October 1, 2026
The first lie recorded in the Bible was committed in the Garden of Eden by the father of lies, Satan, the devil. He asked Eve, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree in the garden?'” Eve told the devil, who appeared in the form of a 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 should you touch it, lest you die.'”
Then Satan committed the first lie recorded in the Bible as he told Eve, “You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4). Imagine how brazen to call God, our Great Creator, a liar! Satan goes on with more lies as he tries to convince Eve that God just did not want man to be like God, knowing good and evil.
One lie typically leads to more lies. Someone once astutely observed that “liars need good memories.” Otherwise, they might be caught in their lies. The problem with that is loss of credibility. Once we determine that someone has lied, we are then normally skeptical of anything he says.
Lying is a great evil. John tells us, “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8). Of course every person on earth lies. John was speaking of habitual liars, which no Christian can be. My mother and father taught me a lot, but the main thing I can remember my mother emphasizing was not to lie. Of course, I did on occasion and still slip up and lie. But her efforts did have a great impact on me.
Lying, as sinful as it is, can be forgiven. The only unforgivable sin is rejection of Christ and God’s great grace. 1 John 1:9 is a very wonderful and encouraging verse. It promises, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This verse is most encouraging and comforting because we know that everyone on earth sins constantly. How wonderful it is that our Heavenly Father forgives us when we ask!
Part of the reason Satan succeeded with Eve was her pride. She liked the idea of being like God. Many people today still want to be like God in that they insist on doing what they please, sinful as it may be. This desire to be like God is pride, another great sin that God hates. Not all pride is bad. Pride in our children or grandchildren or jobs well done is not evil. It is the pride that makes one feel better than others that God hates.
The blame game also started in the Garden of Eden. When God asked Adam if he had eaten the forbidden fruit, he blamed Eve. Eve, in turn, blamed the serpent. Actually, Adam was more at fault than Eve because he was to be her leader and protector. Eve rebelled, in a sense, not only from God but also from her husband. We see that extensively today, as so many married men have abdicated their natural role of leadership and head of their homes. Satan is behind this, as he is all evil.
Paul reminds us in Ephesians 5:22-23, as well in other places in the New Testament, “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.”
Adam sinned greatly by listening to his wife. God tells him this in Genesis 3:17 and curses the ground for Adam’s sake. The first people on earth “had it made” in the Garden of Eden. But Satan used their pride to get them to sin and, ultimately, to harm God’s great creation. So many of men’s acts today are vile and evil. But it all started with the first lie told by the father of lies, Satan, in the Garden of Eden.
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Ralph Fudge is the pastor of Big Ochlocknee Baptist Church in Coolidge, Ga., and has a Master’s degree in theology from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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