The treachery of Judas Iscariot must be condemned, but first it must be studied. Dante’s lowest circle of the Inferno, the ninth, is reserved for treachery. Within the ninth circle are four regions, the lowest of which is for betrayal of one’s benefactors, lords, and masters. God, as the ultimate giver of good things, the King of kings and Lord of lords, must never be betrayed in any way.
Satan, on the contrary, must always be betrayed. That is to say, if you ever go astray and enter into a contract of some kind with the Devil, you must immediately extract yourself from the entire affair, even if it feels traitorous to do so. As a matter of fact, it is not treachery at all to break faith with the Devil, no matter how long you have been his ally, because all contracts with the Devil are void ab initio, from the outset. Lawyers will tell you that any contract that is fundamentally illegal is void, and priests will tell you that every contract with the Devil is blasphemous because it is contrary to divine law. Nevertheless, the Devil will still try to tempt you back to his side by threatening to call you a traitor. Don’t listen to him: he’s lying again. The true treachery came earlier, when you made your bogus deal with him to begin with. Reject Satan now, and all his null and void contracts, and all his empty promises. Show fourth courage, truthfulness, and goodness. Find someone who deserves your true faith and allegiance, Jesus Christ, the one who is “faithful and true” (Rev 19:11).