Was Satan the cause or the result of Adam and Eve's sin?

Q. Someone I was talking to said that since God can have nothing to do with evil, that Adam and Eve created Satan at the time of their sin. I know this is wrong, but I don't know how to respond. Do you know of any resource for me or him?

A. Thanks for your question Bruce. First of all you are correct. The person you were talking to was wrong. Man did not create the devil by their sin. They were tempted into their sin by the devil. It is always good to remember that the devil is not the equal opposite of God, but merely a fallen angel. He is a created being that became evil (sometime after Genesis 1:31 and before Genesis 3:1) that perhaps could be compared to a fallen version of the arkangel Michael. Some believe that Isaiah 14:12-15 may also describe the fall of Satan since Isaiah’s language seems to go beyond what could refer merely to the earthly king of Babylon. Ezekiel 28 is also believed to refer to the original state and subsequent fall of Satan, in the hyperbolic description of the king of Tyre.

As far as a resource for you to turn to on your own, I would recommend any well accepted book on systematic theology. We have a number of single volumes as well as sets in the several in the Church Library (Grudem, Bloesch, Chafer, Duffield & Van Cleave, Erickson, Finney, Oden, Otis, Wiley & Culbertson,) at the call number 230 or 230.046. Look up Satan in the index and find the section that deals with Satan and the nature of evil.