Lawlessness is living as though your own ideas are superior to God's. Lawlessness replaces God's law with my contrary desires. I become a law to myself. Lawlessness is rebellion against the right of God to make laws and govern his creatures. So now we can see better what the Son of God came to destroy.
Sin is lawlessness .
And lawlessness is rebellion against the right of God to rule over us. The work of Satan is to tempt us to reject the authority of God and become like God ourselves. Satan works to nurture and cultivate the pride that puts its own desires above the law of God. The text gives two answers and we need to ask how these two are related to each other. First, verse 8 says the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil.