Paul wrote, ''more than I can ask or imagine..." With this in view, is there any sense in praying for Satan? He is my enemy; should he be loved as a being despite his sin? As a disciple I feel obligated to hate sin, as it causes suffering (especially Jesus' suffering!), but in no way does the Bible support hating anyone such as Satan, right? Satan's fate is sealed; but God controls judgment, he respects earnest repentance, and certainly has the power to change hearts at any level. If Lucifer repented, Jesus might return sooner. Could you imagine God studying the Bible with Satan? (Just kidding!) Essentially, I'd just love to know if any scriptures come to your mind on the matter. -- Luke Taliaferro

Satan seems to have gone past the point of no return. There was one church father in the 3rd century who imagined that the devil might one day be redeemed, but this father, Origen, hardly represents the early Christian view.

There is a point of no return, even for humans (Hebrews 6:4, Proverbs 29:1). Certain sins--those that people refuse to repent of--will not be forgiven. (See 1 John 5.) Take a look at the Lord's direction to Jeremiah about not praying for the nation of Israel, due to deliberate sin and a hopeless situation, in Jeremiah 11:14 and 14:11.

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