Christian Living

A World of Deception

by Thomas Kirkpatrick
11/09/21
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“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17)

I woke this morning in an argument with Self. Self was saying a common statement heard now and then, “Stranger than Truth.” So I replied, “Self, how can something be stranger than truth if the truth is absolute?” Self then gave me this replay. “For most of us, truth is strange, as they seek truth within themselves, and not from the author of truth.” That did not make sense to me, and I said so. So Self expounded on his point. “When people center their truth on the reality of their life, the actual truth is a stranger to them.” Much as I wouldn’t say I like Self-making sense of his argument, I had to admit it makes sense.

The popular trend is, and I don’t know how long it has been this way, the reality one defines truth is by life experience. Perhaps that defines diverse cultures, creates divisions in the masses, and causes conflicts in society. A measure of diversity is a good thing when opposing points of view find common ground and work together for the common good of all. When speaking of true diversity, it can only have different ideas of concrete truth. An example of diversity in truth can only be a view of enhancing the application of the truth in daily life. Diversity cannot change the truth, as truth is absolute and has no variables; only the application of the truth can be improved. The point being if a lie is a violation of truth, then the twisting of truth cannot be used to support a lie. Twisting the truth is an act I often employed to get what I want; still, it was deception.

Who is the master of deception in the world? He is one of the spiritual father's humanity can choose and has several names throughout the Scriptures. Jesus was arguing with Pharisees, who were spiritual leaders in the Synagogue, the House of Worship, in the days of Jesus. The Pharisees never accepted Jesus as their Messiah or any words that He spoke. They were arguing with Jesus over His claim to be the “Light of the Word.” Near the end of the argument, Jesus plainly said who their father was. “You are of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

Lucifer was an Arch Angel of God’s Kingdom long before the creation of humanity. Lucifer was the most beautiful of the Angels and was the choir director in charge of praising the Lord God Almighty. I am sure it is more complicated, but I see Lucifer as too full of himself and not focused on his Creator, God. So much so that Lucifer thought in his heart that he should be as the Most High. To me, but not to everyone, this is an absurd thought to have. God is the Creator of all, and none can compare to God. Yet, Lucifer thought he should be as the Most High. I strive every day to be as much like Him as I can and fall so very short I am too ashamed to say. Lucifer, a complete spiritual being, and Arch Angel of God, and far more powerful than I, or any man, is still nothing compared to God. “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13-14)

One last point to make about Lucifer is that when humanity was created, he was on the earth, as this is where God placed him after his fall from grace. “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (Revelation 12:7-9)

Let us travel back once again to the beginning, as this is where the deception of the truth began. I am using a lot of Scripture to make my points, so I will share their addresses with you but not place them here on this post. It is important to note that God formed man from the dust of the ground and did not speak man into existence as the rest of creation. The uniqueness of this man was created dead until God breathed life into him. All other living creatures were alive at creation, but man’s life came from the Spirit of God. (Galatians 5:35) Then God placed man in the Garden of Eden along with two specific trees amid the Garden. The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I believe the Tree of Life has all the nutrients for humanity to have a complete eternal spiritual and physical life. The Tree of Good and Evil was forbidden, and it is said for the purpose that Adam would know it was God’s Garden. (Genesis 2:7-9; Genesis 2:16-17)

God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone with no suitable companion to share life with and provided a counterbalance with a woman made from Adam’s rib. When Adam saw the woman God has created for him is said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh.” The joining of Adam and Eve, man, and the woman, is God’s institution of marriage. Marriage is not an institution of man or government, but God and His law. God joins the man and the woman together as one flesh, and the woman is his helper. She is not a lesser part, but an essential role, and they exist co-equally. Also, they were naked and without shame. Genesis 2:20-25

I have been told that this creative act of God must have upset Satan. Satan, remember, had been cast down to the earth, and this was his domain. Satan must have thought he would have dominion over humanity as they were in his world. “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4) Adam and Eve must have bothered Satan, as they were pure and righteous, and God came down and walked and talked with them. They even obeyed and loved God and were always ready to receive Him when He came. Adam and Eve were not as Satan spiritually out of tune with the desires of God’s plan and purpose. Satan eternally seeks vengeance towards God, as God had cast him out of His Kingdom.

I do not believe that the woman is the weaker sex, and I do not believe that Satan tempted the woman because he thought that either. God never told Eve not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He told Adam. “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) It was Adam’s responsibility as the spiritual leader to inform Eve of the command of God. I speculate Adam did not directly give Eve the command as God had told him. Therefore, She twisted what had been said by God in his challenge to Eve. When Satan asked Eve what the law was, she answered with an added rule, “You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.” Satan then challenged Eve with a counter-argument to death by tempting her to have knowledge as God. “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree and found it good, and she didn’t die. Eve enticed Adam to eat the fruit, which he did. Neither died, as the death was not immediate, but a change came over them, and it was not as pleasant as they thought it would be. Adam and Eve knew they were no longer pure, as their mind was filled with the knowledge of evil. They must have struggled to think as before with the flood of evil running repent around their minds. They noticed they were naked and became ashamed and sought to cover themselves. (Genesis 3:6-7) Their innocence was forever lost, humanity’s innocence was forever lost, and humanity’s relationship with its Creator was fractured, as sin had become between them. Truth is now permanently twisted by the deception of humanity’s ability to rationalize away the absolute. God clothed them to cover their despicable nakedness with animal skin. There is the truth that death is the wage of sin, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Naked can be taken in the physical or the spiritual. As spiritual before the deception, Adam and Eve were pure, as no evil thoughts came into their minds as they do not know evil. There is plenty of argument to be made out of this statement that God was aware of evil, as He confronted it and put it out of His Kingdom. When God’s Spirit was hovering over the earth, He commanded, “Let there be Light” and “He separated the light from the darkness.” (Genesis 1:3-4). Physically or spiritually, light and darkness cannot co-exist. When evil entered into the minds of Adam and Eve, they were, as we, forever in battle with Evil and Righteousness.

If you are to lean towards the light, then you fight against the darkness within you. (Resident Evil) After evil entered their hearts, they no longer saw themselves as pure and righteous but as objects of evil passions of pleasure and became ashamed. So much more that I cannot begin to fill the pages as the point is made. It was the beginning of a personal battle that will not end until the Day of the Lord when humanity finds rest.

We are living in a physical world of twisted truths fighting an endless battle. There is a path to salvation and victory found in the absolute truth. God, who was before the beginning, is the absolute truth. He is our Creator. We are living in a physical world, seeking a spiritual Savior for the world to come. We must be focused and steady on course to be close to our God. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8) God has sent us His Word, the Word of creation, to set us free from our bondage to sin, bringing peace to our spirits. Seek Him while He can be found, for the night is soon coming. “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Thomas N Kirkpatrick

First Baptist Church of Durant, September 2, 2020