Originally posted on 4.29.20
Looks can be deceiving.
G.K. Chesterton said, “Falsehood is never so false as when it is nearly true.” It is also certainly never so deceptive. As mentioned in the previous post, that is the whole idea behind a counterfeit, which, though it may be so close in appearance to the genuine, is, in actuality, worth nothing. In fact, appearing as genuine is the whole idea behind a counterfeit. This comparison is not an exaggeration. It is virtually what Jesus predicted in His parable of the wheat and the tares concerning the devil’s interference with Christianity (Matthew 13). If you study the parable, it is precisely Jesus’ point that the devil would devise a counterfeit to the truth. This fact was represented in the parable as the tares. The wheat, of course, represented the true tenets of faith. The people to whom Jesus was speaking knew that tares, while growing in the stalk, were identical in appearance to wheat, though they were two very different entities with two starkly different ends. Making use of this known fact was to show the cunning and effectiveness of the enemy to offer a substitute for the Gospel, which retained a close resemblance of the Gospel, and by which unsuspecting souls could be deceived. What should make all souls suspecting is that we have this warning by Jesus. No one can say he hasn’t been warned.
Reason for concern: Sabotage is effective if it occurs in just one vital point.
The human body is made up of many members. Some of them are considered vital organs, not one of which can be spared— for example, the heart. The same is true regarding a car. Certain parts are indispensable for operation— say, the motor. Many things in life have this characteristic. Christianity is one of them because it has multiple tenets of salvation— all of them vital. According to Jesus, there is no salvation without repentance (Luke 13:3,5). Neither can a person be saved without remission of sins (Luke 24:47; Hebrews 9:22) or if he lacks the Spirit (John 3:5; Acts 8:16; Romans 8:9). To this point, if the devil can sabotage just one vital area of Christian salvation doctrine, he has sabotaged Christianity and has accomplished his goal. An altered Gospel is non-salvific, just as the human body only needs to be compromised in one vital organ to produce death, though the rest of the body may be perfectly healthy. Imagine a Spiritless Christianity or one in which the precious blood of Christ has never been biblically applied to bring about remission of sins. Actually, and sadly, you don’t have to imagine; you can look around. (I don’t say that lightly or insensitively, but with a grieved heart. Each case of deception involves a soul for whom Christ gave His all.)
Christianity is covenantal and has specific terms by which a person is saved. No one can argue with that in an intelligent way. On purely logical grounds, there must be a point at which a person can immediately claim Christian salvation. Consequently, if the devil can distort that means, he has effectively kept the person from salvation, no matter what else he may believe correctly about Christ or Christianity. The analogy of a key may be helpful here. Alteration of the necessary points on that key would render it ineffective, though its overall appearance would not be greatly affected. Close does not count. Jesus once remarked to a scribe that he was not far from the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:21). To the Rich Young Ruler, Jesus said he lacked one thing from entering the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:21). In both cases, He made it certain that, in His view, there is still a significant difference between being close and being on point.
Sabotage of Christianity only needs to occur in one vital area to be effective. And the area most attacked by the devil is the area of salvation doctrine. Consequently, this is the point of Christianity where we find the most confusion. There are countless beliefs as to how to be saved. It is the surest sign of the devil’s activity (1Corinthians 14:33; 2Corinthians 4:3-4). The rest of Christian doctrine is not so important to the devil and, therefore, is not his particular aim to distort. In fact, leaving everything else intact is wise strategy in order to maintain the appearance of Christianity.
When knowledge is dangerous
Some persons undoubtedly think they believe enough correctly about Christianity that they are safe. While that thinking can be comforting and reassuring, it underestimates both the cunning of the devil and the superficiality of man (Matthew 7:21-23; Luke 6:46). It entirely misses the concept of the counterfeit nature of false salvation doctrine and is unsuspecting of sabotage on the part of the enemy. It assumes the devil would never interfere with the necessary doctrines of Christianity, a terribly wrong assumption.
Salvation is the most important decision we will ever make. It deserves our most diligent inspection of the biblical tenets, especially since there are so many different views. In fact, because there are so many views of Christian salvation, it is incumbent on us to soundly reconcile what we believe with the one true message of the Bible. Paul exhorted first generation Christians to examine themselves to be sure they were in the faith (2Corinthians 13:5). His Apostolic admonition is still applicable today.