Three Lies People Tell About Satan

In chapter six of my previous book,[i] I pointed out that people lie to us all the time. Some lies are little white lies or half-truths, while others are utter falsehoods. Often people lie to save our feelings. Sometimes they lie because they want something from us, such as our money or our favor. But I believe when people lie about Satan, they usually do so out of ignorance.[ii] Let’s look at three common falsehoods associated with Satan.

Lie #1: Satan doesn’t exist. Satan goes by many names in the Bible. Most writers call him Satan or the devil,[iii] but he is also known as Beelzebul[iv] and in Revelation, he is a dragon.[v] Yet the Bible seems very clear on this point—Satan does exist. All four Gospel writers mention him, as does Paul, James, Peter, Jude, and the writer of Hebrews.[vi] In the Old Testament, the writers of 1 Chronicles, Job, and Zechariah each refer to Satan.[vii] If you believe the Bible, then someone or something that goes by the name of Satan must exist.

Lie #2: Satan can make you do something you don’t want to do. Geraldine Jones, a character created by the late comedian Flip Wilson,[viii] had a ready excuse for every misdeed: “The devil made me do it.” Fortunately, Satan cannot truly make us do anything. Unfortunately, he doesn’t need to. . . .

Beyond Shallow Faith is available on Amazon.com.

[i]. Chapter Six of Beyond Blind Faith: Reasons for the Hope We Have (1 Peter 3:15) is entitled, “Three Lies People Tell About God.”

[ii]. Technically, of course, an untruth uttered without knowledge of its falsity is not really a “lie.” However, “Three Untruths People Tell About Satan” just seemed too awkward.

[iii]. For example, see Matthew 4:1-11, in which he is called “the devil” four times and “Satan” once.

[iv]. See Matthew 10:25, 12:27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 11:18-19.

[v]. See Revelation 12:3-9 and 20:2.

[vi]. See Matthew 12:26, 13:39, 16:23, 25:41; Mark 1:13, 3:23, 3:26, 4:15, 8:33; Luke 4:2-3, 4:6, 4:13, 8:12, 10:18, 11:18, 13:16, 22:3, 22:31; John 6:70, 8:44, 13:2, 13:27; Acts 5:3, 10:38, 13:10, 26:18; Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5, 7:5; 2 Corinthians 2:11, 11:14, 12:7; Ephesians 4:27, 6:11; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Timothy 1:20, 3:6-7, 5:15; 2 Timothy 2:26; Hebrews 2:14; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 3:8, 3:10; Jude 9; Revelation 2:9-10, 2:13, 2:24, 3:9, 12:9, 12:12, 20:2, 20:7, 20:10.

[vii]. See 1 Chronicles 21:1; Job 1:6-9, 1:12, 2:2:1-4, 2:6-7; Zechariah 3:1-2.

[viii]. Lived 1933 – 1998