“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thess. 2:9-12
Devotional Thought For The Day
How important is the truth to you? What constitutes the criteria by which you arrive at certainty in regard to the truth? When you hear the truth of God’s Word [a presupposition frequently asserted in Holy Scripture, in regard to God’s character and His Word as recorded in Holy Scripture, the Bible, that it does not and cannot err in any respect, but instead enables us to know the truth], how do you respond, especially if that Word contradicts current modern thinking, values, or morals? Do you allow the Word – just as it is written – to dictate and determine what is truth for you, or do you take the Word into advisement and utilize your experiences, your reasoning, and the opinions of others to arrive at a “filtered” and adjusted version of what you accept as the truth? Do you love the truth?
These considerations are important, extremely important, for the Scripture contains many warnings against the “activity of Satan,” the wicked deceptions that allure and ensnare human minds and hearts. And where there is recalcitrant and incorrigible commitment to ideas, thoughts, values, and opinions that are contrary to the truth, contrary to God’s Holy Word, the Bible, God may allow strong delusions to set in that immunize a person from recovery to the truth. People may actually come to believe what is false, and become ready to engage in all manner of evil and violence to “prove” their version of the truth [their delusions]. This “activity of Satan” is perhaps even stronger among church goers and Christians, as he tries to drag people away from Christ and out of the true fellowship of the church. And the same may be true within churchly institutions, which often have goals, agendas, and ambitions which are not in accord with God’s will and purposes, and which may in fact be contrary to Christ’s will and instructions.
We may not want to get caught up in all of this. We would all prefer for things to be simple and straightforward, peaceful rather than contentious. However, Scripture [including this text] warns us that this conflict and warfare between truth and error is part of the nature of life in this fallen world of sin, and that it will not be decisively and fully resolved until the return of Christ in glory. So contentiousness, “contending for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints” [Jude 1:3], is going to be part and parcel of our lives in this world. We will either come to “love the truth,” or refusing to love the truth we will capitulate to the darkness and the delusions. There really is no middle ground – although our sinful nature contains a deep inner compulsion to “build bridges” and find ways to “reconcile” and meld together the darkness and the light. We must recognize, however, that this is precisely a capitulation to the darkness, an embracing of delusion. Lord, have mercy!
We must remember that Jesus is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” [John 14:6], that He came into this world to “bear witness to the truth” and that “everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” [John 18:37] He has promised that as we continue in His Word we will know the truth, and that the truth will set us free. [John 8:31,32] Obviously Jesus loves the truth, and the Father loves the truth, and God deeply desires that we also come to love the truth, especially the truth in regard to His gracious love, mercy, and forgiveness, but also the truth which His Word reveals in regard to everything it addresses. So, although we know that our sinful nature has a constant aversion to the truth, especially as it is revealed in Holy Scripture, the new man within us, created in Christ Jesus [Eph. 2:10; Col. 3:10], surely does “love the truth” and seeks to abide in it. That truth includes the assurance that all of our sins and weaknesses are forgiven and washed clean in Christ’s shed blood, His atoning sacrifice on the cross. This truth moves us to ever greater love for truth, the truth revealed to us in God’s own breathed Word, the Holy Scriptures [2 Tim. 3:15-17]. So the question, which is pertinent for each of us and needs to be asked: “Do you love the truth?” God grant each of us a deeper and growing love of the truth!
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, thanks and praise be to You for the wondrous things You have done for us and for our salvation, and for revealing all of the important details of Your comprehensive love for us in Your Word, the Holy Scriptures. Draw us ever deeper into Your love, that we grow more and more compelled by and committed to the truth, that we come to love the truth. Help us to abide by the actual words written, without any compromise whatsoever. Deliver us and preserve us from all distortions, deceptions, and delusions. Amen.