil has been defeated, but he has not yet been fully removed. Think of an enemy whose defeat is certain but whose final surrender has not yet come. He still causes harm in the time that remains, but his outcome is sealed. The Bible promises a day when Jesus will return and evil will be ended completely and forever. Until then, those who belong to Jesus live under his protection and authority, no longer under the devil’s power, even while evil continues for a while longer in the world around us.
How can I stop being afraid of the devil or evil spirits?
The surest way is to come to Jesus, because fear of evil loses its grip when you belong to the One who has already conquered evil. When you trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord, you are no longer on the devil’s side of the line, and the devil has no rightful claim over you. You do not have to fight him in your own strength or with special words or rituals. You simply stay close to Jesus, who holds all authority and who has promised never to leave you. Perfect love drives out fear, and there is no love greater than his.
Have You Made a Decision or Do You Still Have Questions?
Wherever you are on your journey, we would love to hear from you. If you prayed one of these prayers today, or if you still have questions on your heart, or if you simply need someone to pray for you, please reach out using one of the options below. There is a real person ready to walk alongside you.
| To keep exploring, here are two places to go next:
Steps to Peace with God: https://journeyonline.org/steps-peace-god/ Who Is Jesus: https://whojesusis.com |