The Devil's Lie

Greetings everyone!

Too many posts I have here in various stages of drafts! So I shall attempt to begin completing and publishing them. I cannot believe how quickly the time has past, and all that I have learned and experienced. It is time to begin reflecting more of that and other things in writing here! It feels to me but a short time since I posted here, though I know its over 3 years as time measures.

So here goes a post I had begun writing years ago and finally completed now.

The Devil's Lie

His first specific and documented lie was when he told the woman that she would not die from eating from the tree from which God said they were forbidden from eating. It was a lie because he contradicted God, saying that they would not die, when God said they would, and the devil was incorrect (Genesis chapter 3). Note that the devil may not have actually lied with his words. What he did was far more tricky and similar in fact to what he still does to us today. The Devil placed a doubt, leading to first disbelief and then disobedience.

His general lie is less specific and is not quoted from a particular verse.

But as we study the scriptures we can figure out lies the devil tells. His general lie is a pattern that we can see. When men disobey God they are believing the devil's lie through their actions. They believe the devil's lie that "they can do what they want," and most often, this is better expressed by "they believe they can do what they want while avoiding God's promised consequences." Essentially they believe the devil's lie that God is lying.

Interestingly, failure to believe in God at all also falls under the category of the lie that "they can do what they want" they think they can do what they want and so they disbelieve God. Believing the devils lie that they can do what they want to is the category of all disobedience of commands and teachings. Adding to and taking away from Scripture is also an example of this. Trying to fit worldly teachings into the scripture is another way of calling God a liar. This is common in churches today by proffessed Christians who somehow have no idea what the Bible teaches, much less what it even says.
 
In fact, all the devils lies come back to this one lie.

In the devils first lie above, the woman and man sinned by believing the devils lie that they can do what they want. At the same time, it could be said that it is unbelief in God, and/or disobedience to God.

Another lie people believe is that they aren't good enough to work for God. But this very belief is also accepting the devil's lie. God commands and teaches many things in the Holy scriptures. He never says that anyone isnt "good enough" to follow him. In fact, no one is "good enough" that's the very reason we need him. Logically it's silly as well. The very idea that someone failing to follow God's teachings in one thing is free from following God's teachings in other things is illogical. This all is a devils lie. We are not saved through obedience to God's teachings, neither are we made more useful for his kingdom by what appear outwardly as acts of obedience. We are saved by Grace through Faith and it is by Faith and him in us that we do all things of value. Granted faith will produce good works (Ephesians 2, James 2, Galatians 2:16). But good works alone are not justification. Dangerously, good works without faith are a stumbling block to justification.

Often I am afraid, it is being too obedient to false ideas of what God is and wants that keeps us from serving him. (Luke 18:9-14)

Always, if you know the good God wants you to do, then do it (James 4:17).

Psalm 50:23