“Is the devil / Satan a person or a force / personification of evil?”……Although he has persuaded many people that he doesn’t even exist, Satan very definitely is a real, personal being, the fountainhead of all unbelief and of every kind of moral and spiritual evil in the world. He is called by various names in the Bible, including Satan (meaning, “adversary”or”accuser”)

Job 1:6

One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them.

Romans 16:20

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

the devil (“slanderer”)

Matthews 4:1

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

1Peter 5:8

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

Lucifer ( KJV How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!)

Isaiah 14:12

“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.

the serpent

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

Revelation12:9

This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

and many others.…To the Christian, the existence of Satan as a real person is proved by the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ recognized him as such.

He referred to him frequently by name

Luke 10:18

“Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning!

Matthew 4:10…“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

and indeed called him “the prince of this world”

John 12:31

The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.

John14:30

“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me,

John16:11…Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.…The Apostle Paul called him the “god of this world”

2 Corinthians 4:4

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

the “prince of the power of the air”

Ephesians 2:2

You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.(Greek obeying the commander of the air) He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.

The Apostle John called him “evil one”

1 John 5:19

We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

he is the one “that leads the whole world astray”

Revelation 12:9

This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

These could hardly be the descriptions of a force or a mere personification of evil.…The Scriptures teach that, before man and the world were created, God had created an “countless thousands of angels ”

Hebrews 12:22

No, you have come to MountZion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering.

a heavenly host of spiritual beings, of great strength and intelligence. The highest of these beings are the cherubim, who are attendants at the very throne of God, and the “anointed cherub” at that throne was originally Satan himself Ezekiel 28:14

I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian (Hebrew guardian cherub; similarly in 28:16) You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire………….Your rich commerce led you to violence,…and you sinned.So I banished you in disgracefrom the mountain of God.…I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.

He was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.” ……God did not create Satan as an evil being, however. The angels, like man, were created as free spirits, not as unthinking machines.

They were fully able to reject God’s will and rebel against His authority if they should chose to do so.……The root of all sin, in both man and angels, is the twin sin of unbelief and pride—the refusal to submit to God’s will as revealed by His own Word and the accompanying assertion of self-sufficiency which enthrones the creature and his own will in the place of God.

This was the original sin of Satan, rejecting God’s Word and trying to become God himself. He said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will be like the most High”

Isaiah 14:13,14…For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.(Or on the heights of Zaphon).

Again, these could hardly be the actions or motivations of an impersonal force.……Jesus also told us of some of the characteristics of Satan. Christ said he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him, and that when he speaks he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies

John 8:44…For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

It is crucial that Christians recognize the reality of Satan in this world and understand that he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour

1 Peter 5:8

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

It is impossible to overcome sin and temptation from the devil by ourselves, but Scripture tells us how to be strong. We need to put on the full armor of God daily to be able to stand our ground against temptation from the very personal being, Satan.

Ephesians 6:13

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.