Enemy Infiltration
The Enemy Has Infiltrated
By now you can see that the primary “bender of truth” is Satan. If you don’t know who he is, read Appendix 3. The question most asked about Satan is, “How much influence does he have on humanity?” For the believer, the influence is only external, more of an annoyance, but can adversely affect our relationship with Jesus if we allow temptations to interrupt our walk with Him. James offered this solution, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:7-8, ESV) But for unbelievers, they don’t have the Holy Spirit living in them to prevent any internal influence, so they are vulnerable to a wide variety of influences including being possessed by a demon. Although completely unaware of his influence these “Satan-controlled humans” are used by him to make life difficult for anyone doing God’s work.
In the introduction I referenced the fourth verse of the book of Jude. Here is that verse, “For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” (Jude 1:4, ESV) Satan has employed some of his ‘influenced’ humans to be actors, pretending to be followers of Jesus but are not. Jude notes that they have infiltrated God’s churches who have perverted (changed) the grace of God into sensuality (sexual licentiousness, extreme immorality) and denied (refused, rejected) Jesus. Jude not only warns about the affects of false teaching, but alerts us to the fact that they have already infiltrated and have begun Satan’s work, which we know today includes rewriting texts, writing volumes of erroneous theological discourses, creating alternative religions, etc. Paul wrote, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, ESV).
So who and what do we trust? The text of Scripture may have been compromised, any and possibly all peripheral support materials, creeds, statements of faith, songs of praise, hymns, seminaries, schools, websites, etc. may contain errors, how do we know what is and what is not from God? What started out with false apostles entering churches to corrupt from within to now being nearly two-thousand years later, I have to wonder is there anything that hasn’t been compromised in the church?
Going the Wrong Direction
Christianity has been splintered into so many denominations and varied beliefs that it appears to be no longer pursuing being unified per Jesus’ prayer in the garden. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.” (John 17:20-23, ESV, emphasis added) Notice that Jesus said that the unity of the believers (also known as the church) will be an indicator to the world that God had sent Jesus in to this world and that He loves them? If so, what happened? Where is that perfect oneness? If that is supposed to an indicator, we have failed! Not only is there compromise, we are also heading in the wrong direction.