The answer is in Ephesians 2:2-3, “… You once walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient, among whom we also all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest of humankind.” These verses explain that before we knew God, we were all children of wrath who allowed the Devil to work through us. They reveal that those who are disobedient toward God have the spirit of Satan working through them instead of the spirit of God. Second Timothy 2:24-26 further explains that unbelievers are trapped in the Devil’s snare and the Devil “has taken them captive to do his will.” Therefore, when we read the Scriptures closely, it becomes clear that we either have God working through us or we have the Devil working through us; there is no middle ground. The only variation is in how much the Devil is working in someone who doesn’t know God; how much that person listens to the evil that is being whispered in their ear.
If we compare the characteristics of a narcissist with the tactics used by the Devil, we will see that they align perfectly. A major characteristic of narcissists is that they vilify and then falsely accuse, on a grand scale, those around them who do not cater to their ego. Some might call this slander. “Devil” is a transliteration of the Greek word, diabolos, which literally means “Slanderer,” and he earns this name well. In the first chapter of the book of Job, we see the Devil slander even God in saying that humans only worship Him because He is good to us (Job 1:9-11). In Zechariah 3, the Devil is described as standing at Joshua’s right hand to accuse him. Indeed, we learn that the Devil accuses all Christians to God “day and night” in Revelation 12:10.
Satan is labeled the “Father of lies” in the Bible (John 8:44), so this type of deceptive behavior is not limited to slander. Narcissists will “love bomb” their victims, showering them with attention, gifts, and disingenuous compliments in order to win them over and deceive them into thinking they are someone who genuinely cares about them. The Bible tells us that the Devil does the same thing as he “disguises himself as an angel of light” to hide his true self and appear good when he is not (2 Corinthians 11:14). Once the narcissist feels like they have you trapped, they will then begin to reveal their true self. Over time, through controlling tactics such as gaslighting, they will wear on you and make you doubt your perception, much like the Devil did with Eve in the Garden of Eden. When Eve disclosed to the Devil that God told her not to eat of the forbidden fruit or she would die, the Devil immediately denied it, saying, “You will not die,” (Genesis 3:4). Satan deceptively tried to look like the good guy in this scenario; as if he was, in fact, the one revealing God’s deceptive behavior. Though this was just a lie used to deceive Eve in order to trap her in his snare and control her (2 Timothy 2:26).
Additionally, the narcissist is well-known for being prideful, which manifests as arrogance and entitlement. We know that Satan is arrogant, as well, and feels he is entitled. This is evident in the fact that he would challenge God, the creator of everything, to begin with. We see this laid out further in Isaiah 14:12-14, where Satan declares that he will “ascend into Heaven,” exalt his “throne above the stars of God,” and make himself “like the Most High.” This display of self-exaltation is likewise seen in the narcissist, who has a grandiose sense of their own importance and a belief that they are unique and special above others. We are warned in 1 Timothy 3:6 to not become “puffed up with conceit,” (or prideful) when we are given a high position or given recognition for our accomplishments in this life, for we will “fall into the condemnation of the Devil.”
If you do begin to see the narcissist for who they are and you strive for freedom from them, you will likely become an enemy of the narcissist. In which case, they will not allow you to go easily, and they will seek to destroy you by any means necessary. Like their Father, the Devil, the truth is not in them and they will wage war against you (John 8:44). They will have a specific hatred for you and will not want anything good for you. These are all characteristics of the Devil, who is described as “a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), the thief who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10), and the dragon who wages war on those “who keep the commandments of God, and hold the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:17). Christians are called to love their enemies (Luke 6:35). In sharp contrast, Satan seeks to destroy those he has made an enemy. He does not want anything good for them at all, most especially not a loving relationship with their Father in Heaven nor eternal life. Accordingly, he “has blinded the minds of unbelievers” so they cannot see the goodness of God (2 Corinthians 4:4).
When we make these comparisons, it becomes clear that every main tactic of the Devil is also used by the narcissist. This is not a coincidence. It is evidence of the Devil working through those people. Jesus said to the religious leaders of his time, “You are of your father the Devil, and you want to do the desires of your father” (John 8:44). As such, those who serve the Devil (knowingly or not) are identifiable by their actions, “Now the works of the flesh are obvious, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, unrestrained behavior, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, strife, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, heresies, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, just as I warned you before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21). This is why Christians are called to put away these things, as well as “anger, rage, malice, defaming speech, obscene talk” out of our mouths, and we are told “Do not lie to one another” (Colossians 3:8-9). When we put those things away and refuse to do them anymore, we are rejecting the spirit of Satan that was operating in us before we came to know God (James 4:7). If you ever find yourself wondering why there are so many narcissists in the world, just think of how many people don’t know God. These people are pawns of the Slanderer. If the Devil is working in them a little, the person will have narcissistic tendencies. If he is working in them fully, they will have Narcissistic Personality Disorder.
The fruits of the spirit were given to us in order that we could easily identify other Christians, “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). Accordingly, we need to learn to identify these qualities in others and look for them as a guiding light to find others who love God as we do, in order to not be deceived by the schemes of the Devil (Ephesians 6:11-12). The works of the flesh were identified for the exact same reason and they came with a warning, “But know this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, without natural affection, unwilling to be reconciled to others, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, not interested in doing what is good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). Knowing which works are of God and which are of the Devil allows us to know a person’s heart by the works that they do, and can serve to protect us if we heed this wisdom.
