satan’s #1 Lie

I believe that satan’s #1 lie is this:  Your significance, identity, salvation, etc. is dependent on you…  your work ethic, achievements, approval by friends and family, success.

This lie is sometimes overt and other times subtle.  Whether you are a christian or not a christian, he’s going after you with this as it is the official joy-killer for Christians and soul-killer for non-Christians.

The book of Romans sings loudly against this lie and I encourage you to take an hour and read through it, highlighting all the places that speak of Jesus as our savior and our righteousness!  The most beautiful and glorious truth to sinners like you and me is that Jesus is our righteousness, He is our Savior and by His grace, we can be found in Him!  When you come to the end of yourself and your self-salvation project to be a somebody, to achieve success, to be known…  AND you look to Jesus who already did what you can never do, rejoice!  It is finished indeed.  It’s not about what you need to do, it’s about what is already done!  Rest in this, rejoice in this, celebrate in this!  Freedom from self.  Peace instead of angst and toil.  Hope instead of hopelessness.  Order instead of chaos.  He is God, we are His people.  Wow, wow, wow.

Reliance on self leads to death.  Reliance on Christ’s finished work leads to life and a new creation!

Check out the following:

Romans 4:5-8

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Finally, I believe that the key to the above Scripture is found in the first sentence.  The work he refers to is man’s self-effort.  Belief in Christ’s finished work refers to man coming to the end of himself and resting in Jesus alone.