God’s Adversary and Ours: A Brief Theology of the Devil

by Philip G. Ziegler

The devil―styled by Calvin as "God’s adversary and ours"―is ubiquitous in the witness of the New Testament. Yet contemporary Christian doctrine generally remains dumbfounded about what to do with him. At the same time, our present is marked by a resurgence in the language of the "demonic"―that is, invocation of pervasive, radical, and perhaps personified evil. In light of this perplexity, Philip G. Ziegler asks Can the gospel actually be heard and understood without meaningful reference to this inimical entity?Ziegler presents certain motivations we might have for revisiting the concept of the diabolical as a first step toward a Reformed doctrine of the infernal. Starting with an exhumation of the origins of our religious and cultural reticence about the devil, this study ventures a new diabology grounded in the witness of the Gospels. The identity and activities of the devil are discerned concretely in their manifold contradiction of Christ as the "Way, the Truth, and the Life." The ensuing portrait of the devil yields revisionary consequences for both theology and our conception of faithful living.Through a historical sketch of received approaches to the devil in Western Christian tradition, God’s Adversary and Ours uncoils the default dogmatic architecture of diabology and reflects upon the surrounding doctrines that position, shape, and constrain its treatment. Ziegler leads us on a cautious but determined biblical-theological exploration of the identity, ontology, and agency of "that old serpent," the Enemy, whose image becomes most discernible and salient in direct contact with the person and work of the Savior. Fixing attention upon the figure of the devil in a soteriological context confronts us with what the devil does; what the devil might be trails behind. Treating diabolical temptation, demonic possession, and devilish falsehood in turn, Ziegler demonstrates what resistance to―and faithful disbelief of―these three aspects of the devil’s business might mean for the shape of a Christian life.

150 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2025

About the author

Philip Gordon Ziegler

Reviews

[Daniel Rempel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply fantastic. Concise, well-researched and argued, with a surprising takeaway and relevance regarding an underutilized doctrine. What more could one want from a work of theology?

[Jon Coutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astute and clarifying, this book helps me name the misuses that have made me reticent to participate in devil-talk, offering a renewed way of speaking of what Barth called the lordless power.

[Ryan Turnbull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. If you want to see my live-reaction to it as I read it, follow me on Bluesky. https://bsky.app/profile/ryankturnbul...

[Henrik van de Ruitenbeek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinerend thema. De auteur merkt op dat de duivel binnen de gereformeerde dogmatiek vooral aandacht krijgt in de scheppings- en voorzienigheidsleer, maar nauwelijks in de leer der verlossing.
Hij stelt daarentegen voor om het een plek te geven in de soteriologie, met name als de grote tegenhanger Christus. De duivel is het negatief van de zaligmaker, hetgene waar we ván verlost zijn.

Doordat we de duivel zo niet verder kunnen definiëren dan aan de hand van zijn negatief gedefinieerde werken, voorkomen we speculaties over zijn 'wezen'.

Hierbij wordt verzoening van schuld een thema binnen het grote drama van de verlossing van de duivelse machten, 'the great exorcism' (p105). We mogen onze verlossing ook gespiegeld zien in bijv de bevrijding van Israel uit Egypte. Ons probleem als mensen is meer omvattend dan onze schuld.

Dat de duivel geen wezen heeft, geen 'proper' plek in schepping of herschepping, klinkt aanlonkelijk. Toch had het meerwaarde gehad als Ziegler de traditionele bewijsplaatsen voor de duivel een gevallen engel ook exegetisch behandeld had. Daarnaast gaat zijn voorstel om zonde en schuld als 'kleiner' thema binnen verlossing of bevrijding vrij ver, zeker binnen gereformeerde theologie. Voor de helderheid: Ziegler wil van mensen niet slechts slachtoffers maken (p106), maar 'relativieert' het probleem van schuld wel iets.

Kortom, een interesant boek over een thema dat weinig aandacht krijgt in de traditionele gereformeerde theologie en vooral soteriologie. Zieglers voorstel om de duivel daarvanuit de definiëren kan me bekoren. Maar om de structuur van de verlossing om te gooien gaat me nog wat ver. Vindt de onderwerping aan satan niet juist plaats binnen een groter drame van zonde en schuld?

[Anthony Ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t really read dogmatics that much but Philip Ziegler is starting to become one of my favorites. This book is devoted to a very overlooked doctrine especially in reformed circles. (But I have to admit it went over my head at times, but that’s just cause I don’t know how to read 🫣)

[Laura Fabrycky]

Splendid. Serious. Essential.

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 5 out of 5]

A clearly written and succinct Reformed theology of the devil and demons, peppered with reflections for Christian living and discipleship. An exegetically sharp account, too. The main thrust is that diabology is best treated under the dogmatic category of soteriology, as opposed to earlier accounts which treat it as a part of the doctrines of creation or providence.

[Solomon Trimble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very consciously a work of Reformed theology, although one which quotes Shakespeare liberally and is in conversation with a very wide range of thinkers across the scholarly board. Ziegler acknowledges that Reformed emphasis on "unimpeded divine sovereignty, exhaustive providence," combined with "a deep Protestant wariness of superstition" as well as "the strong sense of human responsibility and demystifying impulse" (p.2) all make the Devil a poor candidate for Reformed theological reflection. Nevertheless, on the back of the very strong biblical motivations for taking the Devil seriously, Ziegler makes the case that the "the discourse about the devil is not merely incidental to the gospel, and the gospel's portrait of Jesus Christ, but integral to it, and importantly so." (p.40)

From here, he gives a brief history of typical theological approaches to the Devil, which tend to locate him under the heading of 'creation and providence.' Ziegler suggests this is unhelpful; instead, the Devil should be considered under the heading of 'salvation,' or as he describes it, under the second article of the creed. This is construed as a minority report within the tradition, to which Ziegler points us back to the early Reformed catechisms and creeds, as well as to Karl Barth. Indeed, the title of the book is a line taken from Calvin's Institutes, where the Devil is described as 'God's Adversary and Ours.'

Then, we enter into the heart of a book, a portrait painted in three sittings, as Ziegler outlines his diabology in contrast to Christ's self attestation as the Way, the Truth and the Life, only in the book it is taken as the the Way, the Life and the Truth for (I presume) structural reasons. The Way, explores Satanic temptation, particularly Satan's role in tempting Jesus. The Life, is a chapter on exorcism, the highlight of the book, where Christ's mission is described as exorcistic in that he liberates those oppressed by the Devil, heals them, and restores to true life in society. These two chapters engage closely with the synoptic gospels. The chapter on the Truth, engages with John's gospel, and explores Satan's role as deceiver, and Christ's role as one who lives out the truth of the Gospel.

This is an unusual academic book, since at the end of each of these three portraits, Ziegler gives advice and encouragement for resisting the Devil within the Christian life. And that is perhaps the wonderful nub of the book; it only makes sense for us to be thinking about Satan inasmuch as we are given by God the power to resist and confront him within the Christian life. The theological portrait of the Devil given here is not an enticement to despair about the power and extent of Evil in the world; it is an invitation to stand firm, to resist, to live out the Way, the Truth and the Life, and inasmuch as we are disciples of Jesus Christ, to firmly, actively and resolutely "renounce the Devil and all his works" every day anew.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

God’s Adversary and Ours offers a concise theological exploration of the devil within Christian thought.
The title’s central question brings together the relationship between God’s adversary and humanity’s own experience of opposition and evil.
Its brief format makes a focused theological subject accessible without requiring a lengthy treatment.
The book provides a natural point of interest for readers of theology, Christian ethics, biblical studies, and ministry.
At 150 pages, it offers a compact resource for readers seeking sustained theological reflection on a difficult Christian subject.

[Patrick Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

To quote Zeigler in a podcast interview, “It seems to me like, at least in the parts of the church in which I move, that there's a long-standing silence about the figure of the devil, and into that silence, that vacuum, all kinds of irresponsible things can flow.” This book helps point out what exactly God saves us from in regards to this figure we call the devil. It’s given me a lot to think about.