Avoiding Biblical Deception

If I recall correctly, a great author wrote the line, "oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."

When we evaluate differing interpretations of Scripture, we need to be aware when things are said that are non-specific. For example, the lost need the "help of the Holy Spirit" in order to place their trust in Christ. Everyone would agree with the implication. However, everyone would not infer the same thing. Thus vague words and phrases are sometimes used to deceive. But when the same phrase is used over and over, then the "practice to deceive" is in full view.

For example, death brings about certain inabilities, like communicating with your still living loved ones. So when we see, in scripture, "dead in our sins" we can infer that the condition imposes limitations upon ourselves. But the extent or specific nature of those inabilities is undisclosed. So when I say "dead in sins" I imply that the condition imposes an inability to do anything to cause unification with God. However, another person, using the exact same phrase is saying the lost have no ability to understand and affirmatively respond to the gospel.

 

Ephesians 2:1- 2
And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.

Obviously born anew believers were not in any sense "in Him" before being created, because no one "in Him" could become dead again by escaping His hand. Rather than face this obvious truth, some might seek to change the subject.

 

Ephesians 2:4-5
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Here we see that being "together with Christ" results in being "made alive" or born anew or regenerated, from our initial state of being "dead" as "made sinner" and sinners by commission or omission. And note that this spiritual relocation from our sinful state to our washed in regeneration state results because God being rich in mercy, had mercy on us. Before the transfer, we had not received mercy.

 

Romans 8:10
If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Here we see that if we have been transferred spiritually into Christ, our human spirit has undergone the washing of regeneration and therefore has been born anew within Christ's spiritual body and we have been sealed in Christ with our Paraclete, the indwelt Holy Spirit. But our physical body has not yet been glorified, which will happen when Christ returns. Thus we are alive in Christ not because of our righteousness, but because we have received, through the washing of regeneration the righteousness of God.

 

Romans 16:18
For such people are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.

Shepherding the flock (local assemblies of the body of Christ) requires training believers in the way they should go, how to discern the paths of righteousness, such as to help deliver the flock from evil. Even if such training has political implications.

 

"... a true knowledge of God’s mystery, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive arguments."
(Colossians 2:2b-4)

Those that practice to deceive are not of God, but are of their father, the Devil. Recall how the Serpent of Old persuaded Eve to go off the path of righteousness and helped bring misery to humanity.

 

The Bible story in a nutshell is we are enslaved to evil, but God offers to set us free. Underpinning this simple truth is it is better to be free and enslaved. The natural person (not indwelt with the Holy Spirit) yearns to be free themselves but often many of them think it is fine to enslave others. Consider all the government forms where the few or the one rules over the rest. Consider the governments of Iran, Korea, Russia or China.

Thus the government founded on the idea of freedom, with those governing by the consent of the governed, stems from Christianity and the Judaeo-Christian tradition. Hence deceivers, manipulators and false flag operatives wage war the Bible and the Christian culture it has produced.

Therefore the Bible teaches us how to avoid deception which is the number one tool of the adversary of humanity.

 

One hallmark of deceptive words is that they facilitate the practice of evil. For example do not trust that you visit church, or as in Jeremiah, live near the Temple of the Lord. We must turn from evil thoughts and deeds, treating others with justice, protecting those in need, and worshiping our God in truth. Faith without works is dead. That means lip service faith, Easy Believism and the like are deceptive destructive doctrines.