Deceptions

There are deceptions prophesied in scripture for the latter days that will lead many into destruction. The deceptions are so convincing that even the elect (those chosen to obtain salvation) will be vulnerable to them (Mk. 13:22). I think one of those deceptions that we are seeing today is the dismissal of sin. Many in the world have believed the deception that sin is an outmoded religious concept, perhaps meant in its time to keep man from certain undesirable behaviors for fear of hell. In error it is believed that we no longer need the concept of sin, being ruled instead by secular laws decided by society regarding right and wrong, even though secular law can never nullify the holy and perfect Law of God (Rom. 7:12). Even many believers and churches have adopted this same secular viewpoint, and are reluctant to teach the destructive power of sin. However, this is a deadly deception.
Sin is not just the wrong that we do against the law of God, but it is also a spiritual power, as we will see. Sin has the power to enslave a human being. Jesus said:
"Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin."   Jn. 8:34
The apostle Paul also speaks of the power of sin to enslave:
"...our old man was crucified with Him (Jesus), that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin...to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey...whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness...But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered."   Rom. 6:6, 16-17
Peter wrote that those who yield themselves to sin and promise others that there is liberty in practicing what God has declared to be sin, have themselves become slaves to corruption (2 Pet. 2:15-19).
As we also read above, sin is the power that kills:
"...the end of those things is death...For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."   Rom. 6:21, 23
"The sting of death is sin..."  1 Cor. 15:56
Not only does sin have the power to kill, but it has the power to keep the body in the grave, and the soul in hell (1 Cor. 15:55). When God was warning Cain about the power of sin, He said this:
"If you do well (be glad, joyful, pleasing, to make a thing good, right, or beautiful), will you not be accepted (exaltation in rank or character, dignity, loftiness, raising up, lifting up)? And if you do not do well, sin lies (lurks) at the door ("pethakh" meaning gate, opening, grave). And its desire (craving, longing, stretching out after, devour like a beast, overflow like water) is for you, but you should rule over it."    Gen. 4:7
As we can see above, the door that sin lurks beside is not the Hebrew word "daleth", but "pethakh" which can mean the opening of a grave. Sin's craving, desire and longing is to pull us into an open grave, and keep us there. The bad news is that we have all sinned (Rom. 3:23, 1 Jn. 1:10). The good news is that Christ came for the purpose of overcoming death, hell and the grave by paying the penalty for sin in our place. He fought its power and broke its enslaving hold. He died and rose again to make all alive (1 Cor. 15:22). The offering of His body in replacement for ours was done once, for all (Heb. 10:10).
The world may embrace the deception that the power of sin is not real, falsely thinking that they are achieving liberty from unreasonable constraints. However, when the believer who has accepted Christ's atoning and redeeming sacrifice runs after that same deception, or is consenting to it, something awful occurs in the spiritual realm:
"For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away (to deviate from the right path, to error; root meaning-to descend from a higher place to a lower, to be removed from power by death, to lose authority, to no longer have force, to fall from a state of uprightness), to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame."   Heb. 6:4-6
"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins...of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?"
                                                                                              Heb. 10:26-29 (excerpt)
What a terrible thing to do to ourselves, but even more so to Christ! If we, the believers in Christ, deny the reality of sin, or its spiritual power to kill and enslave forever, then we are also denying the power and necessity of the atonement and resurrection of Christ. We are therefore denying the very foundation of our salvation and faith. None of us wants to do such a thing. However, this deception is sent from hell in order to convince man that sin is no longer relevant, in order to keep man from seeking the remedy of Christ, and to keep him enslaved and bound in death.
We can see that the end time deception disregarding the truth and power of sin is a far more dangerous thing than it would appear on the surface. In order to fully participate in the victory which Christ has achieved for us all, we need to understand the reality of the evil power which He overcame. Delusions and deceptions will come as prophesied, but we are here to stand as witnesses to the truth of what Jesus has done for all: the liberty from enslavement and death that He has accomplished on our behalf:
"And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience...but God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ...raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus..."   Eph. 2:1-6 (excerpt)
"...Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."   Rev. 1:5-6

Our Father is exposing the destructive deceptions.

Special thanks to my pastors who faithfully teach the truth of the Word, on this subject and all others, without compromise.