If he is,
that is a fascinating logical puzzle that gets to the core of theology,
morality, and the concept of temptation.
From a theological standpoint,
Satan should not make his own situation worse by luring humans into sin. Yet
traditional religious teachings insist that Satan's goal is to corrupt humans
rather than just racking up sins by himself.
But if the focus is harming us, he is still racking up sins himself anyway.
One teaching argues that
sin is not just a checklist of bad actions. It requires a conscious violation
of God's will. Satan is already fully fallen and separated from God. He cannot
"sin more" to lose a relationship he already entirely rejected.
This
makes no sense. Sustaining existing sin is a new sin.
Theology teaches
that Satan acts out of envy and spite. God loves human beings deeply. Satan
cannot hurt God directly, so he hurts what God loves. Destroying a human's
relationship with God is the ultimate act of defiance.
What on earth
with a being with no body and nervous system be envious for? And by extension
he has no reason for spite.
We were told that Satan cannot really sin
any more – now we are told he wants to ultimately defy God by turning a human
against God. And arguably, Satan only suggests sin so it is still up to the
human. What satisfaction is there in that?
Another view is that Satan
attacks free will in humans – it just happens that this harms humans. Humans
have the unique capacity for redemption and Satan cannot bear that for he
cannot be redeemed.
It is said, “Satan's goal is
to convince humans to abuse their free will. If a human chooses sin over God,
they distance themselves from salvation. The focus is on breaking the bond
between God and humanity.”
This is as bad as the previous suggestion. A
Satan who likes wrecking free will more than the person who has the free will
is a strange Satan. And surely God loves the person - loving their power of
free will is not the same thing. It would mean thinking of the person as
a thing or agent.
The teaching that Satan acts as an instigator, not
just a solo rebel is of no help. It points that a rebellion grows by
recruiting others to the cause. Luring an innocent being into sinning
creates more chaos. It turns God's own creation against the Creator. If Satan
is so prideful as we are told - he should think his own rebellion against God
is the worst thing he can do for God loves him. He thinks God thinks he is so
special that defying God means God has a terrible loss. Losing anybody
else is nothing compared to losing wonderful Satan.