13 These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So
it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants
of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked
deeds deserve.
Have you ever believed someone, followed their thinking for a while thinking you had really found something true here, until you realized that you couldn't have been more wrong?
I'll be the first to raise my hand.
It's an embarrassing and somewhat shameful feeling to realize that you've been punked by an imposter, because you were just so sure that it was the Truth. But instead you find that they were just a ruse -- disguised by smooth talking, bold confidence, and a following that made you sure they were really onto something.
But just as Paul says, we are not to be surprised by this, which makes me think it must be somewhat common, that there must be many false teachers (or at least more than we think).
It says that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. I had to stop and think about that one for a moment...what exactly is an angel of light? Well an angel is a messenger, and light often represents Truth. So he disguises himself as a messenger of truth, when in fact he is the opposite: a ruler of darkness and a director of all deceit.
Satan and those who do not follow Christ can deceive us by appearing to be attractive, good, and moral. Many unsuspecting people follow smooth-talking, Bible quoting leaders into cults that alienate them from their families and lead them into practices that go against the Bible. Of course no one sets out to get involved in a cult, but our impressions of people alone should not be the only indicator against which to measure Truth and a true follower of Christ.
So how do we know if we are following Truth or not? Three questions to ask:
1. Does the teacher affirm and proclaim that Jesus Christ is God, who came into the world as a man to save people from their sins? If the teacher is adding something new to the Gospel that you've never heard before, be suspicious.
2. Is the teacher's life-style consistent with biblical morality, and do you see evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in him? Love. Joy. Peace, etc...these ARE the proof of the Spirit.
3. Most importantly, as we search all of Scripture, do the teachings fall inline with the totality of the Bible? Think about Acts 17:11, "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures days after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth."
What a gift we have in this country to have such access to God's word! Let us not be lazy about following what sounds good or what excites our emotions; but instead, may we ourselves be readers and studiers of the Word. Never should we allow one passionate person to be our sole interpreter of Scripture! But instead, may we search for ourselves, listen to other leaders, read books, and even allow our thinking to be challenged by the thoughts of those who have different interpretations of Scripture than us -- because I can tell you right now that what I believe today is not 100% accurate, I just don't know it yet.
More and more, I agree with Aristotle who said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." May we not allow ourselves to get to focused on something that we're missing the big picture!
It's never too late to go a different direction, my friend. Search the Scriptures and continue to encounter Jesus -- He is the only one worth following. He is the only Truth.
Molly Monroe
Have you ever believed someone, followed their thinking for a while thinking you had really found something true here, until you realized that you couldn't have been more wrong?
I'll be the first to raise my hand.
It's an embarrassing and somewhat shameful feeling to realize that you've been punked by an imposter, because you were just so sure that it was the Truth. But instead you find that they were just a ruse -- disguised by smooth talking, bold confidence, and a following that made you sure they were really onto something.
But just as Paul says, we are not to be surprised by this, which makes me think it must be somewhat common, that there must be many false teachers (or at least more than we think).
It says that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. I had to stop and think about that one for a moment...what exactly is an angel of light? Well an angel is a messenger, and light often represents Truth. So he disguises himself as a messenger of truth, when in fact he is the opposite: a ruler of darkness and a director of all deceit.
Satan and those who do not follow Christ can deceive us by appearing to be attractive, good, and moral. Many unsuspecting people follow smooth-talking, Bible quoting leaders into cults that alienate them from their families and lead them into practices that go against the Bible. Of course no one sets out to get involved in a cult, but our impressions of people alone should not be the only indicator against which to measure Truth and a true follower of Christ.
So how do we know if we are following Truth or not? Three questions to ask:
1. Does the teacher affirm and proclaim that Jesus Christ is God, who came into the world as a man to save people from their sins? If the teacher is adding something new to the Gospel that you've never heard before, be suspicious.
2. Is the teacher's life-style consistent with biblical morality, and do you see evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in him? Love. Joy. Peace, etc...these ARE the proof of the Spirit.
3. Most importantly, as we search all of Scripture, do the teachings fall inline with the totality of the Bible? Think about Acts 17:11, "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures days after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth."
What a gift we have in this country to have such access to God's word! Let us not be lazy about following what sounds good or what excites our emotions; but instead, may we ourselves be readers and studiers of the Word. Never should we allow one passionate person to be our sole interpreter of Scripture! But instead, may we search for ourselves, listen to other leaders, read books, and even allow our thinking to be challenged by the thoughts of those who have different interpretations of Scripture than us -- because I can tell you right now that what I believe today is not 100% accurate, I just don't know it yet.
More and more, I agree with Aristotle who said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." May we not allow ourselves to get to focused on something that we're missing the big picture!
It's never too late to go a different direction, my friend. Search the Scriptures and continue to encounter Jesus -- He is the only one worth following. He is the only Truth.
Molly Monroe
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