They Were Conned!

Today, Frank Abagnale is a security consultant who lives in South Carolina. But nearly sixty years ago, as a young adult, he pulled off one “con” after another, convincing people he was an airline pilot, a teaching assistant, a physician, even an attorney—when he was, actually, none of these.

He once said, “When people write about me, they usually start off with the headline ‘World’s Greatest Con Man.’ ” But after doing time in prisons in three countries, including the United States, Abagnale realized that a life of honesty was better.

While Abagnale pulled off some amazing cons, another figure in history deserves the title of “World’s Greatest Con Artist.” Satan, in the guise of a talking serpent, convinced Eve that she could partake of something God prohibited and still be okay (Genesis 3:4). She then persuaded Adam (v. 6), and it was in this act that all of humanity lost not only their innocence, but also eternal life (v. 22).

Convincing humans to disobey God required a con far greater than anything Abagnale ever attempted. In describing Satan through the image of the King of Tyre, the Bible says, “By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within” (Ezekiel 28:16). The word “trading” is best understood as one who goes about trading evil words. The devil was a slanderer who accused God of injustice.

Eve believed Satan’s ploy and disobeyed God’s restriction. After that, the downward spiral was assured, culminating in an expulsion from paradise and the introduction of death into the world. This con gave Satan the audacity to claim to be “ruler of this world” (John 14:30), the world God had wanted Adam and Eve to have dominion over. It changed the course of human history and necessitated the sacrifice

of Jesus to redeem a fallen humanity.

Apply It:

Con artists generally succeed because people want to trust others. When someone offers something too good to be true, consider the offer and ask God to guide your steps!

Dig Deeper:

Genesis 3:1–7; Proverbs 12:22; Galatians 6:7, 8

Key Bible Texts

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Genesis 3:1 KJV)