Chapter 5: The Serpent’s Playbook — How Falsehood Separates the Faithful from the Stubborn
As we previously covered, God has allowed and used deception from the beginning to test His people. That might seem surprising, perhaps even unethical, to our way of thinking. Wouldn’t a loving God just get rid of all lies so that His people could follow the truth without anything getting in the way?
But the Bible shows us something different. God isn’t just looking for people who go along with truth on the outside. He wants people who love Him from the heart. He allows deception to exist so it can reveal who wants to follow Him, and who just wants to follow their own way.
Even back in the time of Moses, God warned His people that false prophets would come. But He also explained why He lets them come. In Deuteronomy 13:1-3, Moses said:
“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let’s go after other gods,’ which you have not known, and let’s serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for Yahweh your God is testing you, to know whether you love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
This is a key point, and most importantly, it is something that God has been explaining for a long time: God allows deception as a test. It wouldn’t be a real test if the teacher put all the answers up on the blackboard. Likewise, God doesn’t remove the tests because they reveal what’s in our hearts. It’s the way to reveal if the student has been paying attention in class. Even if the false prophet performs a miracle, that isn’t the real test. The real test is whether we stay loyal to what God has already decreed. The greater the obstacle to meeting the requirements, the greater the lesson has taken hold.
Think of the temptations to follow false doctrines as obstacles in a race—they give the athlete a chance to display their training, ability, and determination. Do professional athletes receive medals for jumping over 1-inch hurdles? Of course not. But they do get disqualified if they cut across the field or ignore the course. In the same way, the challenges and boundaries God has set before us give us the opportunity to demonstrate our loyalty to His decrees and our faithfulness to His path.
“24Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, so that you may win. 25Every man who strives in the games exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. 26I therefore run like that, not aimlessly. I fight like that, not beating the air, 27but I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
In this context, Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said that false teachers would show up, and that their presence was actually necessary to help reveal—test—who was truly following God:
“For there also must be factions among you, that those who are approved may be revealed among you.” (1 Corinthians 11:19)
In other words, false teaching exposes those who don’t really love the truth. It’s like light shining into a dark place—it shows what was hidden all along.
Paul explained it even further in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12:
“Even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
This is a powerful warning. God doesn’t just allow deception in some cases—He actually sends a strong delusion to people who reject the truth. These are people who had the chance to follow what was right, but they didn’t want it, so God lets them have what they want.
He never forces anyone to love the truth. But He will confirm their choice—whether they choose truth or choose deception.
Why Do So Many People Fall for the Serpent’s Playbook?
If deception is a test, why do so many people fail it while others stay strong?
It comes down to what’s in a person’s heart. Some people reject the truth because it goes against what they want. Jesus made this clear in John 3:19-20:
“This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and doesn’t come to the light, lest his works would be exposed.”
False teachers and their messages often appeal to people who are looking for a way to justify themselves. That’s the heart of the serpent’s strategy. Remember what he said to Eve?
“Did God really say…?”
He didn’t start with an outright lie. He began with a question—one that introduced doubt, created confusion, and gave room for self-interest. That same pattern has repeated ever since. And people who are already looking for a way to do what they want are quick to take the bait.
Peter warned that this would always be a danger:
“But there also arose false prophets among the people, as among you also there will be false teachers, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master who bought them, bringing on themselves swift destruction. Many will follow their immoral ways, and as a result, the way of the truth will be maligned.” (2 Peter 2:1-2)
These false teachers mislead not only themselves but also lead others into destruction. Just as importantly, they make those who are teaching and preaching the truth look like evildoers!
And why do so many people follow them? Paul answered in 2 Timothy 4:3: They have “itching ears” and go looking for teachers who will say what they want to hear.
False Teachers Manipulate Emotions to Suppress Truth
One of the biggest dangers of false teachers is their ability to use emotion to gain people’s trust. They don’t just mislead with bad doctrine—they create an emotional experience that feels right. This is a tactic of manipulation, not truth-seeking.
They present themselves as experts—polished, confident, bright, and educated. These traits make their words sound convincing. And because they appear trustworthy, sincere people assume they must be telling the truth. But this is precisely how confidence artists operate. That’s where the term “con artist” comes from.
But the real issue remains: God allows deception as a test. And that means we are each responsible for how we respond to truth. False teachers often mention that idea, but not to make you more alert. Instead, they use it to blunt your suspicion and promote your trust. They’ll say things like, “Would I warn you about deception if I were trying to deceive you?”
Some will even say, “Think for yourself”—but only so they can steer you into agreeing with them. The goal is to make it seem like you’ve discovered the truth on your own, when in reality, you’re just adopting their view. They want you to think you’re being discerning—when really, they’re just deceiving you into replacing God’s word for their version of it. Unfortunately, I’ve had to learn this from the school of hard knocks—experiencing it firsthand—including how devastating it is when you come to the truth of what you had fallen for. It is a common temptation. That’s because it’s one of the very ways God tests, proves, and ultimately approves us. In life, we don’t move on to second grade without first passing the tests of first grade. That principle applies here, too. Experience is what gives trustworthy leaders their value—but it’s also how the less ethical hone their tactics.
Jesus warned about this in Mark 7:13, saying that the religious leaders were “making void the word of God by your tradition, which you have handed down. You do many things like this.”
False teachers still do the same thing today. They take what Scripture actually says and subtly swap it out for their own ideas and traditions. If we’re not careful, we can end up trusting their words more than God’s Word just because they sound good. Then we turn and promote the lie as if it were God’s honest truth, fully believing we are doing God a service—just like the Pharisees claimed.
That’s why the Bible tells us repeatedly to seek truth personally:
“Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you remain in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them.” (2 Timothy 3:13-14)
It’s important to understand that “growing worse and worse” doesn’t always mean looking more foolish or more obviously wrong. From a human point of view, these teachings often seem to be becoming more persuasive, logical, or sophisticated. But from God’s perspective, they’re drifting further and further from His declared standard of truth.
When we stand before God, we won’t be able to say, “I was just following what my pastor said.” Each of us is responsible for seeking the truth and rejecting what’s false.
We must resist emotional manipulation and stay grounded in God’s Word. His truth—not someone else’s version of it—will protect us from deception.
The Testing of the Faithful
When false teaching spreads, it forces everyone to make a choice. It reveals who really loves the truth and who’s willing to compromise. And that’s why God allows it.
In a strange way, deception plays a necessary role. It draws a line in the sand. Those who want the truth will dig deeper into God’s Word, asking for wisdom and holding fast to what it teaches. But those who are unwilling to seek out truth from God with meekness of heart will be exposed by their refusal to let go of error. Their error becomes their idolatry, because they have made the God they worship into an image of human design.
It may seem that the deceived are just confused, but Scripture says their stubbornness is a matter of the heart. They reject corrections. They cling to the teachers and traditions that tell them what they want to hear—or they grow comfortable in what they’ve been taught, without “testing the spirits” as we are commanded. In doing so, they make themselves vulnerable to the judgment that always follows willful rejection of the truth.
But for those who love the truth, even the presence of false teachers becomes part of their growth. It strengthens them, sharpens their discernment, and prepares them for greater responsibility in the kingdom of God. Think of David and all that he had to go through while God was preparing him to be the greatest king that has openly ruled over the nation of Israel. King Saul didn’t have the “benefit” of that extended training. Perhaps that’s why his morals kept him from greatness. The prophet Samuel told Saul, “When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17). God is seeking and instilling humility in us, not delusions of grandeur.
So, while deception may seem like a bad thing on the surface—and let’s face it, no one thinks it is “fun”, nor were we ever told it would be—it actually reveals something important: the difference between those who are merely religious and those who are truly faithful.
And that’s what the serpent’s playbook is designed to expose.
But all is not lost—and we are certainly not without hope. In the next chapter, we’ll look at God’s solution to this whole apparent mess.