At the start of mankind’s history, everything was based on truth. There was no twisting of facts, no manipulation or misrepresentation of the truth. Jehovah, the Creator, is “the God of truth.” His word is truth; he cannot lie, and he condemns lying and liars.—Psalm 31:5; John 17:17; Titus 1:2.
That being the case, how did untruth come to be? Jesus Christ provided the authoritative answer when he told his religious opposers, who were seeking to kill him: “You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father. That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:44) Jesus, of course, was referring to the event in the garden of Eden when Satan induced the first human pair to disobey God and thus fall victim to sin and death.—Genesis 3:1-5; Romans 5:12.
Jesus’ words clearly identify Satan as “the father of the lie,” the originator of lying and untruth. Satan continues to be the chief proponent of untruth and, in fact, is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” He bears a heavy responsibility for the damage that widespread lying has done to humans today.—Revelation 12:9.
The fundamental rivalry between truth and untruth, started by Satan the Devil, still rages today. It permeates all levels of human society and affects every individual. The way a person lives puts him on one side of the issue or the other. Those on God’s side base their life course on the truth of God’s Word, the Bible. Anyone who does not follow the way of the truth falls, knowingly or unknowingly, into the hands of Satan because “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.”—1 John 5:19; Matthew 7:13, 14.
Why the Tendency to Lie?
The fact that “the whole world” lies in the power of Satan tells us why many people lie. But we might ask, ‘Why did Satan, “the father of the lie,” do so?’ Satan knew that Jehovah is the rightful Sovereign of all that He has created, including the first human pair. Yet, Satan desired for himself this lofty and unique position, something to which he was not entitled. Out of greed and selfish ambition, he schemed to usurp Jehovah’s place. To achieve this, Satan resorted to lies and deceit.—1 Timothy 3:6.
What about today? Do you not agree that greed and selfish ambition are still very much the motives that impel many people to lie? Greedy business, corrupt politics, and false religion are rife with deception, falsehood, manipulation, and fraud. Why? Is it not because people are often motivated by greed and ambition to get ahead or to reach out for wealth, power, or position to which they are not entitled? A wise ruler, King Solomon of ancient Israel, warned: “He that is hastening to gain riches will not remain innocent.” (Proverbs 28:20) And the apostle Paul wrote: “The love of money is a root of all sorts of injurious things.” (1 Timothy 6:10) The same could surely be said of the inordinate desire for power or position.
Another factor behind lying is fear—fear of the consequences or of what others may think if the truth is told. It is only natural that people wish to be liked or accepted by others. This desire, however, can move them to distort the truth, even if only a little, in order to cover up shortcomings, to hide unflattering details, or simply to leave a good impression. Appropriately, Solomon wrote: “Trembling at men is what lays a snare, but he that is trusting in Jehovah will be protected.”—Proverbs 29:25.
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