So, a lie was never told until Satan through the serpent communicated to Eve about the apple of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Then the serpent said to the woMan, “You will not surely die.” Genesis 3:4
After Eve repeated God’s command not to eat the fruit from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and the penalty God had decreed for breaking that command (death), the serpent (Satan) made a statement that has changed all of human history.
He directly contradicted God and lied to Eve by saying: “You will not surely die.”
There were two destructive consequences of this statement:
- The doctrine of the immortality of the soul entered the human realm. The Bible clearly reveals that human beings are mortal and die (Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Romans 6:12, 23; Acts 2:29; 1 Corinthians 15:54). Yet Satan directly contradicted this truth by saying that humans will not and do not die. Most are surprised to learn that the common teaching of the immortality of the soul (through the soul going to heaven or hell) is false and unbiblical. Satan is the source of this doctrine.
- Humanity fell for the idea that it is permissible to doubt, question and reject the clear revelation of God. Satan introduced to humanity this way of thinking that would later be labeled as carnality. Romans 8:7 tells us, “The carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” Human beings under the influence of Satan prefer to keep God, His truth and His revelation out of their thoughts (Psalm 10:4). This is a tendency that true Christians must fight and avoid. We are to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) and be characterized by faith and obedience to God’s Word (Romans 10:17; 1 Peter 1:14-15, 22).
Speaking to a group of Jews, Jesus says, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Satan is the “father of lies” in that he is the original liar. He is the “father” of lies in the same way that Martin Luther is the “father” of the Reformation and Robert Goddard is the “father” of modern rocketry. Satan told the first lie in recorded history to Eve, in the Garden of Eden. After planting seeds of doubt in Eve’s mind with a question (Genesis 3:1), he directly contradicts God’s Word by telling her, “You will not certainly die” (Genesis 3:4). With that lie, Satan led Eve to her death; Adam followed, and so have we all.
Lying is Satan’s primary weapon against God’s children. He uses the tactic of deceit to separate people from their heavenly Father. Some of his more common lies are “there is no God,” “God doesn’t care about you,” “the Bible cannot be trusted,” and “your good works will get you into heaven.” The apostle Paul tells us that Satan “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), so that what he says and does sounds good and seems reasonable. But it is nothing more than a false appearance.
Many of Satan’s lies tend to perpetuate themselves. This is what happened when Eve convinced Adam to also believe the devil’s lie. Today, Satan still uses people to spread his lies for him. Often, he uses charismatic but foolish people to further his falsehoods, as in the case of false religions and cults.
The Bible has many names for Satan to describe his true nature, including “ruler of this world” (John 12:31), “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “tempter” (1 Thessalonians 3:5), “deceiver” (Revelation 12:9), “Beelzebub” (literally, “lord of the flies,” the ruler of demons, in Matthew 10:25), and “Belial,” meaning “wicked” (2 Corinthians 6:15).
Satan has told more lies to more people (and even angels) than any other being ever created. His success depends on people believing his lies. He has used everything from “little white lies” to huge, pants-on-fire whoppers to deceive folks. Adolph Hitler, a man who learned how to lie effectively, once said, “If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”
Whether a lie is small or large is not really the issue. Lies are of the devil. The Bible teaches that all liars “will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Warnings are never pleasant, but they are better than ignorance of danger; the Bible faithfully warns sinners of danger, including the danger of lying. Proverbs 19:9 also teaches that liars will be punished.
Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6), and He will never deceive you. Thankfully, Jesus is also the Savior, and His death and resurrection provide the basis for your forgiveness of all sin, including the sin of lying. Come to Jesus in faith and humility, and you will find that “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
Yes! We are besot daily with temptation/lies…but God in huMan flesh – Jesus was tempted! Yes, The Father of lies attempted misrepresenting The Truth to The Truth in the flesh!
1. Physical
2. Emotional.
3. The “control” temptation.
This is nothing compared to the knowledge of the cost of huManity! The Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane is an episode in the life of Jesus. After the Last Supper, Jesus enters a garden where He experiences great anguish and prays to be delivered from His impending death on the cross while also submitting to His Father’s will.
We owe Jesus our lives! Here on Earth, the brevity of ‘Time’ cannot be grasped. We all attempt to save for the future. What future?
Remember this:
And we pray:
LORD help me! I NEED Your Essence in my life. I need You. Father, forgive me for my thoughts and actions, I ask that You move my desires fully on to You, Amen. Be my Center, my Reason, my Goal, Amen. The Source of my joy. Father, I ask that You and You alone are with me every microsecond of every day while I walk on this Earth. Amen. I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.