Deception is simply truth mixed with lies.
Unlike lies, which often present themselves as blatant falsehoods, making them easier to discern, deception cloaks itself within a blend of half-truths and distortions, making it harder to spot and consequently more dangerous.
The subtle nature of deception demands constant vigilance and an unwavering commitment to truth, even when that truth is uncomfortable.
Similar to how unbelievers are ensnared in their own version of reality akin to "The Matrix" film, believers may find themselves trapped in their own brand of Christianity, which deviates from Scripture.
Here are three common deceptions that every true believer of Christ needs to guard against.
The deception of once saved always saved
Many believers have been raised with the notion that a one-time decision is all it takes to secure their one-way ticket to heaven. This "easy believism" doctrine has fostered a false sense of security among many believers, leading them to believe that nothing they could do could compromise their ticket on the "heaven express."
This, however, is not a doctrine Scripture endorses.
Salvation is never taught as a one-time event in Scripture but as a lifelong faith journey.
A one-time decision you made months or years ago does not guarantee heaven any more than a single meal ensures a lifetime of nourishment -unless, of course, like the thief on the cross, you die right after you get born again.
This, however, is not the case for most of us, which means the life we live after we make that critical decision weighs heavily on where we end up when the wheels finally fall off.
Paul compares the Christian journey to a race, and the decision to be born again is just the beginning of that race.
How you run the race and whether you finish the race is equally important, which is something Scripture endorses.
In Matthew 24:13, Jesus says:
"But the one who endures to the end will be saved."
In 2 Timothy 2:12, Paul says:
"If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us."
The Bible teaches it's not the faith we start with that saves, but the faith we finish with
Therefore, there is no room to backslide as a believer.
We must walk faithfully with the Lord soup to nuts.
The deception of eternal safety, come what may
It's surprising how many believers read the Bible with a pair of scissors.
They pick what they like and cut out (ignore) what they don't like.
They cherry-pick the blessings and disregard all the warnings, dismissing them as "intended for someone else."
But in truth, the Bible is like a sandwich. You can't pick the ham and leave the bread.
Everything must be taken together.
Paul says all Scripture is written by the inspiration of God (see 2 Timothy 3:16), not just the bits you like.
There are more warnings in Scripture for believers than for unbelievers.
Believe it or not, according to the Bible, the believer is as much at risk of finishing up in hell as the unbeliever is.
Just like the unbeliever, the believer has a heaven to gain and a hell to lose.
No one else in the Bible taught more about hell than Jesus, which is quite surprising.
It's as if God decided that His Son Jesus was better placed to teach on this delicate subject than anyone else.
Even more surprising is that most of His teachings on hell were directed to His disciples, not unbelievers.
Here are just some of the things He says on the subject…
In Matthew 5:29, Jesus says:
"If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell."
In Matthew 10:28, He says:
"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul, But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
In Matthew 13:41-42, He goes on to say:
"The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Notice the angels are gathering out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness, not out of the world.
Apostle Peter says judgment starts in the house of God. (see 1 Peter 4:17)
All these warnings (and many more) are directed to the people of God.
So a believer should not subscribe to a false sense of security where they think a one-time decision they made a long time ago absolves them from hell...a life of faith and consecration after that does.
The deception of how you live doesn't matter
Many believers today think their lifestyles have no bearing on where they spend eternity.
That it doesn't matter how they live as believers as long as they are saved.
This, of course, has a lot to do with the brand of modern Christianity preached the world over today, which, for the most part, is a far cry from the Bible.
As Paul puts it in His letter to the Galatians, we have subscribed to another gospel.
One that makes a mockery of the true grace of God.
But the Bible is clear that no one makes a fool of God. (see Galatians 6:7)
Jesus said not everyone who calls Him Lord Lord will enter the kingdom of God, only those who do the will of the Father. (see Matthew 7:21)
Godly lifestyles constitute doing the will of the Father.
Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:3 that it is God's will that we should be sanctified.
He says the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (see 1 Corinthians 6:9)
A believer who continues to live a sinful life should test whether they are saved. (see 2 Corinthians 13:5)
Walking in righteousness is one of the four tests of a true Christian, as the Apostle John describes in 1 John.
There are many believers today who fit the mold of ungodly men and women Jude describes in Jude 1:4.
They have turned the grace of God into lewdness and have denied the Lord Jesus.
It's very possible for a believer to claim to be saved but still deny Christ.
How?
Well, Paul answers that question in Titus 1:16, where He says:
"They profess to know God but deny Him by their lifestyles. They are detestable, disobedient, and good for nothing."
So, a believer who continues to live in sin willfully has denied Jesus and their faith.
And what's Scripture's verdict about such rebels?
Well, in the end, Christ will deny them as well. (see 2 Timothy 2:12)
I'm reminded of a quote by Saint Irenaeus which says:
"Those who disobey Him, being disinherited by Him, have ceased to be His sons"
The bottom line is that God doesn't want lip service; believers who honor Him with their lips but whose hearts and lifestyles have turned back to Egypt in their sin and wickedness (see Matthew 15:7-9). He wants children who walk the talk.
Children who bear fruit worthy of the faith they profess. (see Matthew 3:8; Acts 26:20)
This warning also applies to believers who live double lives—those who have one foot in God and one foot in the world, those who live carelessly throughout the week but "play church" (put on a facade) on Sunday.
Their fate and that of those who have forsaken their faith in outright ungodly lifestyles are intertwined in eternal damnation.
You see, one of the problems God had to deal with regarding His people, Israel, was mixture.
In 1 Kings 18:21, the Bible says:
"Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing."
The problem with the Israelites at the time was not that they had backsliden and turned fully to idols, but that they were worshiping both God and idols.
They were "Christian halfsies," if you may, and God was having none of it.
The Bible has some good examples of people who were "Christian halfsies" and their fateful end.
A good example is Lot's wife.
Jesus said anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is unfit for the Kingdom of God. (see Luke 9:62)
When it comes to faith, you are either all in or all out. There's no sitting on the fence or turning back.
God will not let the devil have joint custody with Him where He (God) lets him have you Monday to Saturday, and He (God) only gets you for a few hours on Sunday.
One big difference between God and the devil is that, unlike the devil, who has no problem sharing you with God, God does not share you with anyone or anything. The Bible says His name is Jealous and He is a jealous God. (see Exodus 34:14)
God would rather have the devil have you than get a few visiting hours on Sunday.
This is why Paul speaks of Christian excommunication for stiff-necked believers. That's how serious this is.
So choose this day whom you will serve and be ten toes down, but do not be a "Christian halfsie" and risk ultimately being spat out by the Lord.
It's my heartfelt prayer that God will help you avoid all these faith pitfalls as a child of God.
God bless you.