SUBTLE MEANS OF DECEPTION
Dear Friends
The following post deals with two areas where the enemy of our souls is crafty and works subtly to deceive. The first section deals with “feel good” experiences that cause undiscerning Christians to accept error. The second section deals with deceptive approaches to scripture that are used to lead astray the unwary and gullible soul. My purpose is to help Christians to be aware of these potential snares and pitfalls that are prevalent in our culture today.
In Christ
Billy Long
SUBTLE MEANS OF DECEPTION
“Many false prophets will arise and will deceive many.” Matthew 24: 11
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7: 15.
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits and discern whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4: 1
“FEEL GOOD” EXPERIENCES THAT CAN MISLEAD AND DECEIVE.
Some of the experiences listed below can be true and godly if they are the fruit of the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. But they can be counterfeited and used to deceive if they are not based on the written word of God and the Biblical testimony of the person and work of Jesus Christ. The experiences listed below cannot be used alone to judge whether or not something is of God.
Warm Fuzzies
The warm fuzzies can be deceptive. Emotions and sentimentality are useful but cannot be the final arbiter of what is of God. Warm thoughts and mushy feelings can be produced by good things or bad things. The soul of man without God can rejoice in evil and be infatuated with things that are not good. Emotions can deceive. Ignorance can deceive. It is possible for people to feel good about things that are ungodly and wrong.
False Peace
Passivity and quietness of the soul can also be deceptive. Israel’s prophet warned those who were at ease in Zion not to be complacent in their sin. True peace comes only from a clear conscience before God. Apart from the blood of Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sin, all pseudo-peace is deceptive and fleeting. I think this is why so many people have to be drunk and party through the night. It’s frightening to be alone in the dark with your thoughts…when you do not know the peace that comes only from knowing Jesus and being in right-standing with God.
Relationships and community
Many cults present a sense of belonging and “family” but tend towards control and loss of individual freedom. These “communities” tend toward bondage and legalism, or to license and immorality. The typical church has failed badly in the area of relationships and real community. This is an area where the church needs major revelation and drastic change. Programs, agenda-driven meetings, and the theater-style settings do not meet the people’s need for real fellowship in a living room setting where they can get to really know one another and develop real relationships. The shallow relationships that exist in so many churches has made many people vulnerable to the community life offered in many cults and heretical groups.
Mystical and Spiritual Experiences
The devil and false religions often produce mystical experiences, but which have their source in evil spirits, often masquerading as good spirits. The New Age influence in our culture has provided a platform for people to delve into spiritual things while avoiding the God of the Bible who requires moral accountability. This is the grounds for demonic activity in the lives of people.
Supernatural Experiences
The devil can do signs and lying wonders. This is seen in psychic activities, sorcery, meditation, animism, idol worship, eastern religions, and the New Age movement. These practices are counterfeits of the genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit as taught and modeled in Scripture. The foundation for the supernatural is Jesus, the Bible, and the Church. The Biblical context for the supernatural is that it be under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, following the pattern and guidelines given in the Bible, and in the context of the church (those who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and walk according to His written word).
Leaders Who Appear Intelligent, Gifted and Caring
Obviously these characteristics are good and expected in leaders. But these traits alone cannot be trusted. It is dangerous to ignore a leader’s position regarding scripture and the person and work of Christ while accepting him because he is a “nice guy,” a good speaker, and loves people. Paul warns us that Satan’s false prophets are like wolves in sheep’s clothing; they transform themselves to appear as angels of light. The test is: Does the leader believe the Bible is the true word of God? Does he believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again as Lord? Is his moral life exemplary?
FOUR DECEPTIVE APPROACHES TO SCRIPTURE
“Interpretation”
The Bible is rich in depth and layers of truth, but it does not have many interpretations. The word is true as presented. When people try to interpret the Bible they are usually trying to avoid the apparent word, principle, or command that is given. The apostle Peter said, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21. The Bible was given to us by God Himself. It has definite, clear, and absolute meaning. It is to be taken at face value.
“Is it to be taken literally?”
People who make an issue of literality are usually avoiding the issue of truth. People who say the Bible can’t be taken literally are actually saying they do not believe it is true. Again, this question is often used to avoid accepting certain truths or principles, or commands that are given. I believe the Bible is true.
“It contains the word.”
This concept has been taught in liberal seminaries. Basically it means that the actual written text of the Bible, its history, stories, and messages are not necessarily actual fact and are not in themselves the word of God. They say the Bible is not the word of God, but rather contains the word of God. This heresy allows people to ignore the obvious truth of scripture and simply draw from it whatever they feel God might be saying in it.
This allows persons to ignore the obvious message and find something more palatable to their tastes.
“Being selective with scripture.”
This is the belief that we can be selective or pick which parts of the Bible we choose to accept as legitimate. Leaders of heretical groups often use this tactic. This is an arrogance that allows us to judge the Bible instead of allowing it to judge us.
A milder version of this problem is seen with Christians who do believe the Bible, but who consciously or unconsciously discard Bible verses that don’t fit their doctrine on certain issues. In finding Biblical truth, Christians should consider all the verses related to any topic and formulate a doctrine that encompasses all the verses that speak to the subject, even the verses they might not understand or verses they might have difficulty with.
Conclusion
We are obligated and commanded to test the spirits and discern false teachers. It is so sad that too many Christians and churches do not have enough spiritual life, knowledge of scripture, and discernment to recognize the false teachers that present themselves as angels of light. The person and work of Jesus Christ and the written word of God must be the standard by which our intuition and discernment make judgments and determine what is of God and what is not of God. All other evidences of truth can be imitated and counterfeited.
We cannot deny the scripture and claim to believe and obey God. The New Testament has many exhortations to know and believe God’s written word. It is also filled with admonitions and warnings about ignoring it, despising it, or twisting it. You cannot hide or escape the true and real word of God. It will not be indifferent to you, and it is a mistake to think you can be indifferent to it. You might laugh at it, despise it, underestimate it, and think it is gone. But it will come back, and it will overtake you…either in your surrender, or in your judgment.
“If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” John 5: 46-47
“If they do not believe Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16: 31
“…our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” 2 Peter 3: 15-16
The following post deals with two areas where the enemy of our souls is crafty and works subtly to deceive. The first section deals with “feel good” experiences that cause undiscerning Christians to accept error. The second section deals with deceptive approaches to scripture that are used to lead astray the unwary and gullible soul. My purpose is to help Christians to be aware of these potential snares and pitfalls that are prevalent in our culture today.
In Christ
Billy Long
SUBTLE MEANS OF DECEPTION
“Many false prophets will arise and will deceive many.” Matthew 24: 11
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7: 15.
"Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits and discern whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4: 1
“FEEL GOOD” EXPERIENCES THAT CAN MISLEAD AND DECEIVE.
Some of the experiences listed below can be true and godly if they are the fruit of the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. But they can be counterfeited and used to deceive if they are not based on the written word of God and the Biblical testimony of the person and work of Jesus Christ. The experiences listed below cannot be used alone to judge whether or not something is of God.
Warm Fuzzies
The warm fuzzies can be deceptive. Emotions and sentimentality are useful but cannot be the final arbiter of what is of God. Warm thoughts and mushy feelings can be produced by good things or bad things. The soul of man without God can rejoice in evil and be infatuated with things that are not good. Emotions can deceive. Ignorance can deceive. It is possible for people to feel good about things that are ungodly and wrong.
False Peace
Passivity and quietness of the soul can also be deceptive. Israel’s prophet warned those who were at ease in Zion not to be complacent in their sin. True peace comes only from a clear conscience before God. Apart from the blood of Jesus Christ and forgiveness of sin, all pseudo-peace is deceptive and fleeting. I think this is why so many people have to be drunk and party through the night. It’s frightening to be alone in the dark with your thoughts…when you do not know the peace that comes only from knowing Jesus and being in right-standing with God.
Relationships and community
Many cults present a sense of belonging and “family” but tend towards control and loss of individual freedom. These “communities” tend toward bondage and legalism, or to license and immorality. The typical church has failed badly in the area of relationships and real community. This is an area where the church needs major revelation and drastic change. Programs, agenda-driven meetings, and the theater-style settings do not meet the people’s need for real fellowship in a living room setting where they can get to really know one another and develop real relationships. The shallow relationships that exist in so many churches has made many people vulnerable to the community life offered in many cults and heretical groups.
Mystical and Spiritual Experiences
The devil and false religions often produce mystical experiences, but which have their source in evil spirits, often masquerading as good spirits. The New Age influence in our culture has provided a platform for people to delve into spiritual things while avoiding the God of the Bible who requires moral accountability. This is the grounds for demonic activity in the lives of people.
Supernatural Experiences
The devil can do signs and lying wonders. This is seen in psychic activities, sorcery, meditation, animism, idol worship, eastern religions, and the New Age movement. These practices are counterfeits of the genuine gifts of the Holy Spirit as taught and modeled in Scripture. The foundation for the supernatural is Jesus, the Bible, and the Church. The Biblical context for the supernatural is that it be under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, following the pattern and guidelines given in the Bible, and in the context of the church (those who follow Jesus Christ as Lord and walk according to His written word).
Leaders Who Appear Intelligent, Gifted and Caring
Obviously these characteristics are good and expected in leaders. But these traits alone cannot be trusted. It is dangerous to ignore a leader’s position regarding scripture and the person and work of Christ while accepting him because he is a “nice guy,” a good speaker, and loves people. Paul warns us that Satan’s false prophets are like wolves in sheep’s clothing; they transform themselves to appear as angels of light. The test is: Does the leader believe the Bible is the true word of God? Does he believe that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again as Lord? Is his moral life exemplary?
FOUR DECEPTIVE APPROACHES TO SCRIPTURE
“Interpretation”
The Bible is rich in depth and layers of truth, but it does not have many interpretations. The word is true as presented. When people try to interpret the Bible they are usually trying to avoid the apparent word, principle, or command that is given. The apostle Peter said, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21. The Bible was given to us by God Himself. It has definite, clear, and absolute meaning. It is to be taken at face value.
“Is it to be taken literally?”
People who make an issue of literality are usually avoiding the issue of truth. People who say the Bible can’t be taken literally are actually saying they do not believe it is true. Again, this question is often used to avoid accepting certain truths or principles, or commands that are given. I believe the Bible is true.
“It contains the word.”
This concept has been taught in liberal seminaries. Basically it means that the actual written text of the Bible, its history, stories, and messages are not necessarily actual fact and are not in themselves the word of God. They say the Bible is not the word of God, but rather contains the word of God. This heresy allows people to ignore the obvious truth of scripture and simply draw from it whatever they feel God might be saying in it.
This allows persons to ignore the obvious message and find something more palatable to their tastes.
“Being selective with scripture.”
This is the belief that we can be selective or pick which parts of the Bible we choose to accept as legitimate. Leaders of heretical groups often use this tactic. This is an arrogance that allows us to judge the Bible instead of allowing it to judge us.
A milder version of this problem is seen with Christians who do believe the Bible, but who consciously or unconsciously discard Bible verses that don’t fit their doctrine on certain issues. In finding Biblical truth, Christians should consider all the verses related to any topic and formulate a doctrine that encompasses all the verses that speak to the subject, even the verses they might not understand or verses they might have difficulty with.
Conclusion
We are obligated and commanded to test the spirits and discern false teachers. It is so sad that too many Christians and churches do not have enough spiritual life, knowledge of scripture, and discernment to recognize the false teachers that present themselves as angels of light. The person and work of Jesus Christ and the written word of God must be the standard by which our intuition and discernment make judgments and determine what is of God and what is not of God. All other evidences of truth can be imitated and counterfeited.
We cannot deny the scripture and claim to believe and obey God. The New Testament has many exhortations to know and believe God’s written word. It is also filled with admonitions and warnings about ignoring it, despising it, or twisting it. You cannot hide or escape the true and real word of God. It will not be indifferent to you, and it is a mistake to think you can be indifferent to it. You might laugh at it, despise it, underestimate it, and think it is gone. But it will come back, and it will overtake you…either in your surrender, or in your judgment.
“If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” John 5: 46-47
“If they do not believe Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.” Luke 16: 31
“…our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” 2 Peter 3: 15-16
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