SATAN!

I'm reading a biography of Satan. Someone actually had the chutzpah to write about this diabolical character. Kudos to Henry Ansgar Kelly, the author. Kelly's purpose is to paint a more Biblical picture of Satan because current understandings of Satan are incorrectly based more on tradition and medieval mythology than on Scripture.

According to Kelly, it seems as if Satan has a kind of rehabilitative purpose in Scripture. I'm intrigued by this because, in Lutheran theology, that's one of the functions of the Law. It acts as a mirror to “show us our sin”. The Law accuses. The word “Satan” means “accuser”. It could safely be said, then, that the Law of God had a sort of “satanic” function.

So, I'm trying to figure out if Satan was working harmoniously with God or if he/she/it was God's unwitting stooge for comic relief. Either way, Satan was necessary.

I love thinking about this because the image of Satan as the being who tempts people to do bad things and causes all sorts of havoc around the world has got to go, along with the red suit, horns, goatee, and pitchfork.