The Orthodox Christian view is evil is not a substance or something created or authorized by God. It is a privation, a lack or corruption of the good that God intended. Evil arises from the misuse of free will, turning away from God’s perfect design, and has no independent existence.
Discussion
Does Satan play a role?
Angels, existing outside time, made a single, eternal choice to obey or reject God. Fallen angels chose against God’s goodness, introducing evil as a privation, not something God created or authorized.
Satan, originally a high-ranking angel, possessed free will and existed outside temporal constraints in an eternal “now.” In a single, irrevocable act, he chose pride and rebellion against God, turning away from divine goodness.
This choice introduced evil as a privation, a corruption of his created goodness, not as something God authorized or created. As a result, Satan became the chief adversary, leading other angels in their fall, perpetually opposing God’s will while remaining subject to His ultimate authority.
After the creation of man too, right?
Satan, an angel, fell before human creation in an eternal moment, choosing pride over God’s goodness, introducing evil as a privation, not created by God. He sways humans through temptation, exploiting free will to incite sin, as in Genesis 3.
Ok. That’s what I originally thought. However I was listening to some podcast with two Fathers and stated otherwise. I may have misunderstood what they were discussing.
Great film worth a watch about good and evil: Nefarious (2023)
Nefarious is an excellent movie.
The fallen angels are also granted free will, but have no means of salvation — the rebellious spirits (the principalities and powers we struggle with) are still completely subject to God’s sovereignty.
Their reaction to Christ in the gospels makes this clear. But also the “lying spirit” that God allowed to deceive Ahab is another example.