LIES- THE DEVIL'S DOCTRINE

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye
will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

In the Garden of Eden, Satan came upon the scene with total deceit. By
implying that God was holding something back from man that was good
and desirable he lied about God's concern and care for man. He still
uses the same tactics for he has no other. His work then and now is that of trying to drive a wedge between God and man.

His influence is seen clearly in man's readiness to accept falsehood.
Nowhere is falsehood more abundant than in the plan of Salvation and God's plan for the service of the saved. Hundreds of ideas have gone forth and have been readily accepted by man as to how to be saved. Because of satanic influence, the simple Bible plan, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved, is largely overlooked.

It is a sad truth that Satan is able to take an apparent truth and use it to man's disadvantage.

There is an old adage which says,"charity begins at home". This
is generally accepted as simple fact. Is it? No one in his right mind would deny the fact that one has a responsibility toward his family but this is NOT where responsibility begins. Many are providing time, money and effort in support of their families and yet are failing miserably by not providing their spiritual needs. In providing for their spiritual needs he MUST begin with his own relationship with God. Charity does NOT begin at home. Man must first learn to love the God of heaven! He can't even begin to provide properly for his family until he recognizes the validity of God's claims upon him.

Though a child should grow up with a father who is a real buddy, a mom who
provides a wonderful home and well balanced meals, attends the finest schools and gets regular dental and medical check-ups, what will it profit him if he and his parents spend eternity in hell? If you really love your home and family, why not show it? Make that home a place where the Love of Christ is manifested. Don't endanger the eternal welfare of those you love by putting God last.

Another favored falsehood is,"There is a little good in the worst of us". Men search desperately for some good deed or motive in the lives of the worst criminals. In story, song and legends, the most bloodthirsty criminals of the past become misunderstood, tender-hearted robin-hoods. Most are considered to have been driven to their deeds by circumstances and law abiding citizens with hardened hearts. Could this be an effort to justify the average sinner by showing that the worst have some good qualities while the best have some bad? Why
not just accept God's statement about the matter. Mat 19:17 And he
said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one,
that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Let us examine a few biblical statements and see if we can find any possibility of acceptance by God on the basis of a 'little good' in an evil heart.

Mark 7:20 And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the
man.

Mark 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts,
adulteries, fornications, murders,

Mark 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an
evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

Mark 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

Jesus is not describing a heart that is essentially good but misunderstood.
He speaks of the heart of unsaved mankind. Jeramiah describes it thus;

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

Solomon poses a rhetorical question; Prov 20:9 Who can say, I have made my
heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Job puts another question and gives the answer; Job 14:4 Who can bring a
clean thing out of an unclean? not one.

Goodness and evil might be relatiuve to men but to God they are absolutes. As
far as God is concerned, before any good can come from the heart of man, man must have a new heart. The most nutritious milk is no good if poured from a filthy, unwashed pail!

What then is the answer? Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and
renew a right spirit within me.

The devil is not only a liar but he is not even consistent in his lies. Consider these opposing ideas he has planted in human minds. They can't be both right and in truth, both are dreadfully wrong.

On the one hand he tells some that the christian life is dull and boring
and God doesn't want them to have any fun. Then he turns to another
and says, "Enjoy yourself. God wants you to have fun, FUN FUN!

In answer to the first false statement, a christian's dedicated life is far from being dull. You never know what's going to happen next! One person might receive your witnessing with great joy and accept Christ as his savior. The next might want to whip you for insinuating that there is anything wrong with him. Then the next might want to challenge you to a debate on how to be saved.

The life for Christ is far from dull to those who have gone to mission
fields. Even for those who are stay at home, everyday, committed christians, one can experience the thrill of answered prayer.

The world has a saying, 'If you haven't tried it, don't knock it'. Well, if you have never lived a dedicated christian life don't put it down for you don't know what you are talking about!

It is the most thrilling and enjoyable experience available to human beings. John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

God does want his people to have fun and enjoy themselves, but not with the devil's idea of fun. His concept of fun is what keeps the prisons full and makes our streets unsafe to walk. It has spread death and destruction around the world through venereal disease and narcotics. The booming business being done in the world's jails, hospitals, divorce courts and cemeteries would drop dramatically of only men would rid themselves of the illusions of Satan's idea of fun.

On the one hand Satan's lies involve platitudes which are based on apparent
truths, on the other, he weakens some of the greatest Biblical truths by causing superficial acceptance.

It is a wonderful and comforting truth that God is able to keep his own
in perfect safety. This doctrine is called 'the security of the believer' and has been brought into discredit in the eyes of many through Satan's lie that it teaches that you can be saved and then enjoy your fill of sin. This is not a new lie but has been around for centuries. The apostle Paul faced it in his day.

Rom 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may
abound?

Rom 6:2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer
therein?

It is true that when one is saved nothing can ever separate him from God, and it is also true that when one is saved, he becomes a new creation and his 'want to' is changed.