2 Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
Ever since the fall of man, the world has been spiritually divided into two groups: those who are “begotten” of the spiritual seed of Cain, and those who are “begotten” of the spiritual seed of Abel. I use the word “begotten” in the sense of religious systems of salvation. Cain presented to God the fruit of the ground. Abel presented to God the firstborn of his flock. Cain brought his best to God, but it was insufficient to atone for his sin. Abel brought forth a blood sacrifice that was accepted by The Lord.
In 2 Corinthians 11, we learn about the tension that began back in Genesis 4 and that continues to the present hour. Contrary to the popular depiction of Satan with a red suit, horns, and a pitchfork, we see in Scripture that when Satan appears to man, it is in the form of an angel of light (v14). The serpent in the garden looked nothing like a rattlesnake today, or you can be sure that Eve would have run away from him as quickly as she could. No, he came in all subtlety, and as an angel of light.
Dear ones, the devil has ministers. They use the same language that you and I do as Christians, but underneath the mask of words is a different gospel and different Jesus. Do not be deceived, beloved. They are ministers of darkness in sheep’s clothing.
Sadly, today the devil has many ministers. In Genesis 3, the serpent tells Eve:
“Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
Another way to phrase that is: “Did God REALLY say…?”
Questioning what God said is rampant today. Happens at work, TV, friends and family, schools, colleges, and a number of familiar denominations. Go to church on Sunday to “learn” about God? In very subtle ways do we instead hear the serpent of Genesis 3?
How is this manifested? Here are a few ways:
– Picking and choosing Bible verses that conform to today’s world beliefs
– “Morphing” what the Bible says so it conforms to what people want to hear (or not hear)
– Justifying positions that go counter to the word saying: “That was true back then but the world changes…”
– Relying on science, psychology, philosophy, “logic” to “make sense” of things. Sorry if I offend some pastors and theologians, but in the limited time you have to teach, please quote Jesus, not Plato or Aristotle.
Questioning the inerrancy of the bible effectively is like saying “Did God really say…?” When we sit down on some church pews do we feel false comfort hearing familiar words? Or, do we underneath really hear a different gospel? Unfortunately, this extends well beyond the familiar cults we often critique.
Did God REALLY say…? We do not need to rely on human intellect, logic, science, or Plato. If is in the word, the answer is simple:
YES
Blessings,
JoseM