2
Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NKJV)
9
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all
power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the
truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will
send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that
they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in
unrighteousness.
There is
already a Strong Delusion in the world which is drawing out people to go after
results, a kind of a pragmatism which states that if it is results that are being produced then it must be right, rather than making the pursuit of truth the ultimate goal. Results are not bad, but not the criteria for determining truth. There
is a strong pull for some to go after ‘signs and wonders’ as a demonstration of
the working of the Spirit of God. Signs and wonders are good, but again not the criteria
for determining truth. There is also a
desire for some to go after what some call ‘power encounters.’ Power encounters are amazing
and cause a great awe, but are still not the criteria for determining truth.
The Strong
Delusion as spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2 isn’t to say that these above
actions are bad, on the contrary, in the right context these activities are
actually quite good and beneficial. Where Paul draws the line in the sand is ‘…they
did not receive the love of the truth?’
The love of the truth is what specifically?
2
Thessalonians 2:13-14 (NKJV)
13
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the
Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, 14 to which He
called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Paul defines
which truth in the above verses of 2 Thessalonians 2.
- First and foremost “God from the beginning chose you for salvation…” it was solely God’s effort calling you and bringing you to an awareness of your need for salvation.
- Secondly, it is “…through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” again it is God the Holy Spirit which sanctifies us and reveals truth to us through His word and by daily meditation and prayer.
- And third, “…He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are set apart to obtain Christ and His glory. Paul makes this abundantly clear in Colossians that this is “…Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27
Sanctification by definition means..."the state of proper functioning." To sanctify someone or something is to set that person or thing apart for the use intended by its designer. In the theological sense, things are sanctified when they are used for the purpose God intends. A human being is sanctified, therefore, when he or she lives according to God's design and purpose.
The Greek word translated
"sanctification" (hagiasmos)
means "holiness." To sanctify, therefore, means "to make
holy." In one sense only God is holy (Isaiah
6:3). God is separate, distinct, other. No human being or thing shares the
holiness of God's essential nature. There is one God. Yet Scripture speaks
about holy things. Moreover, God calls human beings to be holy, as holy as He
is holy". From Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology
That is the
essential truth, that it is God who is working in us who is to become our all in all. He becomes our hope, He becomes our glory.
When we place
anything above the desire for God, like when we place
things, people, or individual effort above the essential relationship we have
with Him, God will permit us to pursue our own way and allow us to build
justifications so that we will believe the lie rather than the truth. When we reach a point where we sense that
God’s glory has departed us because of our poor choices, we are
given the opportunity to repent and ask forgiveness. Jesus is always patient and ready to receive
us and get us back on track. The truth
is Jesus is always desiring our everything, not just a small compartmentalized part
of us.
Ephesians
5:18-19 (NKJV)
18
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the
Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord
Where it
speaks of “…not be drunk with wine”, one of the effects of too much wine is an
altered state of reality (or delusion). "Drunkenness" or delusion in the Church is a major problem today. One of the main delusions in the church today
is the belief that everything is okay, when quite the opposite is true. There have been major transitional shifts in
our culture, and generally the Church has no clue about it. The truth is the Church in America is in
decline, gone are the days when Christianity was the dominant religion of the
land. Now pragmatism and relativism and has taken hold and has gripped our culture.“Pragmatism was a philosophical tradition that originated in the United States around 1870. The most important of the ‘classical pragmatists’ were Charles Sanders Peirce (1839–1914), William James (1842–1910) and John Dewey (1859–1952). The influence of pragmatism declined during the first two thirds of the twentieth century, but it has undergone a revival since the 1970s with philosophers being increasingly willing to use the writings and ideas of the classical pragmatists, and also a number of thinkers, such as Richard Rorty, Hilary Putnam and Robert Brandom developing philosophical views that represent later stages of the pragmatist tradition. The core of pragmatism was the pragmatist maxim, a rule for clarifying the contents of hypotheses by tracing their ‘practical consequences’..."
Here is a short definition of relativism:
“Relativism
is the philosophical position that all points of view are equally valid and
that all truth is relative to the individual. This means that all moral
positions, all religious systems, all art forms, all political movements, etc.,
are truths that are relative to the individual. Under the umbrella of
relativism, whole groups of perspectives are categorized. In obvious terms,
some are:
- cognitive relativism (truth)--Cognitive relativism affirms that all truth is relative. This would mean that no system of truth is more valid than another one and that there is no objective standard of truth. It would, naturally, deny that there is a God of absolute truth.
- moral/ethical relativism--All morals are relative to the social group within which they are constructed.
- situational relativism--Ethics (right and wrong) are dependent upon the situation.
Unfortunately,
the philosophy of relativism is pervasive in our culture today. With the
rejection of God and Christianity in particular, absolute truth is being
abandoned. Our pluralistic society wants to avoid the idea that there really is
a right and wrong. This is evidenced in our deteriorating judicial system that
has more and more trouble punishing criminals; in our entertainment media which
continues to push the envelope of immorality and indecency; in our schools
which teach evolution and "social tolerance," etc. In addition, the
plague of moral relativism is encouraging everyone to accept homosexuality,
pornography, fornication, and a host of other "sins" that were once
considered wrong but are now being accepted and even promoted in society. It is
becoming so pervasive that if you speak out against moral relativism and its
"anything goes" philosophy, you're labeled as an intolerant bigot. Of
course, this is incredibly hypocritical of those who profess that all points of
view are true yet reject those who profess absolutes in morality. It seems that
what is really meant by the moral relativists is that all points of view are
true except for the views that teach moral absolutes, an absolute God, or
absolute right and wrong.”
Please understand I am not condemning or judging people here, I am
only drawing attention to the moral relativism and pragmatism adopted by our
culture and the lack of moral absolutes of an absolute God. The Church
has fallen asleep at the wheel and has let our culture dictate and even
legislate truth and morality.
God has permitted this Strong Delusion to sweep over our land to
give us all the opportunity to recognize the error of our ways and repent, as
the church of God we are spiritually called to intercede on behalf of
our land and our people, but we must first become aware that the delusion
exists and recognize the truth once again and begin to speak it out and walk in
it.
2
Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
14
if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and
seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven,
and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Only then
can we stand as Paul encouraged the Thessalonian church to do...
2
Thessalonians 2:15-17 (NKJV)
15
Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught,
whether by word or our epistle.
16
Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us
and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17
comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
Blessings to
you in Christ
Stephen
Barnett
God is good
all the time―all the time God is good!
I Surrender - from the Hungry Album
Written by: Wendy
O'Connell
I call out to You my Lord
Hear the cry of my heart
Change me to be like You I pray
Come Lord
Jesus have Your way
I surrender all to You
I give up my life
To live for You
CCLI Song # 2650450
© 1999 Vineyard Songs
(UK/Eire) (Admin. by Vineyard Music UK)
The lyrics presented
here are copyrighted by the respective artist and demonstrated here for
educational purposes only and not for profit.
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