Don’t let the devil quote scripture because anything that comes from the mouth of Satan is a lie. I bet many of you didn’t know that Satan knows the words of the Bible. There was an exchange between Satan and Jesus in Matthew 4 that shows Satan trying to use the word of God against Jesus. Jesus on the other hand used scripture to put the devil’s tactics to rest. I find this exchange one of the most significant parts of the Bible because it shows that just because someone utters the words of God does not make their intentions pure and their actions parallel to the intended purpose. The same behaviors that Satan demonstrated in these verses are the same tactics that some Christians and church leaders will use to manipulate and deceive.
Matthew 4 New American Standard Bible
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil *took Him along into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and he *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written:
‘He will give His angels orders concerning You’;
and
‘On their hands they will lift You up,
So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written: ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
8 Again, the devil *took Him along to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9 and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to serve Him.
Now more than ever is it essential to know and study our Bibles. There are so many manipulations and lies being peddled as truth. For some, all lies look like truth because they do not possess the biblical knowledge do differentiate between the two. Just because someone quotes scripture does not mean that the verse is being used in the intended way. A lot of what the Bible says has to be understood in context. Context is made by reading the entire chapter surrounding the verse. Context is also made by tying parts of the Bible together to reinforce truth.
Never let the devil quote scripture.
We must understand that there are many demon possessed people that walk among us. On the surface these people can quote scripture and play the part of being a Christian. But guard your heart and be aware that there are many ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing waiting to devour their prey. The quickest way for the devil to make progress with his agenda is to misinform, corrupt and embellish his lies through the church. The devil doesn’t have to focus nearly as much time on people who create their own self torment by refusing to follow Christ. Those souls are already separated from God, and it is easier for Satan to keep it that way.
Christians on the other hand are often deceived by a slight of hand and a mincing of words. This happens because many Christians do not have a solid foundation of truth in their life. They only accept what they are fed from others and often refuse to put in the work to parallel their life with Christ. Taking what others say at face value is a very dangerous way to live your life. The confidence that these people exhibit from a lack of certainty makes them fools at best. The moral decay of our society is eroding quickly because people never question what they are told. I am certain that these same individuals would believe scripture quoted by the devil.
We must never let the devil quote scripture. This also applies to his anti-Christs as well. They need to be publicly rebuked when the misquote scripture. When these evil doers go unchecked, they continue to influence people through their lies. Biblically literate individuals carry a heavy duty to proclaim truth against these deceivers. We are in a spiritual battle between good and evil. The devil intentionally mixes truth and lies to confuse. As Christ followers, now more than ever, we need to sharpen our ears to what is said. Trust the word of God, not man and certainly not the devil that quotes scripture.