Thank you for visiting our website. We would like to take a moment to talk about why the Christadelphians feel that this topic—Satan or the Devil—is so important to those who believe in God.

Who we are

The Christadelphians are a global church organization that was founded over 170 years ago, right here in the United States. Today we have more than 70,000 baptized brothers and sisters. We are unique in that we have a “lay clergy.” This means that there is no church hierarchy. We are all brothers and sisters, each of us with the personal responsibility to read the Bible, find truth, and serve God. In California there are sixteen of our churches, which are listed at the bottom of this website. We invite you to visit any of these locations. You are quite welcome.

Why focus on the Devil and Satan?

We believe that this is one of the most detrimental beliefs held by many Christians. The belief in a supernatural being that is leading men and women toward sin is counter to Bible teaching. The enemy has always been the same—our own minds. The Apostle James said it very clearly:

But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
— James 1:14–15 (ESV)

Since the Garden of Eden, this has been the enemy we face as humans. It is the impulse to follow our own desires at the expense of following God’s commands. This is why the Apostle Paul spoke of the important “renewing of the mind” that is made possible for believers.

Why this belief matters

But why is a belief in a supernatural devil or Satan so important? The fact is that it affects many other teachings from the Bible.

• Popular imagination vs. Scripture. The construct that many have of a supernatural evil being is largely influenced by non-Biblical sources, even by people like Dante in the 1300s and Milton in the 1600s. But its roots go back to influences from other countries, such as Babylon, Persia, and Greece. You can learn much more about this during our special Bible talks that will be given in September.

• Human nature. Some believe that man is created as basically good, and is corrupted by the influences of evil. However, the Bible clearly teaches that it is the opposite. We must change our thinking and behavior to be more like Jesus. Our natural tendency is not righteousness, but sin.

• Angels. Others believe that the devil is a fallen angel, who sinned and rebelled. This is incompatible with what we know about the angels. They are immortal and sinless.

The role of Jesus Christ

This also affects the way we see the role of Jesus Christ. His victory wasn’t over a supernatural evil being, but rather the subjection of his own will to his Father’s. His obedience in all of his life was concluded on the cross. In this, he destroyed the works of the devil in himself.

More importantly, believing that God would permit a supernatural being to roam the earth, leading men and women astray is incompatible with what we know about God. He desires that all men should be saved. God is sovereign. He rules over all the earth. There are no powers that can equal him.

The kingdom hope

We read in the Bible about the future: a Kingdom that will be established here on earth. Jesus will return to be the king. For one thousand years of his rule, he will teach righteousness and invite men and women to live holy lives. In the end, the world will finally be filled only with immortalized, sinless people. This is the invitation of the gospel, and the hope for all Christians.

Watch, learn, and visit

We invite you to watch the rest of the videos on this website. They may help to answer some of your questions and provoke you to your own Bible study. We are offering special talks to be given in the locations listed at the bottom of this website. We highly recommend you attend one near you. For those who are unable to attend, a recording will be posted to this website in early October.

There is no need for anxiety or fear about supernatural evil. There is no evil force attempting to lure you into rebellion from God, or to lose your faith. Rather, each of us is invited to develop the thinking of Jesus Christ, to transform our minds, to not be conformed to this world. It is a choice to serve God rather than our flesh.

This may seem like a very huge task, and one that we often fail to live up to. But by the grace of God, we can be forgiven of our sins and repent. The gift offered to us is far beyond anything we have ever experienced. We can have confidence that when Jesus returns, he will gather the living and raise the dead. The reward is life everlasting. A life such as no man or woman has ever experienced.

As we close, we will let the Apostle Paul explain what lies ahead for those who commit their lives to serving God.

What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.
— 1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV)

We sincerely hope that you will examine this topic and see for yourself what the Bible teaches about the source of sin, and the grace of God to save us.