Do you remember the conversation between Eve and the serpent as he tempted her in the garden? Do you recall the cunning he used to trick her into believing that she could disobey God, and get away with it? Do you still remember the command that God had given to Adam and Eve concerning the tree of knowledge? Do you realize that the serpent -- Satan -- is still doing the same thing to us today?

Let's take a close look at the lie that Satan told to Eve and see how it compares to the lies he is telling people today.

God had created a beautiful garden called Eden which was the home of Adam and Eve. In this garden was all that they needed to live, it would have sustained them forever. God had given them this garden and they could eat of the fruit of every tree except one. "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.'" (Genesis 2:16-17) God had surrounded them with beauty and an abundance of food. He had given them much, and His command was not unreasonable.

But Satan came along in the form of a serpent to tempt Eve, to trick her, to lie to her so that she would disobey God. "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die."' Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die.'" (Genesis 3:1-4)

I would like for you to notice three things concerning this conversation between the serpent -- Satan -- and Eve. First, Satan misrepresented what God had told Adam and Eve. Satan told Eve, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" In other words, Satan was saying to Eve, "You mean to tell me that God has told you that you can not to eat of EVERY tree of the garden?" Satan was portraying God to be unfair in His command to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Second, Eve misquoted God when she was telling the serpent what God's command was concerning the tree. She quoted God as saying, "You shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die." I believe that this misquote was not deliberate on her part, but it is a very important fact. I believe that this shows that Eve did not really understand what God had commanded. She added another qualification to the command, that they not even touch the tree. In God's command He said nothing about touching or not touching the tree.

Third, Satan told a bold-faced lie concerning God, "The serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die.'" He was contradicting the Word of God. God had said, "...for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Satan said no, not really. Satan tricked the woman into believing that God had not told the full truth, or perhaps that what she thought God had said was not true.

We know from reading Scripture that God was correct and truthful. Adam and Eve did die. On the day that they ate of the fruit they died spiritually. They were no longer able to be in the presence of God on a daily basis. And eventually they died physically.

How does all of this compare to the lies that Satan tells people today concerning God and His Word? Does Satan try to trick us today into believing lies? Anyone who is trying to live a Christian life knows that the answer to this question is YES. Does Satan work through false teachers to try to confuse people into believing that the Scriptures say things that they don't? YES! Does Satan work through false teachers to misrepresent the Word of God, to twist His Word to mean lies, and deceive good honest people into not obeying the full gospel of Jesus Christ? You better believe it! Again, let's look at specifics.

The one single lie that upsets me the most is the one which says that you can believe anything you want, as long as you are sincere. In other words, it doesn't really make any difference what the Bible says about a particular issue, you can choose to believe something just a little different (or maybe a lot different) and you can still go to heaven. This goes right along with the society we live in today which says, "If it feels good, do it!" If what the Bible says we should or must do does not fit your lifestyle, that's ok, just twist it around to mean something different so it will fit your lifestyle. Make the Bible fit us, not the other way around.

But listen to what Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in 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) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21) I don't know what Jesus could have said to make it any clearer. We must do what the Bible tells us to do if we expect to live with Him in eternity. Folks, this is NOT works. It is not works when we obey the commands of Jesus, it is obedience!

Another lie that Satan is spreading all across the world today is that all you have to do to be a Christian is believe on the Lord Jesus and say the sinner's prayer and you will be saved. The Scripture which is most commonly used as the proof text is Romans 10:13, "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." This verse does not teach a "faith only" form of salvation. (For a fuller treatise on this verse see our monograph "What Must I Do To Be Saved") Salvation is more than reciting a prayer. It involves belief in Jesus as the Christ, repentance, confession that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, baptism by immersion and a life of faithfulness. Sometimes when I think of the millions of people who have heard and believe this lie, I just want to cry.

Another lie which Satan has made popular today is the one that simply says that there are many roads to heaven. The lie says that it really doesn't make any difference what you believe, as long as you are sincere. Are there really many roads to heaven? Is it just a matter of picking which "road" we choose to travel?

Again, lets consider what the Bible has to say about this issue, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to have a walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of pease. 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, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ephesians 4:1-6) This certainly sounds like there is just one "road" to heaven. If there were many ways or by many different doctrines, why did Paul not tell us so. Instead Paul tells us, through this passage, that there is "one body" (the true church) and "one faith" (one set of truths which form Christian belief).

A lie which Satan uses today which is a great concern to me is not one of a difference in doctrine, but rather one of an attitude among those who claim Christian as their name. It is the attitude that "If I attend church for an hour or so once a week, I have fulfilled my obligation to God." The problem is that of not being faithful to the worship services.

I had a friend say to me once, "You don't have to go to church to be a good Christian." Well, this is true if you simply take it at face value. However, I believe that all "good Christians" have a deep desire to meet with their brothers and sisters in Christ in worship of Him. And lest you not believe it, there is Scripture for this as well, "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25)

And finally, there is the lie of the "wealth message" as it is called by some. Recently, I heard a TV preacher make some comments concerning the criticism he had taken for preaching the wealth message. (By the way, the wealth message says that God does not want His people to be poor but rich. If you are not rich, you don't have enough faith.) He said that he did want to have a good relationship with God, but he wanted the material blessings as well. He said "I want it all! I want the boats, the cars, the houses and the money. I want it all and my faith in God will give it to me." (If he had said that the offerings of the poor people who believe him would give him those things, he would have been more truthful.)

But what did Jesus say concerning material possessions? "Do not lay up for yourselves treasurers on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:19-21) Is there any doubt where the heart of the TV preacher mentioned above is? I dare say, it is not in heaven or the things of heaven.

Don't fall for the lies of Satan. Stay in God's Word so you will be strong enough to resist.

All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.