Jesus said the devil has “no truth in him,” and whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks “out of his own character, for he is a liar, and the father of lies” (John 8:44 ESV). Lying originates with the devil. He is the parent of falsehood.
The first time the devil appears in Scripture is Genesis 3 in the Garden of Eden. Our “adversary” (1 Peter 5:8 ESV) came to destroy and devour what God had made “very good” (Genesis 1:31 NKJV). He did this by telling lies about God to Eve. Let’s notice these three lies together.
God is Overly Strict With You.
This first lie shows up in how the devil presents his question to Eve. “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1 ESV). Eve corrected the devil’s lie by telling him what God had actually said: they could eat the fruit of any tree in the garden except one, the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). But in the devil’s question, he implied that God was overly strict with Adam and Eve.
The devil has convinced many that God isn’t worth listening to because He is so strict and doesn’t let anyone have any fun or enjoy their life. But God allows us to have far more freedom than the devil would like us to think we have, and He even wants us to enjoy life (Ecclesiastes 8:15).
God Isn’t Telling You the Truth.
After Eve told the serpent about the one tree God had warned them not to eat from, the devil lied: “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4 NKJV). This lie directly contradicted what God said (Genesis 2:17). The devil’s addition of one little word – “not” – to what God said changed everything. The devil undermined Eve’s trust in God.
Today, we continue to be bombarded by claims that God isn’t telling us the truth: from the creation account, to Noah’s flood, and even to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The devil tries to convince as many people as he can that God can’t be trusted. Even though the devil is the “father of lies” (John 8:44 NKJV), many have believed his lies about God.
God Doesn’t Want What’s Best for You.
After lying to Eve that she would not die if she ate the fruit, he lied further about what would happen if she ate the fruit: “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5 NKJV). The devil wanted Eve to think that God was holding back the best blessings from her. He deceived her (1 Timothy 2:14) into thinking that God didn’t really have her best interest in mind.
The devil still convinces people today that God doesn’t really care for them, ignoring the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for them in the death of His Son (Romans 5:6-8). But while the devil seeks to devour us (1 Peter 5:8), God seeks to deliver us from the devil’s hand (Hebrews 2:14-15).
