The Bible teaches that the devil, also known as Satan, is the father of lies and deception. This is stated clearly by Jesus in John 8:44, which says, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” This verse gives us key insights into the nature and character of Satan.
1. The devil is a liar by nature
When Jesus says “there is no truth in him,” it means that lying and deception are inherent parts of the devil’s character. Truthfulness and honesty are completely foreign to his nature. Satan does not know how to tell the truth, even if he wanted to, because deception and falsehoods are ingrained into his very being. He operates completely devoid of truth.
From the very beginning, when Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, he twisted God’s words and blatantly contradicted what God had told Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-5). Jesus calls Satan “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44), and Scripture says he “disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14) to deceive people. Deception is his native language and primary weapon.
2. The devil seeks to distort truth and spread lies
Since there is no truth in Satan, his goal is to distort truth and replace it with lies and falsehoods. Jesus said he “has nothing to do with the truth.” The devil does not care about what is factually correct or objectively true. His only aim is to deceive people and lead them away from God’s truth as revealed in Scripture.
The Bible warns us that Satan prowls around “like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8) and that we should be alert because “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The devil works diligently to keep people in darkness and ignorance of God’s truth through deception and lies.
3. The devil seeks to misrepresent God’s nature and commands
One of Satan’s primary strategies is to spread lies about God’s nature and commands. From the beginning, he has tried to convince humanity that God is not entirely good, loving or truthful. He paints a distorted picture of who God is in order to turn people away from loving and obeying Him.
For example, when Satan tempted Eve, he directly contradicted what God had told Adam and Eve, making God out to be oppressive and uncaring rather than looking out for their good (Genesis 3:1-5). Satan continues this strategy today by flooding the world with misinformation about God.
4. We must recognize the devil’s lies and stand on God’s truth
As Christians, we need to be alert to the devil’s schemes and recognize his lies for what they are. We must filter every thought and teaching through the truth of God’s Word, allowing the Bible to expose Satan’s falsehoods and deceptions.
Rather than believing what the world or culture says about God, we must develop such a strong foundation in Scripture that we can immediately discern when something contradicts biblical truth. The more we saturate our minds with God’s truth revealed in the Bible, the easier it will be to identify and reject the lies of the enemy.
Jesus proclaimed that “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). As we stand firmly on the rock of God’s revealed truth, we will not be swayed by Satan’s onslaught of deception. Scripture equips us to push back the forces of darkness with the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17).
5. The truth of Christ overcomes the devil’s lies
While the devil operates entirely devoid of truth, Jesus Christ is “the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He is the embodiment of truth, the revealed truth of God in human flesh (John 1:14).
The truth of Christ dispels the darkness of Satan’s lies. Through His life, death and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and defeated the powers of deception and evil, delivering “a deadly wound” to Satan (Revelation 13:3).
As Christians, we have the divine power to demolish evil deception and “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God” by making disciples of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). The light of the gospel overcomes the falsehoods of the devil when we share the truth of Christ with others.
6. The Holy Spirit guides us into truth and discerns lies
Not only do we have God’s Word as a weapon against Satan’s lies, we also have the Holy Spirit actively working in and through us. Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17) who guides believers into all truth and reveals the lies of the enemy.
The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit dwells within every believer and “He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26). We can rely on the Spirit’s wisdom and discernment to identify deceitful doctrines and distinguish truth from lies, protecting us from Satan’s deception.
7. We must choose to believe and obey the truth
While God has given us powerful weapons against the devil’s lies such as Scripture and the Holy Spirit, we still have a responsibility to believe and obey the truth. Believing truth is a choice we must make each day as we are confronted with lies and deceptions from the world and spiritual forces of evil.
As James 4:7 says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Resisting Satan requires submitting to God in faith and obedience to His commands. As we choose to believe and obey God’s truth revealed in Scripture, we will expose the devil’s lies and thwart his deceitful schemes.
8. Satan will ultimately be defeated by the truth
Because of Christ’s victory on the cross, Satan has already been defeated though he continues to wage war through lies and deception. However, the Bible assures us that his days are numbered and his demise is inevitable.
In the end, Revelation 20 tells us the devil will be bound and sealed away for 1,000 years and ultimately thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented forever. Darkness and deceit will be completely eradicated. God’s truth will reign unopposed for all eternity, and Satan “the father of lies” will finally be powerless.
As the darkness grows in our world today, we can take confidence that greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). By standing firmly on the truth of God’s Word, we can expose Satan’s lies until the day when truth triumphs completely and the father of lies is vanquished forever.
