Discarding Deception
By: Kristen L. McNulty
Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.
In the book of 2nd Corinithians in the Bible we find a few verses of warning that are vital to us all. Let's turn to chapter 11, starting at verse three where Paul writes:
"But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed." 2 Corinthians 11:3-4
Now while Paul was originally writing this warning for the church in Corinth, we are fooling ourselves if we think we are immune to this kind of deception.
Our Tells Us
We live in a culture whose values are completely contrary to the kind of life God calls us to.
Our culture tells us to do what feels right, not what is right.
Our culture tells us to speak our truth, not speak the truth.
Our culture tells us that the author of all life doesn't need to be the author of our daily lives.
Our culture tells us that bucket lists come before commandments, that tolerance is more important than truth and that love knows no bounds so it's okay to live our lives without boundaries.
In this kind of daily environment can you not see how it might be possible to have our beliefs swayed? To pick up ways of thinking that contrast Biblical theology? I believe it's not only possible, but there is a good chance that both you and I have already had our faith, beliefs and values corrupted or swayed in some manner along the way already. Whether the subject is relationships or money or family or values, it's in the realm of possibility that what we say, do or think on the subject has been infiltrated by the world in some way, shape or form.
So where does that leave us? In a place where the importance of scripture needs to be elevated front and centre! The only way we can know if we are really following Jesus and our worldview is only shaped by Him is if we truly know and understand what He has to say and that is found in the Bible. The Bible is our foundation of truth and there is no substitute for it. If we abandon serious amounts of time in scripture in order to spend time scrolling on our phones and watching tv, then we are giving ourselves more opportunity to be swayed and changed by our culture than we are by the Word of God and that's a problem. If our view on who God is and what He expects of us is built without going straight to the source, we can end up being deceived, led astray or following a god of our own making.
No Substitute For Scripture
There is no substitute for scripture and there was never meant to be. It's a gift from God that we all have been given.
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
The Bible teaches us, convicts us, corrects us and guides us. And along the way God uses it to form us into the kind of people we're meant to be as believers and to carry out the kind of work He has planned for us. Ultimately, the Bible is the best weapon we have against deception because if we know it intimately, we will be better equipped to recognize counterfeit ideas or flat-out lies when we are confronted with them and we'll be equipped to counter the lies with the truth.
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