When Jesus says that Satan was a sinner from the beginning, what does He mean?
I believe you may be thinking of John 8:44 which says, “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a MURDERER FROM THE BEGINNING, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Although 1 John 3:8 is not a direct quote from the Lord Jesus, that says, “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil SINNETH FROM THE BEGINNING. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
There are several ‘beginnings’ mentioned in the Bible. Let’s look at a few of them:
- John 15:26-27, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.” In speaking of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Lord says His disciples had been with Him from the beginning. This beginning refers to the commencement of the Lord’s ministry on the earth.
- Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” This verse refers to the beginning of the creation of heaven and earth.
- John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This beginning refers to the beginning of all things that had a beginning…long before the beginning of Genesis 1:1.
- 1 John 3:11, “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” This beginning refers to the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel to mankind.
So, what kind of beginning is being referred to when we read that Satan was a murderer, a liar, and a sinner from the beginning? It can’t refer to Lucifer’s beginning of existence for he was created beautiful and perfect. Ezekiel 28:13-15 tells us of his creation. “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”
Iniquity, or sin, was found in him. This, I believe, is the beginning of sin in the world. We read in Isaiah 14:12-15, “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! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”
Satan brought sin into the world, rebellion, hatred, lying, murder, etc. In the beginning of his iniquity, Satan was a murderer, a liar, and a sinner. There is no repentance or forgiveness for Satan. We just read of his eternal fate. “Thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” So, we know what he was in the beginning, and we know what and where he will be for eternity! (CC) (641.2)