There is definitely much
deception in the world. Perhaps one reason for this is because God wants His
people (Christians) to fight for the truth. The Bible is full of verses which
seek to get its readers to have integrity. We are called to be different than
everyone else as Christians. This is what it means to be holy. Holy means to be
set apart… to be different in a moral focus. So if God did not allow so much
deception in the world, then what exactly, would people have to do? Deception
is a form of evil. Things which are not true lead people down the wrong road.
But if evil didn’t exist, then compassion wouldn’t exist. If no one were ever
in a house fire or abused or raped or taken advantage of, then as people, what
immediate purpose would we have? God wants us to love one another, but how can
we do that if there is nothing to actually do for someone else?
The same idea goes for why there
is deception in the world. If deception did not exist, then the passion to
correct it would not exist. Isn’t being passionate a good thing? We are only
passionate about those things that cause us to react. Perhaps this passion in
us originated out of our own experience, which God allowed us to experience. We
are passionate about child abuse and about kids who do not have a good home; we
are passionate about how others are treated, whether it is the homeless or
veterans or senior citizens. If we are
passionate about a non-living thing,
it is always, in a roundabout way, to help the living things (people) have a
better life. In any event, passion always seeks out other people. If I were
passionate about making the perfect boat, what would it matter if no one were
able to enjoy it? Passion seeks to make things better for other people. This is
why we have it. Would we be able to make things better if things were already
perfect? Absolutely not. It is a good thing to be passionate about correcting
the false ideas and beliefs that are in the world. 2 Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach
the Word. Be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful
instruction” (emphasis mine). We are supposed to correct people when they have
it wrong, and even rebuke them. Jude verse 3 even tells us to contend for the
faith. “Contend” …are you serious? Yes. Fight like you are in the boxing ring
for the faith. Why? Because there is so much deception in the world. Fight for
the faith!
Look at what Paul says when he
found out that people are spreading lies: “I am astonished that you are so
quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are
turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some
people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of
Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other
than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have
already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other
than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” (Galatians 1:6-9). If
you didn’t hear him the first time, he writes it again! He is contending for
the faith! He is correcting and rebuking them! This is something that should
not be overlooked or taken lightly. Christians are called to be warriors when
it comes to this. The Bible is replete with this type of language for a reason…
Jesus wants us to stand up for the truth!
Don’t be afraid to speak up! But at
the same time, I must advise that when you do, make sure you know what you are
talking about. James 3 teaches us that those of us who teach will fall under a
harsher judgment. Something else we probably shouldn’t take lightly. This
shouldn’t stop us from speaking up, however. The Holy Spirit will guide you
into all truth. It might not happen overnight, and you will at times, be wrong.
The best thing to do when we are wrong is admit it. Come clean. The truth is, after all, our concern.
Also, several of the books of the
New Testament were written to combat things that were not true, including, but
not limited to, Gnosticism. If you think about it, the whole New Testament was
written to combat things which were false. The gospels were written to show
people the truth. Just look at the beginning few verses of Luke and John 20:31
for a few examples. The letters of Paul were written to show the recipients the
truth of the gospel. Paul mostly corrected the theology of the churches to whom
he was writing. Christianity itself hangs on the truth that Jesus rose from the
dead. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says that our faith is futile if Christ did not
rise from the dead. But in fact, He did rise from the dead. This is a truth
that mustn’t be kept hidden. Prepare for your upcoming confrontations
concerning the truth. Anything that someone says can be twisted around and used
against them, everyone knows that. So when you say things, make them mean
something. Have integrity. Encourage your brother and sisters in Christ.
Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints! This is
our call to arms.
Written by Nace Howell through the grace of the Lord Jesus
© Nace Howell, 2018
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