The Bible says that the devil is the father of lies and that all who are blinded by lies are his children. This means that the lie is very dangerous, because it is the work of the devil. Jesus came to deliver us through the truth.
In John 8:44 , Jesus explained a little about the devil’s character:
- It’s homicidal– its purpose is to destroy us
- He rejected the truth– by rebelling against God
- Lying is his “mother tongue”– he lies all the time
- He is the father of lies– lies are his great work
The devil is an expert at lying! It was through the lie that he deceived Adam and Eve, who did not believe the truth and committed sin. This first example shows how destructive lying can be. God speaks the truth; the lie keeps us from His will.
When he rebelled against God, the devil turned away from all that is good, including the truth. The devil is the original liar. He uses lying to blind and destroy ( 2 Corinthians 4: 4 ).
See also: what does the Bible say about lying?
The father’s children of lies
Jesus made a distinction between the children of God and the children of the devil. God’s children recognize and accept Jesus’ words. They are delivered from the power of sin by the truth of Jesus. Your heart is filled with love for Jesus ( John 8: 31-32 ).
The devil’s children are different. They may even think they are children of God but they reject the truth of Jesus. They are so caught up in the devil’s lies that they cannot even recognize the truth! His view is distorted; the truth seems like a lie ( John 8: 43-45 ).
This is very sad, because only Jesus can deliver us. There is no other way to be saved from sin and condemnation ( John 14: 6 ). The devil uses lies to keep people under his power. Whoever has not yet been set free by Jesus is under the authority of the devil, like a son under his father.
Find out more about who the devil is here.
How to beat the father of lies?
With the truth! When tempted in the desert, Jesus used the words of the Bible to destroy the devil’s deceitful lies. The truth is the most powerful weapon against the devil. And the truth is in the Bible.
Reading the Bible and thinking about the Bible is very important. The more we are filled with the word of God, which is the truth, the less space we will have for lying ( James 4: 7 ). When we declare the truth of God, it strengthens us against the father of lies. The truth is much more powerful than the lie!
