Four Lies That Ruined The World
Four Lies That Ruined The World
By Adrian Rogers
What do you think they are—the four lies that ruined the world? Communism? Humanism? New-ageism (or a whole bunch more ism’s)? Evolution? In Genesis we find four lies bigger than all of these, and they came straight out of the mouth of Satan.
1 Now the serpent… said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 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 3:1-5)
The Father of All Liars
Out of these foundational lies all other lies were spawned—by the father of liars himself, the devil. Satan’s whole system is built on a lie. Jesus said in John 8:44,
“… He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him … he is a liar, and the father of it.”
His motive: murder. His method: the lie. Satan wants to bring death—physical, spiritual and eternal—and he does it through deception.
Satan isn’t interested in telling lies about little things. He wants you to believe lies about the biggest subject—God. If Satan can get your mind twisted about who God is and the trustworthiness of His character, then he has you.
Here in the first pages of history, Satan tells four big lies attacking God’s character. You meet them every day; they’re fresh and up to date.
Lie #1: God is not loving.
By planting that seed of doubt, Satan wanted Eve to believe God was withholding goodness from her; therefore, God Himself was not good. She would think God was cruel, harsh, and unloving.
Lie #2: God is not truthful.
By casting doubt on His truthfulness, Satan wanted Eve to believe God had lied to her. His question mark at the end of what God said implies God’s Word cannot be trusted.
Any person, be it teacher, professor, pundit or pastor, who causes skepticism about the authority, accuracy, infallibility, and authenticity of the Word of God is doing the work of Satan. Out to destroy God’s truthfulness, Satan introduced relativism, rationalism, pragmatism, post-modernism—all based on lies about God. Today’s society has been infected by these substitutes for the truth of God. The big daddy liar is behind them all.
Lie #3: God is not righteous.
With his “you shall not surely die” response, Satan wanted Eve to believe God would not really hold Eve’s sin against her. Some today think, “God is too good to punish sin.” He’s too good not to punish sin. He is holy and righteous.
Lie #4: God is not gracious.
Satan’s temptation here is for Eve to believe God’s plans for her were not good, and she should look out for herself. He tells Eve, “If God is not gracious, then you’d better become your own god and take care of yourself. Have your own way.”
But what is the truth about God’s desires for us?
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9
He has our best interests in His heart if we will follow His plans.
How to Deal with Satan’s Lies
If Satan is out to deceive us, how do we overcome him?
Three ways:
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11
- By Calvary’s Conquest
The blood of the Lamb. On the cross, Satan’s back was broken. He is exposed—a fake, fraud, and imposter. But you’ll never overcome him until you come to Jesus.
Have you trusted Jesus Christ for your salvation? If not, find out how to discover Jesus now. (Link to How to discover… at lwf.org)
- By Courageous Confession
The word of their testimony. This is not just standing up and saying, “I want to tell you what Jesus has done for me.” The Bible is the Word of our testimony—the Word of God. Bring the Word of God against these lies.
- By Complete Commitment
Total surrender. “They loved not their lives unto the death.” They said, “I’m going for God even if I die serving Jesus.”
This is the only way you will defeat Satan. The Word of God pulls the veil of darkness away and exposes Satan’s lies.