The Lies Of Satan
By Ron Boatwright

     The first lie ever told was by Satan.  God told Adam and Eve “of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17).  Later Satan lied to Eve and deceived her by saying, “You shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).  Jesus says concerning Satan, “When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).  Just as Satan has deceived many people down through the ages, he continues to deceive the vast majority of people today with his lies.  Anything that contradicts God’s word in the Bible is just another lie of Satan.  The following are some of the ways Satan continues to deceive people through his lies.  

     Universalism - This lie of Satan says all people will be saved and none will be lost.  But Jesus says “wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14).  Jesus says the vast majority of people will be lost in Hell and only few will be saved.  The lie of Universalism convinces people they don’t have to do anything to go to Heaven.  Who are people going to believe, Satan or Jesus?   

     Faith Only - Satan tries to keep people from becoming children of God by saying baptism is not necessary for the forgiveness of sins or to be saved.  With this lie Satan says all you have to do to be forgiven of your sins and to be saved is just accept Jesus as your personal Saviour and say the “sinners prayer”.  Satan says it is all right to be baptized after you are saved, because even Satan knows one is saved at the point of baptism, and not before.  If one is not baptized for the forgiveness of sins and to be saved, he still has every sin he has ever committed and is still lost.  The Bible says we are to “arise and be baptized and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16).  Jesus says, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16).  Who are people going to believe, Satan or Jesus?  

     Once Saved Always Saved - Satan tells people you can’t fall from God’s grace and be lost.  This lie of Satan is designed to lure people into complacency so they will be lost.  But God’s word says, “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).  We are also warned in 1 Corinthians 10:12, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall”.  Paul tells Timothy, “some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1).  The seducing spirits and doctrines of devils are lies of Satan which deceive people.  There are many other passages in God’s word warning us against Satan’s lie that you can’t fall from God’s grace and be lost.  But again, who are people going to believe, God or Satan?  

     Denominationalism - Satan says one church is as good as another and we are all going to Heaven, but just going different ways.  Believing this lie will cause many people to be lost.  The Lord only established His one church.  Jesus says, “On this rock I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18).  The one and only church Christ established belongs to Him.  In Ephesians 4:4-6 we read, “There is one body, and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all”.  Even though there are many false gods, there is only one true God; and even though there are many false bodies there is only one true body.  What is this one body?  In Ephesians 1:22-23 we read concerning Christ that God “gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body”.  The one body is the one church Christ established.  

     What is the Lord going to do with His one body?  Ephesians 5:23 says, “Christ is the head of the church; and he is the Saviour of the Body”.  Christ has only promised to save His one body, which is His one church. The Bible says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it” (Psalms 127:1).  Jesus says, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted” (Matthew 15:13).  Jesus did not establish any of the hundreds of differing denominational churches with their differing creeds and doctrines.  Only the saved are in the Lord’s one church, which is the church of Christ ; all others will be lost.  Acts 2:47 says, “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”  There are no unsaved people in the Lord’s church.  The many denominations are only tools of Satan, designed to deceive people into believing they are all right in some man made church.  

     Premillenialism - This lie of Satan says Christ came to this earth to set up an earthly kingdom, but since the Jews rejected Christ and crucified Him, He set up the church as a substitute and will come and try again a second time to set up His earthly kingdom in Jerusalem and will reign there 1000 years and then there will be a judgment.  All of this is false and contradicts what the Bible says.  The false doctrine of Premillenialism infers that God is not all knowing in that He did not know Christ was going to be rejected and crucified.  It has man overcoming the purpose of God.  If God failed the first time to do what man claims God intended to do, why couldn’t He fail a second time?  This is absurd.  God sent Jesus to this earth to die for our sins.  Acts 2:23 says concerning Jesus, “Him being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death”.  God foreknew that Christ would be rejected and crucified.  

     The Bible says concerning the Lord’s second coming, “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).  And we see in 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”  When the Lord comes again the earth is going to be burned up.  There is not going to be an earth remaining for the Lord to rule over for 1000 years.  Premillenialism is just another way Satan deceives people by drawing them away from the truth of God’s word.  

     Infant Baptism – Another lie of Satan says infants are born sinners and must be baptized in order to be saved.  This again contradicts God’s word.  God says in Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul who sins shall die.  The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor shall the father bear the guilt of the son”.  Here God says that children do not inherit sin from their parents, grandparents, or any of their forefathers, all the way back to Adam.  Each person is responsible for his own sins.  What is sin?  1 John 3:4 says, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness”.  We do not inherit sin; we commit sin.  An infant has not broken any law of God and has not committed any sin.  How is sin committed?  In James 1:14-15 we read, “Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lusts and enticed, then when lust is conceived, it brings forth sin and sin when it is finished brings forth death.”  A baby cannot be drawn away and enticed into lustful sin.  

     One error leads to another.  Men say since infants have inherited the sin of Adam, they must be baptized or they will be lost.  Not only are infants not lost but they are not suitable candidates for baptism, since they cannot believe.  Jesus says in Mark 16:16, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved”.  Here one of the prerequisites of being saved is to believe, which is impossible for an infant to do. In Acts 8:36-37 the question was asked, "See here is water; what hinders me from being baptized?"  And the answer is given in the next verse: "And Philip said, if you believe with all your heart you may."  Here we see the condition that must be met before a person can be baptized is he must believe with all his heart.  Can an infant do this?  No.  

     Also one of the prerequisites of being baptized is one must repent.  The apostle Peter told a group of people to “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins” (Acts 2:38).  Can an infant repent?  It would be absurd to think an infant could believe or repent, but it is just as absurd to think an innocent infant, who is without sin, must be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, which he does not have.  

     Satan has many ways through his lies in fooling people into being lost.  When a person who was baptized as an infant becomes accountable, he doesn’t think he needs to be baptized again so he can be saved.  Satan knows infant baptism accomplishes nothing.  Satan knows when people who were baptized as an infant become accountable, at that time they begin to sin and will be eternally lost in the burning fires of Hell if they don’t obey the Lord.  When a person becomes accountable he must “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38), not before he becomes accountable.  If a person misses Heaven by believing the lies of Satan, he will only have himself to blame.  

     Sprinkling And Pouring - is another lie of Satan.  Our word “baptize” is transliterated from the Greek word “baptizo” which only means to immerse.  “Baptizo” does not mean sprinkle or pour.  If our Lord wanted people to be sprinkled or poured, He would have inspired the New Testament writers to use the Greek words “rhantizo” which means to sprinkle or “katacheo” which means to pour.  But He didn’t.  “Baptizo” can only mean to immerse.  Let’s look at the Bible to see how people were baptized.  “Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there” (John 3:23).  Scriptural baptism, which is immersion, according to the Bible requires much water, at least enough to immerse a person.  Also Romans 6:4 says, “Therefore we were buried with Him in baptism into death”.  Here we see baptism is a burial, which is done when one is immersed.  Sprinkling is not a burial; it is only sprinkling.  Neither is pouring a burial.  Both are unlawful substitutes made by man, which will cause many people to be eternally lost.  The person who insists on following this lie of Satan of sprinkling or pouring has refused to obey God.  Sprinkling or pouring is without God’s authority.  There is no baptism in the absence of immersion.  One who has been sprinkled or poured has not been scripturally baptized and still has every sin he has ever committed and is still lost.  If one believes this lie of Satan, he will be condemned to the eternal fires of Hell.  

     Evolution – Satan has deceived many people into believing there is no God.  God’s word says, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalms 14:1).  In an attempt to explain from where everything came, these foolish people in their vain imagination and with the help of Satan have come up with the theory of evolution.  Even though man has not been able to come up with any proof, he is trying to pass his theory of evolution as a fact.  If Satan can get people to believe there is no God they will be eternally lost.  Jesus says, “for if you do not believe that I am He you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).   

     No Eternal Punishment – If Satan can get people to believe there is no eternal punishment, they are certain to be spending eternity with him in Hell.  Many people who are scoffing at the idea of eternal punishment are scoffing at what God says.  In eternity their scoffing will quickly change to weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.  Jesus says, “And will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:42).  The Lord is pleading with us not to go there.  He has already paid the price to keep us out of Hell.  The vast majority of people will end up in Hell because they have believed the lies of Satan.  Hell is eternal, final, and irreversible.  

     Purgatory – This false doctrine gives man the false hope of a second chance after death to be saved.  The Bible says, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).  After death comes the judgment, not Purgatory.  2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “Behold now is the day of salvation”, not after you die.  There will not be any second chances after death.  It will be too late then and Satan knows it.  Those who have never obeyed the gospel or apostatized from the faith will have eternal Hell as their abode (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).  

     Many people try to make Satan into a fictitious character with horns, wearing a red suit, and carrying a pitch fork.  Satan uses this lie to cause people to forget that he is real, which will make them more vulnerable to his deceitful ways.  But we are to “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  

     Satan uses his lies to deceive people into rejecting and disobeying God.  With his lies Satan appears innocent.  “For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).  Because the vast majority of people have believed the many lies of Satan, they will be punished forever in the eternal fires of Hell (Matthew 7:13-14).  Satan already knows at the end of time, he “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).  Satan also knows “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).  Satan’s main objective is to cause as many people as possible to be lost with him in Hell.  Satan’s main tool to accomplish this is his lies.  Beware, Satan is real.  Do not be deceived by the lies of Satan and lose your eternal reward of Heaven and be thrown into the everlasting fires of Hell.