Wow! Talk about a book that will really stay with you and that is well done. This book is one I know I will come back to often and has left me thinking. It was incredibly written and this is the first book I have read by this author. While this topic is one I studied a lot in seminary, he brought in so many great perspectives that left me thinking and studying my Bible even more.

Jared C. Wilson is one of my go-to authors to recommend to friends because he writes with the gospel in full focus. This book is no exception: it manages to be biblically solid, perspective-changing, and encouraging all at the same time.

What an amazing read! Especially in the times we are living in--this is a must read for every Christian family. This is a must read for Church small groups across the world. We need to wake up to the simple deceptions that are causing us to walk outside of the will of God.

I love how Wilson quotes CS Lewis in regards to how we are living our lives; it's like messing around in mud puddles, ignorant of the beach that is just around the corner. We claim Christ as our Savior yet we are content with just the thought of Him saving us but not with living out a life that reflects our gratitude and devotion to Him. This is a wonderful read that will give you a heart check--if you're willing. This is not to use as a pointing finger but as a wake up call to the falsehoods that are permeating our culture.

Grab a copy for you and some for your friends and read it together. This makes an excellent book club read!

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson for the copy of this book. The opinions here are my own and I am not obligated to write any review--but honestly, how could I not? This book is fantastic.

The title of this book is what first caught my eye. Without reading it carefully, I thought that a satanic book accidentally ended up under the Christian category. But no - I was pleasantly surprised to see that this book was about how Satan makes a lot of easily accepted statements sound like the truth. I agreed he does and wanted to receive some wisdom about this.

I very much so liked the content of this book. It was well written and relatable - many of the things that were clearly lies crafted by Satan are things I’ve thought were truth just because they sound like it if you don’t think too hard snout them. I believe Satan is intelligent and sneaky and this book spoke to that.

Why not five stars? One - I felt like the book started off so well but with each chapter I lost a bit of interested. Two - Lie #7 seemed like a personal vendetta against the author of the Shack. After five pages straight about why he hates his writing, I skipped the chapter. Not a fan of that because I don’t really care. I understand it created context but it was a little too much context.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend to friends. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I was given a copy of tis book to review.

I was unsure at first to read and review this book based on the cover. I was pleased to find that it explained the bible in greater detail and just what the fallen one is doing.

To tackle the topic of satan is a tricky one, but Jared handled it perfectly. He was both biblical and glorifying to Jesus through this writing process. I was amazed with his insight and how to combat the battle we face against the evil one. This is a must read for anyone who walks to deepen their relationship with Jesus. I will definitely be using this book as a resource in mentoring younger people. Thank you so much for supporting this resource.

If Satan could write his version of the gospel, what would it look like? Jared Wilson answered the question in The Gospel According to Satan. The book examines eight popular beliefs in modern Christianity that sounds like the truth, but are lies advanced by the enemy.

The devil’s best method of deceiving people is mixing truths with lies, making them appealing and even seem beneficial. He started it in the garden with Adam and Eve, and he continues to do so with us today. Sadly, many Christians still fall for the devil’s tricks, and they confuse his lies for God’s truth.

So Wilson’s goal in this book is to “expose the devil’s lies, examine how they work, explore why they are so compelling, and explain how to overcome them with the truth.” It’s intended for everyday Christians so they can grow in their awareness of the devil’s tactics, and dispel his lies with the truth of God’s word.

The Gospel According to Satan has eight chapters each addressing a lie: God just wants you to be happy, you only live once, you need to live your truth, your feelings are a reality, your life is what you make it, you need to let go and let God, the cross is not about wrath, and God help those who help themselves. He starts the book with a section titled “The anatomy of a lie,” and concludes it with a section the autopsy of a lie.

The book was easy to read. It featured several popular lies that many Christians at some point have believed or still believe. Wilson took each of those lies, ripped it apart using the Word of God, and provided a biblical alternative.

I particularly liked Wilson’s lengthy explanation of the origin of the lies, its allure, and adverse effect on us. Though he only addressed eight myths, he provided a solid blueprint to equip the readers to recognize other lies the enemy might have had us believe or will try to make us believe.

The Gospel According to Satan is quite interesting but not too original. There are several other books in the same format. Wilson actually got inspired to write this book after perusing Paul Young’s Lies We Believe About God. His review of Young’s book was, “If the devil wrote a book about God, it might read just like this.”

I was a bit disappointed that it didn’t have more gospel related lies as the title implied. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read and provided some excellent material on avoiding deception.

I think Christians of all levels would enjoy reading The Gospel according to Satan. But I primarily recommend it for new believers and non-Christians.

“Thomas Nelson Books graciously gave me a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review*

Author Jared Wilson has provided another book that is both entertaining as well as thought-provoking, on the lies that many Christians may fall for that ultimately come from Satan. Some of these lies are really driven by our personal wishes and false hopes, but when we dig deeper we can see that Satan is still telling the same lies today as he has done throughout human history.
By examining common lies we believe like "God wants me to be happy," "My feelings are reality," and "God helps those who help themselves," believers are in a better position to understand the true doctrines of Christianity, and to live lives of spiritual growth and vitality. Wilson is an entertaining writer, and as a former pastor he is very aware of the types of erroneous thinking that many believers may fall prey to, which can lead to stagnant spiritual growth and an unfufilling relationship with God and with others. Highly recommended!

"Before the lie, there was a Liar... Before there was death, there was the lie"

Right in the beginning, we see a picture of perfection. The perfect garden, filled with the perfect promise of hope.

We see the temptation... the fruit...the promise it held of fulfillment, beauty, and enlightenment.

A perversion of the truth was all it took.

It sounded so close to the truth, it must be the truth... right?

"This is perhaps Satan's greatest hit. If he can get our eyes lowered to ground level in search of fulfillment, beauty, and enlightenment, he's already most of the way to getting us to disobey."

The Gospel According to Satan: Eight Lies About God That Sound Like the Truth by Jared Wilson, reflects on these 8 lies that we hear frequently from the culture around us. Sounding so close to truth, we become unaware of the lie within the noise.

Have you heard them before?

~God just wants you to be happy.

~You only live once.

~You need to live your truth.

~Your feelings are reality.

~Your life is what you make it.

~You need to let go and let God.

~The cross is not about wrath.

~God helps those who help themselves.

There may be a piece of truth in each of these statements, but there is a layer of deceit beneath. Wilson encourages us to apply principles of the Gospel as we seek to keep our eyes on truth. He reminds us that in Jesus' temptation, he resisted with truth, saying, "it is written."

If you want to learn more about battling lies with truth in the culture around us, pick us this book! It helped me to understand more about the culture around me, and root me deeper into the truth of God's Word.


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book and the opportunity to post an honest review!

As a newer reader to Christian Literature and non-fiction writings, I found this book to be very insightful as to the simple things in life we "take for granted" or do not realize are problems.

The writer is also very open and up front and has learned was to live by the word without hurting others, something I think most of us can learn from today. The openness about mental struggles are an affirmation to me that I am not the only one who experiences this as someone who is aiming at the same target Jared is.

What was also nice, was the facts and the references he has given through all of his writing, which in turn now has me ordering more books for my book shelf at home to read one in particular has been C.S Lewis; The Screwtape which apparently is a staple in the Christians reading community when it comes to sin and living a better life.

Jared has opened my eyes to so many things including the "section in book stores" that millions of us thrown money away on.... I find it funny because I picked one up the other day and was very uninterested after I had just finished a Beth Moore and Shelia Walsh book , you would see why if you are familiar with those authors.

Luckily Jared listed some other writings has had done and I look forward to reading more that he has to offer. He is a very bright man who knows his stuff and is very personable.

This book was a good, good book. Gets deep into what Satan will do to curb us away from Jesus and the true way. He is sneaky and well, evil, so we really got to be on watch, as the Bible says for us to be. I would have given 5 stars, but there were some things he wrote on that I didn’t agree with completely, But understand why maybe he has the belief he does, but I just don’t agree. So, 4 stars, which means, in my opinion, still a great book. Thank you #NetGalley and the publishers #NelsonBooks of #TheGospelAccordingToSatan for the opportunity to read and give my honest review.
Thank you very much!!

When the serpent proffered the forbidden fruit to Eve, he was tempting her to hope for things she already had as if she didn't have them. There is no greater fulfillment, beauty, and enlightenment than that found in communion with God. The devil promised her those things in the one way that would fail to deliver them!

These are things the devil doesn't want you to know. If you're going to be in the Bible, he wants you looking out of a self-interested and Christ-deficient moralism. He wants you to read the law as a means of self-righteousness and judgmentalism. He wants you to read wrath as if it is the final word and grace as if it costs you something. From no on, you and I must always read "it is written" in the light of "it is Finished".

This was book was written in response to author William Paul Young wrote Lies About God. I have not read the book and quite frankly I stay away from his theology. The thing about lies and truth they are pitted against each other. As the word says, the battle is spiritual and this is a spiritual warfare. You live what you believe. Not that you are perfect but living in light of truth you walk a narrow path. So what is a lie? Is there absolute truth? Can anyone live in absolute truth? Any lie begins with a question. Did God say? And some reading this review will say Do I care? Depending on your answer, you may continue and decide to read this book for yourself. Which I hope you do. As Christians, we should be concerned about believing a lie. The eight lies that tackled in this text are as follows:


God Just Wants you to be Happy
You Only Live Once
You Need to Live your Truth
Your Feelings are Reality
Your Life Is What You Make It
You Need to Let Go and Let God
The Cross is Not about Wrath
God Helps Those Who Help Themselves

In seeing the titles of each chapter, there is a pattern YOU, your desires, entitlement, and fulfillment. In believing the lies about God, we put our hope in those that cannot fulfill. When we think about evil, we usually visualize horns, beady eyes but what is evil looks good and right. It is easy to grow cold to the truth. With any lie, it must be counteracted to the truth. Each chapter identifies the lie and brings the truth to clarity. This is not about perfection but what is excellent and a better way. In Wilson's honesty about his own depression, I saw myself in how I struggle with believing the lies that only lead me to a greater depression. Truth can only bring confidence and security. Highly recommend.

A Special Thank you to Thomas Nelson Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

earc from netgalley.

interesting book, i liked the way it was written, i have just liked other books on the same subject more.

The gospel according to Satan but Jared C Wilson is a strong and biblical book. Wilson opens our eyes and brings us to Christ! This is truly a valuable book. Every Church should have a copy in their library.

The Gospel According to Satan by Jared C. Wilson. considers commonly-heard Christian proverbs." I am not certain that I agree with the author's premise, I think these proverbs require wisdom & are sometimes true & sometimes not. However, this book may help you analyse a situation in terms that you would not have considered previously & enable one to determine what true "wisdom" really is in any given situation.. #TheGospelAccordingToSatan #NetGalley
https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/175167

A provocative title in the best way. This book is a great study in how we are fooled, just as Adam and Eve, to take to heart the doubt Satan markets with: "Did God really say...?" We must be reminded to be on guard to the ploys of the enemy who comes to <i> "diminish God and exalt man." </i>

<i> "The prospect of the fruit promised the three things—fulfillment, beauty, and enlightenment—that we have been chasing in every tree ever since… We live our lives in exile, but we play ‘garden’ every day. We drink the mirage’s sand and call it living water. We indulge our flesh and call it glory. We worship ourselves and call it living at the ‘next level.’" </i>

The lies Wilson dissects are spot on and illuminated in ways maybe I speculated but couldn't put into words- they 100% are touted as truth in Christian and secular circles alike and are more dangerous than we realize.

If any of your goals in life (or what you hope for your loved ones) include: just being happy, having no regrets, living your truth, living what 'feels' right, taking control of your life but also just 'letting go', living a love-only gospel, and doing more good than bad or more good than your neighbor, this book will rock your world in the best way possible. It is going to liberate you in ways you've only dreamed and it's going to make more sense than you could hope for. This book has helped recalibrate my thinking to reevaluate what/who I am truly worshipping when I say the things I say or do the things I do.

It is a sobering thought to consider: <i> "The devil knows he doesn’t need the Church of Satan to get you. He just needs something shiny. He comes to us, remember, as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14). He makes, as Paul called them, ‘arguments that sound reasonable’ (Col 2:4)… The devil makes his lies sound like common wisdom, religious insight, or motivational speeches." </i>

We live in a culture that is trying to make all things gray, indistinguishable, and common. But Jesus said, 'It is finished'- he has already defeated the Liar and the Deceiver. We don't have to settle with gray, we can resist the fruits of fulfillment, beauty, and enlightenment. We are equipped and commanded to discern God's truth. This book, full of Scripture, is another tool to decipher some of this 'common wisdom' and illuminate it for what it is.

Will you check the author of your gospel?

I am sure the first thing that comes to mind when you saw the title of this post is why am I doing a book review on a gospel told by Satan. Believe me when I first saw the title of the book by Jared C Wilson, I thought would there be a book about the devil himself and what gospel does he hold. We know for the Bible that the devil is the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) and the father of lies (John 8:44). We also know that he is a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).

This does not sound like someone who would be proclaiming good news to anyone. The truth is that Satan does not deliver good news nor does he proclaim a gospel that points you to God. His gospel points you away from God. Satan twists scripture to make you turn from God to follow your own flesh and sinful desires. In The Gospel According to Satan, Jared C Wilson takes a look at 8 ways Satan twists to make sound like it is coming from God. The subtitle of the book says, "Eight lies about God that sound like truth."

This so-called "truths" are nothing more than lies from the devil himself which is why each chapter has the title, "Lie." Each chapter deals with the lies we hear from Satan and Wilson debunks them with Biblical truth. Those lies are:

God wants you to be happy

You only live once

You need to live your truth

Your feelings are reality

Your life is what you make it

You need to let go and let God

The cross is not about wrath

God helps those who help themselves

I am sure you heard one or more of these lies within the church. You might have heard them from some TV preacher or even a Christian song on Christian radio. These are things the devil will use and may have already used them on you.

Wilson does a good job explaining each one of these lies and why there are what they are, lies. This book is vintage Jared C Wilson that reminds of his earlier writings. This book is good for one on one discipleship or small group teaching.

First sentence: BEFORE THERE WAS DEATH, THERE WAS THE LIE. It begins as a question, a splinter of inquiry slipping smoothly under the skin of the mind. But it’s not a question, really. It is a proposition wearing a mask. The question is a strange, new idea, a smuggled roster of “alternative facts” holding out the prospect of curiosities sated, mysteries solved, even of enlightenments achieved.

Wilson continues, "Before there was death, there was the lie. But before the lie, there was the Liar."

In Jared Wilson's newest book, he addresses EIGHT lies that are being propagated as truth by our society, yes, but also even in the church. (Certainly not every single church, some denominations are more welcoming of these worldly influenced truth-lies. But the influence of these "truths" on Christian thought is present--in our churches, on the radio and television, on bookstore shelves.)
I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. 1 John 2:21 (ESV)
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but have itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth...2 Timothy 4:2-4 (ESV)
The eight lies Wilson addresses are as follows: 1) God Just Wants You To Be Happy 2) You Only Live Once 3) You Need To Live Your Truth 4) Your Feelings Are Reality 5) Your Life Is What You Make It 6) You Need to Let Go and Let God 7) The Cross is Not About Wrath 8) God Helps Those Who Help Themselves.

Depending on the lie, Wilson analyzes the lie for glimpses of truth. For example, in the first lie, the problem is with the word JUST. God does want you to be happy--but HOLINESS and being shaped into the image of Christ is more important. True happiness comes from knowing and enjoying God and walking in His path. And in regards to the seventh lie, the cross is definitely more than just about the wrath of God, but it's not about less. The wrath of God cannot be subtracted from the meaning of the cross.

Each chapter could certainly be read (or reread) on its own, but the chapters do build on one another.

I loved, loved, loved this one. I think it is a timely read. I have encountered these lies masquerading as truth. I bet you have as well. These are COMMON beliefs that you encounter in life. Sometimes you get a vague sense of something being a bit off. And other times it's like a RED or YELLOW alert when you encounter a lie. Wilson's book is clear and concise.

Favorite quotes:

"What is joy? Joy is the music that plays when our hearts are tuned to the frequency of God’s glory and our connection to it. Joy is the heart’s settled and worshipful contentment in our justification with God. Joy is the conviction that, no matter the sadness of our circumstances or the weakness of our bodies, we are secure in the sovereign God who loves us. Do you see how joy runs deeper than mere happiness? Happiness is dependent upon our circumstances. Joy is dependent upon our Savior. This is why, though sad times are promised to believers (John 16:33), we are also promised the gift of joy (John 15:11; Gal. 5:22)."

"What Satan would love for you to do is spend this life as if that’s all there is. First, he won’t want you to think about death at all, not even if it brings you a sense of dread. The devil likes to traffic in fear, but it’s not his immediate go-to, because he knows that fearful people often cry out for help, which means fearful people are very close to having their ears open to divine rescue. Instead, he wants you to think of death as some far-off thing, not a big deal, certainly nothing that could happen tomorrow or in the next five minutes. He wants you drunk on a sense of immortality. This comes somewhat naturally to teenagers, boys especially, but it persists in a kind of perpetual teenagerdom in Western culture where youth is idolized and immortality is sold in little packets by pyramid-scheming soccer moms and discounted by “lifestyle gyms” every New Year’s. “You only live once, and it might as well be forever.” That’s the first lie the devil tries. If that doesn’t work—if you insist on acknowledging your own mortality and finitude—he will say, “Okay, okay, yes, you’re going to die. And yes, it may in fact be tomorrow. So get as much pleasure as you can! Gather up those rosebuds, even the ones in somebody else’s yard, even the ones you’re explicitly told not to pick. You’ve only got one life, and it’s way too short to play by the rules.” If you won’t deny you’ll live forever, he will want you focused as much on the here and now as possible, as if death is a great nothingness that threatens to ruin the party. What the devil absolutely doesn’t want is for you to consider what comes after death. “You only live once,” he insists, not simply as a seize-the-day motivational proverb but as a theological dogmatism. He wants you to stop before you get to the last line of Ecclesiastes 11:9 when “for all of these things God will bring you to judgment.” You may think I’m overselling this. But “you only live once” isn’t only the motto of adolescent knuckleheads and adult thrill seekers. It’s the motto of every man whose investment in the future is limited to his retirement plan and the material benefits he leaves his family. It’s the motto of every mom whose chief concern for her children is that they end up healthy, in a good school or with a respectable spouse. It’s the motto of every person who goes through life never thinking of what comes after their last breath."

"The truth is, there is no “your truth” and “my truth.” There is only the truth. What we are saying when we say “I only need to live my truth” is that we don’t care about the facts as God sees them; we only care about the facts as we see them. There is a biblical book that’s basically all about this concept—“Everyone doing what was right in their own eyes.” It’s called Judges, and it’s full of bloodshed and perversion. Moral and relational chaos is the natural result of everybody living “their truth.”"

"Satan wants you to believe that you are all alone, that when you are stripped down to your essence and left with only pain, that’s all you have. He does not want you to see the reality that Jesus will never leave you or abandon you (Heb. 13:5), that he will be with us all the way to the end (Matt. 28:20)."

"When you get to the end of your rope, there is Jesus. This is grounds for immense confidence, even as life threatens to undo us. Even as the condemnation from our Accuser roars in our ears, the surety of Christ’s possession of us and our possession of him is something not even the supernatural power of Satan can assail. Therefore, hope defies what is seen. Everything may look bleak, our reality may be that we feel that all is lost, but if we have Christ, we defy what is visible. And we cling to hope, which demands what is invisible."

"The devil loves a bloodless cross. He doesn’t mind a shiny trinket around your neck so long as it’s not a shining treasure in your heart. Satan is afraid of the blood. He knows it washes sinners clean (Heb. 9:14; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 7:14), that it speaks the word of justice accomplished (Heb. 12:24). He knows that the bloody cross spells his doom, that on the hill Golgotha Christ “disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him” (Col. 2:15). And he knows the blood of Christ pays the wrath owed sinners (Rom. 3:23; 1 John 4:10), thereby forever making his accusations against God’s people null and void. The blood of Jesus spells the devil’s doom. Which is why he would love for you to keep your gospel nice and respectable. Tidy. Academic."

"The armor of God is our only defense against the flaming offense of Satan. But notice something unique about each piece of armor. Notice how each piece represents not a work of ours, but a work of God’s: • The armor is the “armor of God” (v. 13). • The belt is God’s truth (v. 14a). • The righteousness that can protect us is God’s (v. 14b). • The sandals are the efficacy of the good news of Jesus (v. 15). • The shield is the faith God has gifted to us (v. 16). • The helmet is our salvation (v. 17a). • The sword is God’s Word (v. 17b). None of these things originate in us or are anything we can do. From head to toe, we are shod in the powerful work of God. This is why Paul begins this treatise on spiritual warfare with the admonition to “be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.”"