The DEVIL You Say…

“You’re never going to get these people to see themselves as they really are, ’cause it’s the lies that we tell ourselves… they introduce us to him.” – Devil, 2010

Is a movie called Devil automatically evil? Can it actually provoke conversation about his existence, and God’s ultimate authority and triumph over his schemes? In our first post about this film, we featured a segment on scary movies more generally, and how they play an important part in storytelling. Now we dig in deeper to this particular movie with the second segment, which is best listened to after you’ve seen the film and contains spoilers.

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. – 1 John 3:8

Do we doubt God because of the existence of evil? Do we doubt God because we’ve been sinned against? Do we doubt his existence because of all the pain in the world? In this film, Detective Bowden must confront the possibility of a real devil, and concurrently a real God, as events in the story make him face his own lack of forgiveness. Even the devil’s malicious actions may be used by someone greater, who can even turn those wicked machinations toward his own divine outcome. As the detective is confronted with these possibilities, so is the viewer, making us question if life has any accidents… or if there is a destined plan of interaction and provision from above.

…God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. – 2 Timothy 2:25-26

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