Religious Fog Is Where Deception Thrives
Some people want a Christianity that never corrects them. Some people want a Jesus who never confronts them. Faith that feels safe, flexible, and agreeable is dangerous faith. Scripture has never handled truth like that. When truth is blurred, deception spreads like wildfire, and deception always costs more than we anticipate.
God did not save sinners so they could stumble around in spiritual fog. He saved us to stand on truth. One of the most blunt commands of Scripture comes with no coddling: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” ~1 Thessalonians 5:21. This command assumes believers have the responsibility to not simply sit back and ingest whatever comes their way as “Christianity.” It assumes we will test everything that claims to speak for God. If we refuse to put God’s Word to the test, we have already surrendered ground.
Belief vs. unbelief is not the battle line Scripture draws. Truth vs. lies is. Satan has never attacked the existence of God from Genesis to Revelation. He attacks His Word. “Yea, hath God said?” ~Genesis 3:1 is still the most powerful weapon in Satan’s arsenal. The enemy doesn’t need people to say God’s Word is lies. He just needs them to treat it like one opinion among many. When truth becomes optional, discernment dies.
God’s Word is described as razor-sharp, not mulled together with sweetness. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword” ~Hebrews 4:12. A sword cuts. It does not mix two opposing forces together and call it fine balance. When someone says there is “good in all of it,” they are not being loving; they are being lazy. Truth blended with error does not create harmony. It creates corruption.
Everywhere we look in the New Testament, we see warnings that deception will come masquerading as Scripture. Paul feared scoffers would devastate the church. But he did not fear atheists. He feared fake Christianity. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” ~2 Corinthians 11:3. Then he names it plainly: “another Jesus,” “another spirit,” and “another gospel” ~2 Corinthians 11:4. Don’t adjust those words to fit minor disagreements. Those are literal death sentences.
Jesus did not rip into religious leaders simply because they were out of touch. He called them out because they were confident. Intelligent. And completely blind. “O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?” ~Matthew 16:3 They could read the winds, yet they could not see truth standing right in front of them. Familiar religion did not make them insightful. It made them stubborn.
God did not call us to a safe faith. He called us to the truth. And truth is not relative. Jesus did not save people and leave them to soak in religious experiences until they figured it out on their own. He sanctifies people by means of truth. “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” ~John 17:17 If growth in the Lord has nothing to do with truth, Scripture gives no indication that it is growth at all. Drifting from doctrine is not maturity. It is dangerous. Scripture offers no comfort to believers who can swallow any teaching, excuse any contradiction, and follow any strong leader. Period.
Paul warned against believers being tossed back and forth by ever-changing doctrines. “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine” ~Ephesians 4:14. If you have to check with some authority outside of Scripture to see if what you believe is correct, you have given up the anchor of God’s Word. New conviction. Exciting experiences. Moving emotions. And charismatic leaders will move you wherever they want to take you. Stability comes from holding fast to God’s Word, not opinions about it.
God does not allow believers to blend truth and lies while feeling safe about their decision. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves” ~2 Corinthians 13:5. Examining ourselves includes watching how we react when doctrine is presented. Followers of Jesus hear His voice, and they follow Him. “My sheep hear my voice… and they follow me.” ~ John 10:27. People outside of Christ might hear a similar-sounding voice and follow it too. But Jesus’ sheep recognize His voice.
I am afraid of religious leaders who have sound ministries yet tolerate deception. I am concerned about the church refusing to call sin by sin’s name. And most of all, I fear Christians who will accept any distorted message as long as it feels like Jesus spoke the words. If we reach the place in Christianity where our faith cannot handle someone convicting us, Scripture does not give us any reason to believe we follow Jesus at all.
David Campbell
The Evangelism Tackle Box: Know the Bible and Biblical Truth
