When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.  (John 8:44b)

Jesus is speaking of the devil, who is elsewhere in the Bible shown to be Satan and he is the original deceiver.

The Greek word translated ‘lie’ is the verb ψεύδομαι (pseudomai) and it means ‘to falsify’ or ‘to wilfully misrepresent’.

John also identifies Satan as the ancient serpent (Revelation 12:9), the very same which deceived Eve in the garden of Eden.  God gave him license to practise his deceptions then and now.

Paul says this:

‘… if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

Conspiracy theory is not new phenomena, it began at the dawn of history and it grips humankind to this day.  But for all the current favourites, there is only one that matters as the consequences are dire, nothing less than eternal death.

Satan would have us believe that there is no God, or indeed, if one should exist, this deity is unconcerned with our welfare.  In turn, through the short-term perspective of mortality, are too ready to concur this life is all there is.  It suits all men and women to seize control of our destiny and possible one may up until death.  And if we swallow the lie that there is no eternal life, then that may be good enough and Satan’s job is done.

At this point some may ask, ‘what’s in it for Satan?’.  The answer only he and God truly knows but given he was a fallen angel, and angels were not offered a second chance when they rebelled as humans were, one can speculate his motivation is borne of envy and possible revenge.  What is certain is that he would defeat the will of God, his creator.

And it is God’s will to redeem humankind.  He offers assurance of salvation based on one simple thing, that we believe Him, and in whom He sent to redeem us.  Again, from the apostle John, we have:

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  (John 3:16-17)

God sends assurance but it demands that we trust him.  There is no certainty, for faith without doubt is not belief, but knowledge.  So, although God sets a low bar for eternal life – it does not require esoteric information, attaining a state of purity or amassing a lifetime of good deeds – He does require that we take a risk on our future in His favour.  And this is clearly too much for some, because the apostle continues:

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgement: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  (Ibid 3:18-19)

And by evil, this is any thought or deed that directed to God and by his name, so ‘their works’ may not seem especially wicked, ‘evil’ simply expresses faith in one’s own agency.

The problem, of course, is that if mortal life is in fact only the prelude to an immortal existence, then there is all of eternity to rue the misrepresentations of Satan.  His lies bring a death quite other than the end of mortal life, while God’s truth will bring life.  Satan would rob all of that, as Jesus says:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  (John 10:10)

This is why of above all things, what one holds to be true matters and detecting lies is a life-critical.