God is Love. But does He Still Love Lucifer?

Theology
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Does God Still Love Lucifer?

This is a mind-bending question!

We know that Scripture says God is love, but he is also just and cannot have a relationship with unrepentant sinners. Yet, we also know from Scripture that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). God turned toward us before we turned back to him, showing his great love for us.

But what about Lucifer?

As the angel Lucifer, there was a time before Satan rebelled and sinned against God. So, can we assume God loved him then? Did God ever want Satan to repent and turn from his evil ways? Is this even possible?

And does God in any way still love Satan?

So many questions, but I think at the heart, these questions come back to what we believe about God. Scripture says God is loving, forgiving, and just, so how do these things come into play as far as Satan is concerned?

Would love to hear your thoughts! This article is some food for thought as applies to this discussion:

Does God Still Love Lucifer?

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The biblical definition of love might be seen in 1Cor 13:4-7.. God shows us selfless love John 3:16

The bible does not give any indication that there is repentance available to any of the angels. The fate of Satan seems to have been already determined.Re 19:20

If one uses the common (but not biblical) definition of love (essentially feelings), God can feel sorrow and regret for those who rebel, but still act with justice.

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Interesting question… let me guess… inspired by the Lucifer series :grinning_face:

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No, no, no… Lucifer was cast out , that foolish serpent, that cursed being:
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So, in simple terms, yes, God did love Lucifer before his fall. All creation flows from God’s goodness, and as an angelic being, Lucifer was created good, beautiful, radiant, and powerful. Love isn’t something God switches on and off, it is His very nature (1 John 4:8).
The more complex part is whether God desired his repentance after his fall. Here we need to make an important distinction between angels and humans.
Scripture and tradition consistently teach that angels were created with an intellect and will that, once fully exercised in the presence of God, becomes fixed. Their choice is instantaneous and permanent, they do not grow nor repent over time as humans do. That is why the fallen angels are beyond repentance, not because God refuses forgiveness but because their own nature is such that once they reject God, they will always do so, and will no longer desire to turn back.
This does not mean God’s character changes. He remains love, even toward the fallen angels, but His love in expressed through justice. God does not cease to love what He created, but His love is incompatible with rebellion and evil. For those who remain in defiance of Him, that same love is experienced as wrath, not because God’s love changes but because their stance toward it has.
So, does God love Satan now?
In the sense that God’s nature is love, and He does not cease to be who He is, yes. But in the relational sense, no communion or redemptive relationship is possible, because Satan’s will is eternally fixed in rejection of God.
Let’s talk about the highlighted passage…
The bible never says directly that angels cannot repent, but it consistently makes their first choice permanent. The Bible never says directly that angels cannot repent, but is consistently presents their fall as irreversible. Passages like 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6 and Matt 25:41, speak of fallen angels being cast down, bound and destined for eternal judgement without any suggestion of repentance or restoration.
The Father of the Church explained why this is so.
St. John of Damascus wrote that angels being incorporeal, are not subject to repentance because once they have chose, they remain fixed in what they have chosen.
St. Gregory the Great said that an angelic will, once turned from God, cannot rise again because the choice is made outside of time, and therefore doesn’t change.
St. Thomas Aquinas, later summarized this teaching by noting that angels do not reason step by step as we do, they know in a single act, and choose with full knowledge and clarity. Because of this, their first decision is final, not because God withholds forgiveness but because they will never desire to repent.
Humans, on the other hand, grow, learn, deliberate over time, and our wills can change as we come to know God more deeply. That is why God’s mercy remains open to us until death…

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You know, I have actually never seen the show Lucifer! But I’m sure that would raise some interesting questions as well, even if it’s not biblically accurate.

I like how you put this:

“This does not mean God’s character changes. He remains love, even toward the fallen angels, but His love in expressed through justice. God does not cease to love what He created, but His love is incompatible with rebellion and evil.”

That’s a very helpful way of thinking about it.

I also wasn’t aware of what some of the early church fathers or theologians wrote and believed about the nature of angels. That’s very insightful. Thomas Aquinas, especially, is so fascinating and insightful. I need to find time to read more of his works.

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Thomas Aquinas is indeed amazing. His treatment of angels, their intellect and will, and the permanence of their choices is very thorough. If you get the chance, reading Summa Theologica , especially the parts on angels (Part I, Questions 50–64), gives a really clear insight into how the Church has understood their nature.

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To my understanding a whole lot of time took place before Lucifer’s fall,
considering God’s mercy in guiding his children, Lucifer would have had to take everything in the absolute worst way possible being filled with Pride, envy, and guile over every little thing that happened during creation up to his fall and then to Adam & Eve
It is also to my understanding that Lucifer is of those who cannot repent anymore,
maybe there was a time when he theoretically could have repented for feeling certain ways, but even at that point it was starting to become against the very nature of his being.
Now please don’t write me off for this next bit but I do believe it shines some insight on the situation:
In Islam, around the first time Lucifer directly disobeyed God, Lucifer asked God to be of those who have Respite until the day of judgement.
Lucifer asked God to put off punishing him for ANY evil he may do until the day of Judgement.
The main problem with God still loving Lucifer is that since that point Lucifer has, in an attempt to ‘overcome’ God, aligned himself to be an antithesis to God, he has made his very being to be allegory for Evil.
In becoming the allegory for Evil, I’m pretty sure he no longer applies to that which is loved by God.
I think of this as very similar to the idea that you can lose the claim that God’s Mercy has on you, especially if you are intentionally and consistently disobedient being aware of the right path but choosing otherwise, while in the case you still partake of His Mercy in otherways, its something you may lose bit by bit, piece by piece. Also note that Lucifer convinced/deceived the others to go with him so they may actually have a claim to God’s Mercy considering it was their dear older brother Godriel (Lucifer’s angel name) who led them astray, very likely by lying, we can’t assume angels are omniscient.
Now all that said, I am of the very strong belief that all the others who fell, are still able to repent and return to God. I think the points that @Samuel_23 made about angels being out of time and how their allegiance and decision making may work are all very interesting, as I haven’t seen that explanation given before, but I understand it like this
If they can choose to turn away from God then they can choose to re-turn to God, Now I’m all for the Idea that it may be a much different process, they may exist for longer periods being about the same, it does probably look much different from the turbulent change we all face in our lives.
Now here’s a cool Idea I like to think about…
If Jesus was in the beginning with God, and was sent, given flesh, to perform the Will of God during a human life…
Then why wouldn’t God be able to give any given angel such an experience?
Now a virgin birth here would be irrelevant since there’s no need to be God’s begotten.
Sorry for the steer off-topic, just food for thought, i would like to hear if this brings literally anything to mind. Love you all,
May your peace and your blessings be multiplied,
G

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts so carefully and honestly. I appreciate the reflection and the creativity in your reasoning.….
So, Scripture teach that fallen angels, including Lucifer, cannot repent. Passages like 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6, and Matthew 25:41 indicate that the angels who sinned were cast down, bound, and destined for eternal judgment without any suggestion of repentance or restoration. This is not because God ceases to love them, but because their angelic nature is such that their will, once exercised fully and knowingly, is permanently fixed. Unlike humans, angels do not grow or change over time; their choice is immediate, total, and final (St. John of Damascus, De fide orthodoxa ; St. Gregory the Great; St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, q. 63).
Angels, being outside time as humans experience it, make choices in a single act of their intellect and will. Once they choose against God, they cannot “turn back,” not because God withholds mercy, but because they no longer possess the capacity or desire to repent. Unlike humans, they do not experience a process of growth, struggle, or moral development over time.
Christ’s incarnation is a unique act in redemptive history for humanity. Angels were never intended to be redeemed through flesh, and Scripture presents no precedent or possibility for such a mechanism. The salvation narrative is thoroughly human-centered; angels have their fixed role and destiny. So angles cannot have a human like experience of repentance…
God’s love is immutable, but His justice is fully active. For fallen angels, God’s love is experienced as justice and righteous wrath, not relational communion. It is not the withdrawal of love but the inevitable consequence of a will permanently opposed to God.
My final reflection on this is that Satan and the fallen angels are eternally condemned, awaiting their final judgment (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6). That said, I acknowledge that this is a profound mystery, and I could be mistaken in some details. Scripture and the Fathers give us clarity about their permanent fall, but the depths of God’s wisdom and justice are ultimately beyond full human comprehension (Romans 11:33-36).

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Short answer: Yes. God is Love.

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No it’s an irrelevant question. We are not told about how God deals with other people.

We know that God is Holy, Just, Merciful and Graceful.

We also know that God has two types of love.

The general love for all of creation and a particular love for those who are his children.

Yes, God has a general love for the devil as he is part of creation, but as the devil, like all non christians, hates God, there is no personal love for the devil.

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I disagree that it’s an irrelevant question. I think the heart of the question reveals what we believe about God and helps us to think through our theology, and that’s always worthwhile.