Category: Beholding Jesus

Friday, 9th February, 2024

BEHOLD THE REALITY OF JESUS 1 – DEALING WITH DECEPTION 8

“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” 

2 Corinthians 11: 3 (NKJV)

Persecution from religious leaders and oppressive political leaders wasn’t the only challenge in the first century. False doctrines or heresies which led to schism, were part of the things the Church contended with. False doctrine is not a new thing in the Church within this century.

The Church has always contended with false doctrines by false Apostles, Prophets and Teachers.

The epistles were written to the Churches to strongly establish the saints in the sound doctrine of Christ and to uproot heretical teachings.

Even from the context of the opening verse Paul the Apostle, pointed out some deceptive teachings in the Church during the first century:

“I am anxious for you with the deep concern of God himself—anxious that your love should be for Christ alone, just as a pure maiden saves her love for one man only, for the one who will be her husband.  But I am frightened, fearing that in some way you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to our Lord, just as Eve was deceived by Satan in the Garden of Eden. You seem so gullible: you believe whatever anyone tells you even if he is preaching about another Jesus than the one we preach, or a different spirit than the Holy Spirit you received, or shows you a different way to be saved. You swallow it all.“  2 Corinthians 11:2-4 (TLB)

These false doctrines which crept into the Church are still lingering.

The same concern the apostles had and their warnings still stand.

And remember, the target of these deceptive teachings is your faith.

The deception of the adversary focuses on the foundational matters of your faith.

When these heretics are able to deceive you with a teaching of another Jesus, they have destroyed the foundation of your faith.

1. Some sects teach that the Jesus who came to die for sin and your sins is not God. These religious sects have to establish publishing firms just to spread their falsehood.

Any doctrine which declares that Jesus is not God is a great deception.

Many religious groups also uphold such stand that Jesus is not God because God cannot become a man.

Meanwhile, Jesus was persecuted mainly because He referred to Himself several times as God. He only did things God will do and said things only God will say.

“He was justifying the importance of His work on the Sabbath, claiming God as His Father in ways that suggested He was equal to God. These pious religious leaders sought an opportunity to kill Jesus, and these words fueled their hatred.” John 5:18 (Voice)

To the Jews, for Jesus to call God Father means He is God expressed. To be a Son of God is to be God manifested.

Some deceptively proclaimed that if Jesus was God why did He die?

See what happened:

“When the Centurion and soldiers who had been charged with guarding Jesus felt the earthquake and saw the rocks splitting and the tombs opening, they were, of course, terrified. Soldiers: He really was God’s Son.” Matthew 27:54 (Voice).

Even the soldiers guarding Jesus’ body on the cross beheld the power of His divinity.

“And without controversy great is the [a]mystery of godliness:
God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory.” 1 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

You see when such doctrines succeed, it doesn’t change the divinity of Jesus. It rather affects your confidence in your salvation.

Don’t look away from the reality of Jesus.

He is God!

He is Eternal and His saving Grace is everlasting!

His blood which purchased you is a divine blood. It is an eternal blood.

JESUS IS GOD!

This is the gospel.

Hallelujah