Deceivers out there

https://odb.org/2025/01/10/what-scripture-reveals

2 John 4 NIV – 7 I say this because many deceivers who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch out that you do not lose what we have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.

It is undeniable that we are living in the era of the end times, and even ever since the birth of Christianity in the first century, there were and would always be deceivers out there. Some may even be unintentional. Teaching out of the sincerity of their hearts but nevertheless wrong. There are fundamental tenets, and there are those in the peripherals. It is the fundamental teachings that we must always keep and believe in. For example, we can not say that we are children of God if we do not believe that Christ was God in the flesh, that He is the Son of God in the Holy Trinity. If Christ was spirit and not flesh and blood when He walked the earth, then how could He have died for our sins? More crucially, how could He have resurrected from the dead to defeat the devil of the sting of death? It is only flesh and blood who will die and yet will live again. It is the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ that distinguishes us from Judaism and Islam. It is the hope of glory that forms the basis of our faith. If Christ was spirit, we would not, one day, share in His resurrection.

The focus is on the fundamental issues, although there are smaller issues out there. Should we celebrate Christmas and Easter when these were originally allegedly pagan festivals adopted by Christians in the early days of the faith? Why not when the message is more important than the date, especially when we are not worshipping pagan gods but giving all glory to the Father and the Son? Should Christians drink alcohol socially, or should we practise total abstinence? Should we listen to pop or rock, or should we only listen to Christian music? Should we wear makeup and colour our nails? Should we cover our hair? Should we see the doctor or totally depend on God healing us? Should we be vaccinated, or should we trust God to protect us?

We know the principle between the fundamentals and the peripherals. But have we been schooled enough to know for sure what’s the former? Do we know enough to tell what’s black and white, and what’s grey?

I feel the message this morning is that all of us (including myself) should spend time equipping ourselves with the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to know clearly what we believe and at the same time develop a closer walk with Christ and the Holy Spirit. With better knowledge and a deeper relationship with Christ, the devil will not be able to deceive and lead us astray. In time to come, we will be able to see through the hearts of men and sieve out those self-serving preachers peddling the name of God for their own gain, whether for fame or fortune. If their motives are not right, their teachings could be suspect too.