Diabolos: The Slanderer
Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.) John 6:70 —71 (NIV)
Why would the Lord call the devil ‘Diabolos’, and then call Judas ‘Diabolos’ too? That’s because what Judas had to do — betray — was very bad. The Lord was pointing out that even though a person may be included among the chosen, like Judas, he can still be a devil. You can be part of something, yet still betray it. Betraying those who have trusted in you, for any reason, is devilish.
To be a devil means to be a deceiver, one who is not authentic, and one who is false.
The word “Diabolos“ (from which we get ‘devil’) refers to someone who:
- Is prone to slander
- Accuses falsely
- By opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or side with him.
If you’re not careful, you can end up siding against the Lord while justifying yourself, saying, “Well, what did I really do?”
A Diabolos is dangerous because he gives you the impression that you’re succeeding. And it can be difficult to identify when this is happening because you can deceive people, and still seem to prosper. Again, you don’t want that to be your case.
The Devil Talks
The primary power of the devil is through his mouth—he speaks. This can be described as the wiles or tricks of the devil.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[
“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Matthew 4:1,3,6,9 (NIV)
When we yield to what he says, the Diabolos has taken us out. So, “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11 (KJV), “and give no opportunity to the devil.” Ephesians 4:27 (ESV)
Slander and False Accusation
The same word ‘Diabolos’ is used when someone says or spreads something evil. For instance, in Job 1, the word ‘Diabolos’ is used when Satan showed up amongst the sons of God. When it is said, “Satan came among them,” it was a classic example of slander and false accusation perpetuated against Job by Satan.
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.”
“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” Job 1:6 (ESV),9–11 (NIV)
Here, Satan slanders Job, claiming that his righteousness is only the result of God’s blessings.
This is what the devil does—he accuses, he deceives, he slanders. Satan tempts us so that he can slander us later. That’s why the name Diabolos is used for him repeatedly throughout the Scriptures.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.” Revelation 12:10 (NIV)
Other Manifestations of ‘Diabolos’
- Opposing what is Right
When you oppose or resist what is right, you are acting as a ‘Diabolos.’ An example of this is Elymas the sorcerer, who tried to hinder the spread of the gospel.
“But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith. Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, ‘You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?” Acts 13:8–10 (NIV)
Here, Elymas is called a “child of the devil” because he actively perverted the right ways of the Lord. Resisting truth and righteousness is a hallmark of the devil’s work.
- Living in Persistent Sin
Those who continue in sin without repentance reveal the nature of Diabolos.
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3:8 (NKJV)
- Slandering and Gossiping
Slander and gossip are subtle but serious manifestations of the devil’s nature. The Greek word “diabolos” literally means slanderer or accuser. Slandering others, whether through gossip, backbiting, or false accusation, is devilish behavior.
“Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers [diabolous], not enslaved to much wine, teachers of what is good.” Titus 2:3 (Literal Translation)
“They have become filled with every kind of wickedness… they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters…” Romans 1:29–30 (NIV)
“Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.” James 4:11 (ESV)
The danger of becoming a Diabolos lies not just in open rebellion but in acts of betrayal, slander, resistance to truth, and justified disobedience. We must be vigilant not to fall into any of these, remembering that what looks like success or inclusion (as with Judas) may still hide a dangerous alignment with the enemy.
Ita Udoh
31st May 2025
