The Father of Lies – The Ninth Commandment

The Father of Lies

Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 5:20

“You shall not bear false witness.”

John 8:44

“You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Whose cause do our words serve?

I’m sure it must have come as a shock to those religious leaders to hear Jesus say that their father was the devil and that they were living in lies. Maybe some of them knew that they were fudging the truth a bit, or perhaps manipulating it just a tad in order to keep their place of respect and authority. But I suspect that most of them would have recoiled at the notion that their words were serving the cause of the devil rather than God. Jesus, you see, provided us with a simple touchstone for measuring the truth of our words and deeds. Those words and deeds that advance His cause are truth; those that oppose Him are lies. We who are redeemed have been enjoined to live in the truth and to bear true witness to our God. This pertains to everything we say and do. At every moment, in every situation, in all our undertakings, we serve either the cause of Christ and His Kingdom or the cause of Satan and lies. There is no spiritual vacuum in the world, as Paul indicates in Ephesians 5.15-17. The days are evil and filled with lies, as we shall see, and we must take care to ensure that we are not furthering the devil’s agenda in any area of our lives. Even believers can be duped into supporting the cause of the devil, thinking they’re doing good – just ask Peter! Best to be on guard against the father of lies at all times.

Jesus called Peter Satan and told him to get behind Him. Is there a danger you could find yourself in Peter’s shoes? How?

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.