Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

The Greek word (anglicized as "methodeia", from which the English word "methods" is clearly derived) that is translated as "wiles" in the King James Version of the verse cited in the question, is rendered in various other English translations of the verse by words with negative connotations such as "schemes", "deceits", and "tricks".

They would apply to any method that Satan (whom Jesus described in John 8:44 as "the father of lies") employs to prevent people from believing in Christ for salvation and eternal life.

I would say that the most common of such deceptions would be leading people (whether or not they believe in the God of the Bible) to believe that they are basically good, and thus have no need of the redemption that is available only through faith in Christ.

Along with this would be the many ways of drawing people away from the Bible as the source of truth about humanity's relationship with God, and about the only way in which they can have salvation and eternal life -- either by ignoring its teachings altogether, or putting various "humanistic" spins on its contents, such as conceding that Jesus may have been a great human teacher, but rejecting His identity as God incarnate.

March 21 2022 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report