Ever since Adam surrendered to the lies of Satan, men and women have been taken captive by him at his will (II Timothy 2:26). Adam trusted in the lies, that is, he shifted his trust as a person would shift their weight from God and his truth to Satan and his lies.
Why would Adam believe these lies? There is much speculation here. In any case Satan appealed to Adam’s reasoning and caused him to believe that God was somehow holding back something good from him. Yet we know that God does not withhold any good thing from those that walk uprightly. Satan tempted Adam to circumvent the process of learning and experience that God had designed. Yet Adam was not blind to these lies and could have resisted the Devil.
God had set limitations to what Satan could say and do to Adam before allowing the trial to begin (See Job 1). He has never allowed man to be tested above that which they were able to bear, but with the temptation has made a way to escape (I Cor. 10:13). For Eve it was sin by deception, but for Adam it was sin “eyes wide open.” Satan was powerless against humanity so long as Adam remained submitted to God. The lies took the 'edge' off of Adam's trust in God had said. Yet, if Adam would wield the sword of God’s word rightly by believing God to be TRUE he would have prevailed.
Everyone has a 'god'
Adam placed his faith and trust in the lies of Satan. This is an important point. What or who you place your trust in determines the direction of your life and soul. Human beings live in a world that they cannot control and must look beyond themselves for a higher source for provision of their needs. This is why the pagans of Canaan served the Baal’s and in our times multiplied millions of ‘gods’ have been invented. Men and women have worshipped the Sun and the host of heaven all seeking to bring some certainty and stability to their lives. They placed their faith and hope in these false gods. Francis Shaffer once pointed out that the great civilizations of the past always tried to invent greater and greater gods with which to rest the weight of life’s necessities, issues and morals.
We are helpless apart from God and have to place our trust in something or someone other than ourselves. This is historical fact as well as common sense. When Satan succeeded in separating God from man- man no longer had a foundation for his existence and was vulnerable to all manor of fearful events and circumstances. If man cannot or will not call upon God- what do they turn to? When you find out ‘what’ or ‘who’ a person is ultimately trusting and believing in you will find their ‘god’. So we may want to ask, "What are you believing and trusting in?"
The Shifting Sands of Satan's Empty Promises
Satan is a murderous father of lies and there is NO truth in him (John 8:44). He comes to steal, kill and destroy and he does it with lies. Lies create something false for someone to trust in. Lies are a terrible sin and betrayal. When people lie they destroy the safety of trust; that is, those they love cannot safely trust in them. Lies give the liar a sense of power and control because they were able to fabricate something and then get the victim to believe it.
I suppose this is one of the possible reasons why all liars are going to have their place in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 21:8). Satan gained the allegiance of Adam and Eve with lies. Satan’s lies were promises that he had no intention on making good on. And just as Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God- Adam believed Satan and it was counted to him for Sin and he became the enemy of God.
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Robert Wurtz II ( - )
For almost 20 years I have served as a author and teacher of advanced biblical studies. My interests are the New Covenant, apologetics and classical revival. Native of the Kansas City, Mo area and reside now in Independence, MO with wife Anna.He is the author of many books including the newest Televangelicalism. In this insightful and thought provoking book, Robert Wurtz II traces the history of Christian evangelism from the book of Acts to modern times. The contrast between pre-1900 and post-1900 evangelism is so sharp, that the book is divided into two sections: Part 1, the pre-Billy Sunday era and Part 2, the post-Billy Sunday evangelistic era. This book is a must-read for anyone that has concerns about issues such as "the sinner's prayer" or shallow concepts of conversion.