| November 28, 1999 |
Vol. II, No. 31
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Lying is wrong! (Col. 3:9) "Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds."
Many are aware of this opening statement, that "Lying is wrong!" Many will acknowledge what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians. However, many will place the category of "lying" as an act which can only be committed against another.
Deceiving others and the consequences associated with it are familiar to us all. We know how if feels to have someone whom we have trusted mislead us or make false statements to us. As painful as it may be to have someone lie to us there is a form of deception that may be more painful and bear more harsh consequences than having our parents, spouse, children, or good friend lie to us: that is self-deception.
The term "self-deception" is defined by American Heritage Dictionary: 1. The act of deceiving oneself or the state of being deceived by oneself. 2. Deceived by one's own illusions or error. (Self Deceived). 3. Given to or promoting mistaken notions about oneself (Self Deceiving)
Can one deceive himself? The Apostle Paul writes that we can, "Let no one deceive himself." (1 Cor. 3:18).
Self-Deception is possible for the Christian. I am not writing about false doctrines that a person can be persuaded to believe. I am writing about ways that a Christian can deceive himself into believing that he is all right with God. This is why self-deception can be the worst form of all, as it can give one the comfort in believing he can stand before God, when he is far from living the life of a Christian.
There are numerous ways that a Christian can mislead himself to thinking he is in a right standing before God. This list is by no means exclusive.
1. "Satan is responsible for all lies and I was deceived because I was tricked." While Jesus did state in John 8:44 that Satan was the "Father of all Liars," it is not an excuse that can be made to justify sinning. This form of attempted justification is only minutes younger than the first sin. Eve when confronted by God as to why she ate the forbidden fruit responded, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Eve, along with her husband Adam, was cast out of the Garden of Eden. Likewise an attempt to brush off sinning with comments such as Flip Wilson's "The devil made me do it," will bring forth the same type of results for us.
2. "Everyone else is doing it: there is strength in numbers." There are those through the years that have gone astray following this philosophy. If we would follow this line of reasoning in all of our thinking none of us would even be Christians, thus this is a faulty line of reasoning. In Exodus chapter 20 God spoke to the Israelites, giving them the Ten Commandments. In Ex 23:2, God further states "You shall not follow a crowd to do evil." Only 40 days later the people came to Aaron asking him to make a god for them, as they do not know what has become of Moses. Aaron obliges with their request and makes the golden calf. When Moses returns and confronts his older brother he blames the people and not himself for his actions. "Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil." (Ex. 32:22.) That day over 3,000 Israelites died by the sword. Jesus said in Matt 7:13,14 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
3. "My friends are doing it: its not that bad." It is easy to convince ourselves that something our friends would do would not be bad. After all, we have been very careful to select only the best of people to have as our friends. We are aware of Paul's statement that "Bad company corrupts good morals." (1 Cor. 15:33.) So as Christians we are certainly sure of those with whom we associate. We may all be in agreement that having bad friends can harm us spiritually, but we do not often stop to consider that doing something just because a friend is doing it, may also be wrong. An example to illustrate this fallacy can be found in Gal. 2:11-13. The Apostle Peter would eat with the Gentiles, but when men from Jerusalem came to Antioch, he withdrew himself, and only ate with the Jews. This hypocrisy spread until even Barnabas was following Peter's example, Just because someone may be our friend, or be a person we greatly respect, that does not always make them right!
4. "I'm a good person: I haven't committed any great sin." This attitude has effected many through the years. It must have been prevalent in the early church as well. In the book of James the following is written, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." (1:22-27). Again, "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." (2:10). And again, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (4:17)
It is not enough to just be a good person. We need to keep all of the commandments of God and do all of the work that needs to be done. The people to whom James was writing were good people, yet they needed the quoted reminders in the first century, just as we do today.
5. "I know Jesus is important but ___________" There may be as many excuses to fill in the blank as there are people who have argued this line of reasoning. Jesus mad it clear in Matt. 10:32 that the ones who confess Him on earth are the ones who He will confess before His Father in Heaven. There was a rich young ruler who came to Jesus. (Mark 10:22-27). He appeared to be very sincere, and was a good moral person. He also understood what Jesus said to him. That is why he went away sorrowful. He would not put Jesus first. He may have been a shallow thinker, putting his worldly possessions before his relationship to God, but he was honest with himself. He did not try to compromise and only sell 50% of his possessions or 90% of them. He understood the cost of following Jesus and was not willing to pay it. No man can serve two masters. I fear that we may often be trying to walk with one foot on this earth and one foot in the Kingdom of God. This can not be and will cause many to hear "depart from me you workers of lawlessness, I never knew you."
6. "I do all the right things. I believe in God. I've been baptized. I don't use instrumental music in my worship." Statements like these are made far too frequently by Christians. While belief in God, and immersion for the remission of sins are necessary for salvation, it is where the Christian life begins. Paul stated in 1 Cor 9:27 "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection." (NKJV). He also emphasized the importance of learning to "rightly divide the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). We can not teach others if we do not know what the will of the Lord is. Further if out life is not a shining example, others will not want to listen to us as they will perceive us as ‘hypocrites." Influence is important.
Do not deceive yourself. This may be the worst form of lying. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (Gal. 6:7).
--Percy R. Wilson, Jr.
In Matt. 12:43-45, Jesus said, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.' And when he comes he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation."
Perhaps, in passing, we learn a fact or two about demons from these verses. For instance, apparently demons could come and go from those who were demon-possessed, but if the demons left of their own free will, they could also return at will. On the other hand, when Jesus or His apostles cast them out, they were not permitted to return, but instead were apparently consigned to the abyss or bottomless pit. See Luke 8:31. However, this parable was not really spoken to enlighten us about demons. It was spoken to tell Jesus' audience something about themselves: "So shall it be with this wicked generation."
Perhaps as scholar A.L. Williams has suggested, this passage should be looked at primarily as a "solemn warning against a merely negative improvement." Luke's account of this parable is found in Luke 11:24-26. Luke tends to keep things more in chronological order than Matthew did, and records this parable as coming immediately after the statement, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters." See Matt. 12:30.
The scribes and Pharisees prided themselves on not being guilty of the hideous sins of those commonly referred to as publicans and sinners. Jesus warned that the absence of certain evils did not within itself assure a person of being right with God. One may make numerous reforms, be swept and garnished, but unless he becomes openly identified with Christ, he is still a negative influence with regard to the work of the Lord, and is scattering instead of gathering. Not only so, he is an open invitation for evil influences by attempting to be neutral toward that which is holy.
Even in our society, many consider themselves good Christians because of what is not in their lives. They do not murder, the do not steal, they do not rape.. All this is commendable and necessary, but it is not sufficient within itself to constitute a right relationship with God. Even a wax dummy in a store window does not murder or steal or rape. But he is not a Christian.
Have you obeyed the gospel? Do you search the Scriptures to grow in grace and knowledge of God's will? Do you seek to interest others in the will of God and the welfare of their souls? If not, you scatter abroad.
--CRJ