Stand Firm: Standing Firm In Your Faith Against DeceptionVoorbeeld

Day 3: The Deception of Worldly Love

The world we live in believes that the only way to “love” a person means to limitlessly permit that person to every desire of theirs, no matter if that thing contrasts to the Word of God, sends someone in a downward spiral, or an uphill battle. Sadly, we see this worldly form of love beating down the doors of our churches and the hearts of those who were once seemingly steadfast leaders.

The cunning lie of worldly love that slithers through the doors of the church oftentimes begins with people falling prey to the twisting of what Jesus says in Matthew 22:39, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” These Christians have become blind to the truth of what God’s love is, or perhaps they never understood it at all. They have fallen prey to deceit by believing the fabricated lie that this “love” Jesus spoke of means you must fully embrace and accept the sinful desires of one's heart, simply because it’s pleasing to them and “how dare we cast a judgmental eye over other’s desires.”

This lie is a slippery slope, and a scary one for the church and believers to find themselves entertaining. Why? Because truthfully, any believer who knows the Word should also know that Jesus didn’t condone sin. In Matthew 8:11, we see the example of Jesus telling the adulterous woman that He didn’t condemn her, but to sin no more. In Mark 2:17 we see Jesus openly share that He came for those He was sitting with; the sinners. Jesus didn’t suppress the truth, hide the truth, or deny the truth, because Jesus is truth.

John also tells us specifically in 2 John 1:6 what this “love” is to look like.  Jesus commands us in Matthew 22:39. “And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning so that you should walk in it.” To walk in truth and love means we must first know what God commands. We can’t walk in both deceit and truth, and we only know the truth by knowing God’s heart through His Word.

The truth that flows from the heart of God is the only thing powerful enough to pierce the lies of this deceit. As we watch those around us fall for the lies of this world, we must stay fervent in our desires to know God’s Word. We should always be seeking His heart, living out our convictions, and loving people where they are, no matter what their sin looks like, but always prayerfully pointing them away from the sin and to the heart of their Savior.

Scripture Reading

Matthew 22:34-39 esv

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 

2 John 1:5-6 esv

5 And now I ask you, dear lady—not as though I were writing you a new commandment, but the one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another. 6 And this is love, that we walk according to his commandments; this is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, so that you should walk in it. 

Mark 2:15-17 esv

15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” 

Prayer Prompt

Lord, thank you for desiring your children to know your truth, and to experience the gift of freedom in Christ. Thank you for giving us direction for loving those stuck in the detriments of sin. Father, help me grow in knowledge of your Word. Protect me from the deceit of this world. Cover the church with a hedge of protection and unveil the areas where deceit has taken a foothold. Lord, lead me to love others boldly through your truth and love; not a love based on feelings. In Jesus’s name, amen.