Last Saturday I watched my electorate vote. They have invariably voted one way since 1973 (with one exception) but following an aggressive marketing campaign, the electorate swung to an independent candidate.
It reminds me of how humans are so fickle and easily swayed in their beliefs. This is nothing new. The apostle, Paul, faced this very problem with the Corinthians:
“3 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. 4 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 Cor 11:3-4).
Paul is afraid that an eloquent speaker could come along and easily convince them of another Jesus, another saviour, another spirit, another gospel. Is it really that easy to move away from the truth of the gospel? Sadly, yes, and I speak from personal experience.
My great great grandparents (and hence, I) believed Jesus was just a specially created man who had to die to atone himself from condemnation and death.*
How far was that from a Jesus who voluntarily laid aside His heavenly glory and status asking God to send Him and then becoming a man in order to carry our sins in His substitutionary sacrifice? Even worse, how close was that belief to the teachings of the Antichrist that Jesus Christ, as God Himself, did not come in the flesh? (1 John 4:3).
So what is the antidote to falling victim to erroneous and false beliefs? Paul says it is to test the spirits against the Word of God - firstly by checking that they declare that Jesus is God. (I John 4:1-2).
Secondly, protect yourself against error by being fully aware of truth through prayerful Bible study, meditation and listening to the voice of the Spirit. Only then can false teachings be identified and destroyed by wielding the sword of the Spirit, the word of God (Eph. 6:17).
When we were shown the simplicity of the Gospel, it was perfect. Our Saviour was perfect. The Spirit was perfect. Any addition, corruption or change to that perfect truth must be swiftly apprehended and eliminated.
All attempts to integrate secular thinking with Christian doctrine stem from Eden when the serpent asked Eve, “Did God really say….?” Any attempt to bring in humanistic thinking and replace the teachings of the Spirit will always draw away from truth and lead to a life apart from God.
Jesus warns us about false teachers in these words: “Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod.” (Mark 8:15). In other words, be wary of kow-towing to the beliefs and demands of godless regimes and be wary of seemingly plausible religious arguments and agendas that work against the truth that Jesus taught. Full and unwavering obedience to the Lord of all is non-negotiable.
#kristinatrott #thepoweryouhaveavailable #thewingsofadove #trottpublishing #falseteachers #Mark8 #swordofthespirit #1John4 #2Cor11
Section 86-109
All scriptural quotations are from the NLT.
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