How is Satan the father of lies (John 8:44)?

TL;DR:

Satan was the first liar, which makes him "the father of lies." The father of lies tries to convince us that God is the liar—and that is the ultimate lie.

The description of Satan as the "father of lies" comes from a passage in the gospel of John. Jesus was addressing a group of religious leaders in Israel, who were accusing him. He responded, in part, by telling them, "You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). He also told the group of accusers that they were the children of the Devil because they were refusing to see the truth. They accused Jesus of having a demon. They also understood His claim to divinity and sought to stone Him for blasphemy. Satan is not only the father of lies but of those who suppress the truth.

We know that God speaks the truth—the apostle John said, "We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6). John was drawing a distinction between the teachings of Jesus' apostles and the contradictory teachings that were leading people astray. While Satan lies and tries to convince us of his lies, we must stand firm on the truth.

from the old testament

From the beginning, Satan has been a liar. He told his first lies to Eve, deceiving her and drawing her away from God (Genesis 3:1, 4).

from the new testament

This is how Satan operates: he takes God's truth and twists or contradicts it so people are led away from Him. For example:
God is love (1 John 4:7–8), but Satan says "how can a loving God allow so much suffering?"
God says Jesus is the only way to heaven (John 14:6). Satan says "a good person of any belief system can get there."
Jesus spoke of everlasting torment for those who reject Him (Matthew 25:46), but Satan says "there's no hell."
God claims to exist, and to be a personal Being that interacts with us (Hebrews 11:6), but Satan says "God is dead."
Satan uses the world system to disseminate his lies (1 John 5:19).
Satan’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).

implications for today

John and the other apostles suffered greatly, dedicating their lives to the truth. The majority of them died horrible deaths rather than deny the truth about Jesus—His life, His death, His return to life, and the way of salvation for all men through His resurrection (John 3:16–18). In 1 John 4:6, the apostle was essentially saying, "We are speaking the truth. Anybody who says the opposite is a liar." Unfortunately, since we are finite and fallen, we are susceptible to the deception of our sinfulness (James 1:13–18), the lies of the world system (1 John 2:15–17), and Satan’s schemes. Satan continues to lie outright and to distort or pervert truth to mislead us. Our enemy rehashes even the original lie he told ("Did God really say…?") in order to get us off track. The Bible is attacked often and viciously by false religions and worldly men who want us to think that the Bible is not literal, is not authoritative, is not reliable. Why do so many people put so much thought and effort into contradicting the Bible? Because Satan is working to convince us that God is the liar—and that is the ultimate lie. That’s why it’s crucial for us to know the truth so well that we can discern and reject these lies. When we are grounded in God’s Word, we recognize deception for what it is and can stand firm, proclaiming the truth boldly in a world full of confusion and falsehood.

understand

Satan is the originator of lies, deceiving Eve in the garden of Eden.
Satan twists God's truth to lead people away from Him.
Satan attacks God's character, attempting to convince us that God is the liar.

reflect

When you encounter something that causes doubt in your faith, what specific steps can you take to discern truth from error? How can remain steadfast in God's truth?
How can you incorporate Scripture into your daily life to help combat the lies that Satan tells you?
What strategies are helpful to you to recognize and resist Satan’s lies?

engage

How do the lies of Satan manifest in today's culture? What are some specific examples you can identify?
How can we actively counteract the lies that seek to distort our understanding of God's truth?
How can we better equip ourselves and others to recognize and respond to the deceptions propagated by Satan?