The devil did not lie to Eve; the devil must not openly commit a sin. Satan is nothing compared to God. He cannot battle God. A battle with God by the devil would be a battle of infinity verses zero.
Satan destroys humans to grieve God because he can do this without openly committing a sin. This is the only way the devil can hurt God.
Satan hates God, but he must keep that to himself. The devil’s hatred makes him a murderer, and his denial of his hatred makes him a liar.
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Jesus said that the devil was a liar from the beginning, so people will read the words of Satan looking for a lie. Satan was a liar from the beginning, but Jesus did not say that the devil was exposed as a liar from the beginning. Jesus came into the world to expose the devil.
Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
The first thing that Satan said was a question. A question is not a lie.
Genesis 3:4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
God told Adam and Eve that they would die, but Satan said they would not surely die. God transcends time, so God knew exactly what would happen. The Lord knew that Adam and Eve would not live up to the Law. God knew they would sin, and they would ultimately die. Satan does not transcend time, so Satan did not bear false witness. Unless you can see the future, you cannot bear false witness to an event that has not happened yet.
The Devil Changed His Mind
According to Eve, God had said that they would die. It isn’t clear if Satan is questioning what God said, or if he was questioning what Eve said that God said. Even if the devil was questioning what God said that would not be wise, but it would not be a lie.
The fall of Adam and Eve gave Satan the authority to influence them. If Satan had decided to not influence them, Adam and Eve would have lived up to the Law. God knew that Satan would cause them to sin, since God transcends time. The devil can always say he was not planning to manipulate the humans, but he changed his mind.
Satan did not say that we will be like God in all aspects. He only said that we will know good and evil like God.
Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”
God confirmed that Adam and Eve now knew good and evil, so clearly the devil did not lie in this statement either.
What does it mean to know good and evil? Christians say that the “original sin” of Adam and Eve causes us to inherit a sinful nature.
Original Sin
Original sin is true, but it is not the whole truth. The spirits of Heaven were not allowed to manipulate Adam and Eve even though they could easily do so. Satan could not spiritually influence Eve; he had to speak to her as a serpent. Because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve became subject to the influence of the good and evil spirits. All humans since then have been subject to the influence of the devil because we are products of that influence.
Satan does not commit a sin; he brings a spirit of selfishness into the world. Satan does not cause us to sin; his influence causes us to become sinful. We are responsible for our sins, not Satan.
Original Sin is basically true since we are influence by the spirit of Satan even in the womb. We are born with a sinful nature.
God can be with all people and have a conversation with all people at the same time. Satan cannot do this. Satan is not watching over all people, customizing temptation for everyone. The spiritual influence of Satan can affect different people in different ways, but the devil does not have a god-like multitasking ability.
The good news is that it is only our flesh that is corrupted by Satan, but our spirit remains perfect.
