The Devilish D’s

One of the most profound questions ever recorded came from Pontius Pilate when he was questioning Jesus. Ironically, it seems pretty clear he had no real desire to know the answer. But don’t be too quick to judge. We can make the same mistake if we fail to seek the answer to Pilate’s question when taking on the temptations that come with life.

In John 18:37, Jesus says the reason He was born and came into the world was “to testify to the truth” and adds that “everyone on the side of the truth listens to me.”

Pilate’s retort: “What is truth?” (John 18:38)

If Jesus responded, there’s no record of it. All we know is what the rest of verse 38 says: “With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, ‘I find no basis for a charge against him.’”

So, it appears Pilate missed his opportunity to hear Jesus’ answer, but we already know the answer because Jesus makes it clear in other places found in Scripture. When Thomas was confused about how the disciples could follow Jesus if they didn’t know where He was going, for instance, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

What is truth?

JESUS.

Still, we need to keep asking and answering the question because it leads us to an important source of defense against the temptations that draw us into sin. There’s an old saying: If you don’t know the truth, you’ll believe any lie. And when that’s the case, the devil has us right where he wants us. That’s why he works so hard to get us there. But the Truth we find in Jesus is the belt that holds our pants up when we are under attack. (Ephesians 6:14)

Saton's arsenal of weapons includes a quiver full of arrows that start with the letter D – he Distracts, sows Doubt, Distorts, Divides, Disappoints, Diverts, Deceives, and Discourages, just to list a few of “d-ese” arrows. Several of those showed up in the Garden, led to the fall of humanity, and are still showing up for us today.

Consider: Doubts, diversions, and distractions – “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Genesis 3:1)

One way the devil attacks us is by planting seeds of doubt in our mind. For Eve, it began with “Did God really say, …” For us, it might be, “Does God really love you” Or “Do you really believe God forgives you?”

Satan is a master at probing our insecurities in search of ways that feed our doubts and distract us from God’s truth. Instead of fixing our eyes on Jesus, we find ourselves considering the lies of the enemy.

Distortions and deceptions – “‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” (Genesis 3:4-5)

Another way the devil attacks us is by distorting God’s truth so that it hides his lies and leaves us deceived. Our culture is full of deceptive and false theology that people buy into because it contains a kernel or two of truth. It sounds compassionate to say that all roads lead to heaven, for instance, or that same-sex relationships are fine and dandy if they are based on love. Who is against love? Who is against compassion? But those views are lies based on distortions of God’s truth about justice and love. And when we bite into a half-truth, we discover it’s a full lie.

Discouragement and disappointment – “But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’” (Genesis 3:9-10)

The lies of Satan often discourage us by first suggesting that God is holding out on us. He has something we want and think we need, but He won’t give it to us. We think we’re missing out on something, usually the short-term pleasures that can come with sin. We feel discouraged because we can’t have the nice, shiny object that Satan is dangling in front of our eyes.

We respond by taking control of the situation. We grab the object of our desire, only to find there’s a hook inside it. That leaves us both disappointed and discouraged with the results of our sinful actions. Ironically, taking control ultimately makes us slaves, while surrendering to God provides freedom.

Adam and Eve had their eyes opened, as promised, and perhaps it was pretty cool in those first few moments. But it didn’t take long for disappointment and regret to settle in, leaving them more discouraged than when they began.

Division – “The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’” (Genesis 3:12)

Scripture makes it clear that sin entered the world through Adam. For some of us, however, that didn’t make much sense on our initial reading of Genesis 3. As Adam rightly points out, the woman took the fruit and ate it first. And, oh by the way, he says, God, you gave her to me. I didn’t create her. Adam, however, was right there by Eve’s side and didn’t intervene on her behalf. He was passive when he should have been protective, weak when he should have been strong, and lustful for what Satan was offering when he should have been responsible for his family’s wellbeing. His sins led to her sins which led to more sins. In a flash, the devil had Adam casting blame instead of embracing accountability, and the result was division in his marriage and division in his relationship with God.

Checkmate?

For Satan, this looked like checkmate in his game against God and humanity, but we know the rest of the story. The Truth prevails. That’s good news for us in an eternal sense, but how does that truth – the Truth – help us in daily life with all those arrows are flying in our direction? One way to find that answer is by comparing the story of Adam and Eve with the temptations Jesus faced when He fasted in the wilderness just before launching into his public ministry. In both cases, Satan appealed to the lust of the flesh – the immediate gratification of the fruit for Adam and Eve and the promise of turning stones into bread to satisfy Jesus’ hunger.

Then he appealed to materialism (or the lust of the eyes). The desirable-looking fruit offered Adam and Eve knowledge and power, while Satan showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and offered him earthly power and dominion.

Finally, the devil appealed to pride. Adam and Eve would become “like God,” he told them, while Jesus could show off his power by throwing himself off the temple and letting the angels save him.

Jesus, however, wouldn’t give in to doubt, wouldn’t be diverted or distracted, wouldn’t be deceived by distortions, wouldn’t give in to disappointment or discouragement, and wouldn’t let Satan drive a divisive wedge in His relationship with the Father. So what did He do? And what can we learn from the way He handled Satan’s attacks?

Temptations clearly come at us whether we are in a period of blessings and surrounded by abundance or walking through a desert and in place of great need.

But our response can be the same:

Trust in the Truth.

Adam and Eve gave into their temptations because they were so distracted by Satan’s lies that they never consulted God’s truth. Jesus, meanwhile, responded to every temptation by quoting the word of God. He literally spoke truth against Satan’s lies.

The conclusion is pretty simple: To be the man of God that we aspire to be, our thoughts, words, and actions need to be grounded in God’s truth. We find it in the Word of God, in the person of Jesus, and in the counsel of the Holy Spirit. I’ve gotten myself in all sorts of trouble through the years, but this much I know:

The Truth always sets me free.