Deception in the Church

     The apostle Mark records a parable of Jesus thusly:

      “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him…”  Mark 7:15

     When asked to expound on the parable Jesus responded:

     “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts…wickedness, deceit…pride…All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”  Mark 7:21-23

     So Jesus confirmed the wisdom revealed in the Old Testament that men are born with such ungodly traits as deceit and pride.  The Old Testament also proclaimed that ‘the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.’

     Just prior to Jesus’ crucifixion He gave His disciples explicit warnings of events that would happen during the church age preceding His return to end the great tribulation.  He specifically warned to be on the alert for those who would attempt to deceive His chosen.

     “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.  See, I have told you beforehand.”  Matthew 24:24-25

     After His death, resurrection, and ascension, His apostles gave many examples of such deceit in the churches and warned them to be on guard. 

     Paul was an ardent teacher to warn of such trickery.  He taught and preached that a great defense was to grow in the word.

     “…that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting…”  Ephesians 4:14

     Notice Paul employed timeless terms which described the enemy’s methodology in the Garden of Eden, i.e. trickery, cunning, craftiness, deceitful, and plotting.  Nothing has changed.

     Paul then told of the condemnation of those who deceived God’s chosen.

     “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”  Ephesians 5:6

     In his letter to the church at Colosse Paul warned them again to beware of the teachings of men who spoke from within their natural selves, lacking the wisdom of Christ.

     “Beware lest anyone cheat you (take you captive) through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”  Colossians 2:8

     Deceit involves teaching philosophy vs. Scripture and what appeals to the ‘world’ vs. the kingdom.  The ‘tradition of men’ appeals to the natural man and includes present rewards vs. the promise of eternal rewards. 

     It is quite easy to identify contemporary church teaching that appeals to itching ears.  Such churches are experiencing tremendous growth while deceiving many.

     The apostle John also had much to say about deceit; its source and its presence.

     “Little children, let no one deceive you.  He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.  He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.  For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”  1 John 3:7-8

     John confirmed that the redeemed are righteous just as their Redeemer.  He also confirmed that the devil, i.e. the great deceiver was in the Garden to deceive the first creation in the image of God, although the devil’s first sin of pride occurred well before God created man.

     The truth that Christ would destroy the devil was also revealed in the Garden.  Recall the devil’s fate resulting from the curse.

     “Because you have done this…I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”  Genesis 3:14a, 15

     Of course, Christ is the ultimate Seed of the woman.

     Then John confirmed that the many deceivers in the present age are antichrists.  The deceit is always focused on the person and mission of Jesus Christ.

     “For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.  This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”  2 John7

     The challenge to the churches today is straightforward; teach and preach Christ, Christ, Christ!

    

     Walt is a veteran of the USMC and serves as a voluntary Chaplin at the Claremore Veterans Center. 

The Great Deception

      The majority of mankind will not spend eternity with their Creator.  The majority will have been deceived into believing the lie concerning the reality of Christ.  Christ is God in the flesh, Redeemer of mankind, and the only way to know God the Father.  Any other representation of the person and mission of Christ is false, and anyone who embraces any lesser role of Christ has been deceived.

     Therefore, the focus of the Bible is to present Christ as the only way to attain God’s required standard of righteousness.  The Bible is also very clear to describe and define the works of the enemy; the father of lies and master deceiver.

     Adam and Eve were created in the image of God.  In fact they were the only created beings made in God’s image.   In the Garden of Eden they had everything, including the appointed privilege of having dominion over all other living creatures on the earth.  

     But God’s arch enemy, who had fallen from grace due to his pride, had in his heart the goal to interfere in God’s plan for Adam and Eve by deception.

     “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.”  Genesis 3:1

     Different translations use different words to describe the serpent’s stratagem and purpose.  The NKJV uses ‘cunning’ while other translations use ‘subtle,’ ‘crafty,’ and ‘shrewd,’ along with several other synonymous descriptive words.

     We all know the story.  Eve was enticed to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God had specifically forbidden Adam. Eve was more concerned with present benefits than honoring God’s single command.

     Her response when questioned about her disobedience:

     “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  Genesis 3:13b

      That was the beginning of the great deception.  The word ‘deceived’ also has many synonyms including ensnare, beguile, entrap, entice, lie, delude, and mislead.

     The sin of deception began in the Garden of Eden and will prevail, and in fact accelerate, until the great deceiver is ultimately defeated and cast into the everlasting lake of fire.

     Thus deception is present from the early chapters of Genesis thru the final chapters of Revelation.

     “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations…and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.  The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire...where the beast and the false prophet are.  And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”  Revelation 20:7-10

     Let’s review how deception has affected God’s people throughout history.

     After Adam and Eve’s initial sin in the garden, all mankind was born without the Spirit of God.  Recall God had breathed ‘life’ into Adam.

     Therefore, all mankind was subsequently born innately evil.  Such prevails even to this day.  A person must be ‘born again’ to receive the Spirit of God to overcome his evil nature.

     “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…”  Jeremiah 17:9

     The wisest man in the world, Solomon, addressed the issue also.

     “Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live…”  Ecclesiastes 9:3

     Solomon’s wisdom was similar to the wisdom expressed by Jeremiah the prophet.  Both proclaimed that unredeemed mankind is inherently evil by nature.  And it must be kept in mind that God’s chosen who receive wisdom to defeat ungodly natural tendencies, such as deceit and evil, are in the distinct minority.

     Pride is also the cause of much deceit.  For example, any nation that depends on their own strength for survival or victory has been deceived.  God will personally bring them down in humility in His timing.  Consider Edom’s judgment.

     “The pride of your heart has deceived you…You who say in your heart, ‘Who will bring me down to the ground?’  ‘Though you ascend as high as the eagle…from there I will bring you down,’ says the LORD.”  Obadiah 1:3

  

     The challenge of innate deceit was/is and will be very active through the ages, especially in the present age of the church.

     There will be a book signing for Walt’s latest book at FBC Claremore on Sunday, May 1, from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM.

    

Liars...in the Church?

     Inasmuch as Satan is the father of lies, and rules the world in this present age, it could be expected that he is very busy during this gap between Daniel’s 69^th and 70^th week, i.e. the age of the church.  And so it is.

     The primary Greek word used in this column will be pseudos or its derivatives which means basically to lie or tell a falsehood.  Therefore the passages referenced will contain the English words ‘lie’ or ‘false.’

     A liar in the present context is one who deceives others by tempting them into idolatry by rejecting the truth as previously defined.

     “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts…false witness, blasphemies…”  Matthew 15:19

     Jesus was reiterating that to bear false witness was in the heart of a natural man, i.e. it was a natural thing to do.  Such could only be overcome by the power and presence of the Spirit.

     In the early church there were those who were more concerned about personal gain than spreading the gospel.

     “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.  And no wonder!  For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”  2 Corinthians 11:13-14

     The following is a wonderful passage that contains several profound and relevant truths.

     “Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but in due time manifested His word…”  Titus 1:1-3

     Even though Paul was an apostle of Jesus Christ, he humbly referred to himself as a bondservant.  He acknowledged that Jesus was the truth that was promised before time began, but was kept a mystery until the age of the church.

     The current relevant point is, however, that Paul acknowledged that God could not lie.

     While God is truth and cannot lie, Satan is the father of lies.  It’s no wonder that the world is in chaos today.

     The writer of Hebrews reiterated that great truth when describing God’s promise to Abraham.

     “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie…”

Hebrews 6:17-18

     The two immutable things were that God swore by Himself, and it was impossible for Him to lie.

     Peter also said much about false prophets in the past and false teachers during the present age.  He spoke of their methodology and their fate.

     “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies…and many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.  By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words…”  2 Peter 2:1-3a

     Key points are that there will be false teachers in the church and the truth will be blasphemed.  Deceptive words would include such promises as health and prosperity in the present age.  Such teaching is rampant in many churches today.

     Christ had a good word for the church in Ephesus in His message to the churches in the final book of the Bible.

     “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil.  And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars…”  Revelation 2:2

     The church at Ephesus, with Spiritual discernment, tested the doctrine of those claiming to be apostles of God.  The church must not give credence to such, but be prepared to deal with them.

     The ending for such false teachers and false apostles is found in the final chapters of the Revelation.

     “He who overcomes shall inherit all things…but the…unbelieving… idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone…”  Revelation 21:7-8

     “But outside (New Jerusalem) are…idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”  Revelation 22:15

    

     Everyone has the choice of accepting the truth or the lie.  Either choice is forever.

     Check out Walt’s new book entitled: God’s Plan for His Chosen: the Cost and the Conflict

If not Truth...what?

     The arrival of Jesus brought the gospel message to mankind.  The gospel message was the truth embodied in Jesus Christ.

     “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”  John 1:17

     Jesus’ predecessor, John the Baptist, gave witness to the truth of Christ.  Jesus Himself proclaimed:

     “There is another who bears witness of Me…and he has borne witness to the truth.” John 5:32-33

     The appearance of the God/Man Jesus caused much enmity with the pious Jews who were hesitant to receive and embrace that which appeared to conflict with the Law of Moses.  Some, however, listened and were given the gift to believe in Him.

     “Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ‘If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.  And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”  John 8:31-32

     And ‘free’ means liberated from the condemnation of sin.

     Even His disciples displayed hesitancy about accepting Him and His teaching.  Thomas questioned Jesus about the benefits of His leaving them.

     “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”  John 14:6

     It was explained to Thomas that the ‘truth’ was embodied in Jesus and the only way to approach God the Father was through Him.

     Jesus continued by explaining that upon His departure to the Father, He would send in His place the Holy Spirit who was the truth and would dwell within them.

     “However, when He, the Sprit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak…”  John 16:13

     Jesus’ return to the Father, followed by the Spirit entering the hearts of the disciples, was a major step in man’s unending odyssey on the way to eternity.  The truth of God would abide with redeemed man forever.

     Paul taught that those who chose to reject the truth revealed in Jesus and confirmed by the Spirit would suffer eternal consequences.

     “…but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, (will reap) indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish…”  Romans 2:8-9

     Paul reiterated the consequences of disobeying the truth revealed in Christ to the church at Galatia.

     “O foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified.”  Galatians 3:1

     The Galatians were without excuse.  They had witnessed first hand the work and death of Christ.

     To the church at Ephesus Paul metaphorically portrayed that the defense against falsehood begins with the truth.

     “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth…”  Ephesians 6:14a

     And Peter proclaimed that Christians, having received the truth, should reflect such grace by loving the brothers.

     “Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart.”  1 Peter 1:22

     If God is truth, what about that which is any other?

     As would be expected the antonym for the Greek ‘truth’ aletheia is pseudos which means falsehood, i.e. lies.

     The unbelieving Jews, represented by the Pharisees, would not accept Jesus’ teaching on the truth.  Jesus boldly told them who their father was.

     “Why do you not understand My speech?  Because you are not able to listen to My word.  You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.  He…does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”  John 8:43-44

     Thus, the two divisions of all mankind: either one stands in the truth, or one embraces the lie.  While man is born innately in sin to lie, God is truth and can impart that truth to repentant man.

      The devil is the father of lies and whoever does not choose the truth of God will die and spend eternity in the lake of fire with his father the devil.

     Check out Walt’s latest book entitled: God’s Plan for His Chosen: The Cost and the Conflict.

    

    

What is Truth?

     After Jesus’ first encounter with Pilate, the title words were uttered by the Roman military governor.  He didn’t wait for an answer, but instead he told the Jews that he found no fault in Jesus.

     Pilate had just previously asked Jesus if He was a king, specifically the King of the Jews.

     “Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king.  For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth...’”  John 18:37

     The definition of truth in the New Testament is profoundly simple while at the same time profoundly complex.

     The very basic definition of ‘truth’ is ‘reality.’  Similar meanings include substance and confirmation.  A more complex definition is that truth is the reality of substance which agrees with its appearance.  It is the essence of matter, i.e. the substance of which a physical object is composed.  As such, matter occupies space and has weight.  The observable universe is the supreme example.

     Paul explained that the invisible God was confirmed by His physical creation.  Therefore, God’s wrath would befall those who would ‘suppress the truth in unrighteousness.’

     “For since the creation of the world, His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they (the unrighteous) are without excuse…”  Romans 1:20 

     Let’s go back to the Old Testament and examine several applications of ‘truth’ as related to man’s relationship to his God.

     “He is the Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice, a God of truth and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.”  Deuteronomy 32:4

     The Hebrew word for ‘truth’ in this verse has several illustrative synonyms including ‘trust,’ ‘honesty,’ ‘certainty,’ and ‘divine attribute.’

     King David confessed his sins before the LORD and acknowledged that he had been conceived and born in sin.  But he also acknowledged that God could change his heart to embrace truth and possess wisdom.

     “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.  Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”  Psalm 51:6-7

     David acknowledged he was not born in ‘truth’ but rather to possess truth was the result of a sovereign act of God.  David pleaded with God for that redemptive action.

     The Psalmist subsequently proclaimed that God’s truth is everlasting.

     “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures forever.”  Psalm 100:5

     Goodness, mercy, and truth are among God’s eternal attributes.

     Consider the following where Isaiah is describing the future Messiah and King.

     “Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.”  Isaiah 11:5

     In the Hebrew, both righteousness and faithfulness are synonyms for ‘truth.’

     The 33^rd Psalm describes ‘truth’ relative to God’s creation activities.

     “For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in truth.  He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made…”  Psalm 33:4-6a

     In another Psalm, the writer desires to abandon lying and replace it with truth.

     “Remove from me the way of lying, and grant me Your law graciously.  I have chosen the way of truth…”  Psalm 119:29-30

     Likewise the wisest man in the world equated truth with wisdom and admonished men to acquire and treasure truth.

     “Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.”  Proverbs 23:23

     Thus it is seen that mankind is innately born to lie, but such unrighteousness can be replaced with the truth by pleading for a sovereign act of God.

     Progressing to the New Testament, the Apostle John presents truth as being embodied in the person of God’s son.

     “And the Word (Human expression of God) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory; the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14

     The reality of God and His attribute of truth walked among men.

     Check out Walt’s new book entitled: God’s Plan for His Chosen: the Cost and the conflict