Is it Possible to Mislead a Believer?
The Holy Spirit’s Role
The apostle Paul wrote in his epistle to the church at Ephesus that believers are to, “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesian 5:18b, ESV) The Greek word ‘plērousthe’ is a verb that implies a constant flow, much like the mainsail on a sailboat needs to be full of wind to propel the boat. We need and should rely on a constant flow of God’s discernment, direction, understanding, guidance, and wisdom from the Holy Spirit.
Believers are promised the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.” (John 14:16-17a, NLT) Two important facts, the Holy Spirit will never leave and it is He who leads into all truth. Paul later noted, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you.” (Romans 8:8-9, ESV, see also Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 1 Corinthians 6:16; 2 Timothy 1:14)
Paul also wrote, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2:14-16, ESV) and “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (2 Timothy 2:7, ESV)
So What Happened?
If the Holy Spirit 1) leads us into all truth, 2) that we have the mind of Christ, and 3) that we are given understanding in everything, how can we explain the diversity of beliefs and the lack of unity? We should be able to dismantle and destroy all counter arguments. As Paul reminds us, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” (2 Corinthians 10:5-6, ESV) and that we should be aware of Satan’s tactics, “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” (2 Corinthians 2:11, ESV). Paul also warned, “Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19, ESV)
Does that mean that the Holy Spirit is inconsistent? Or perhaps doesn’t care what believers believe? The Bible teaches that God is consistent and not wishy-washy, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19, ESV, see also 1 Samuel 15:29; Malachi 3:6; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; James 1:17). So if the allowance or cause of the variance is not God, who else is involved? That would be us believers!
What’s Missing?
Apparently God! Going back to the analogy of the wind in our sails, we may need to find where that wind is coming from. Are we being propelled by a “pseudo holy spirit” wind or by the true Holy Spirit? While that thought should be revolting to us, we see that Paul had similar concerns regarding the church in Corinth and told them to, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!” (2 Corinthians 13:5, ESV)
Paul did not offer a method to use to examine oneself, nor do I propose the use of any checklist, self-audit, or ask someone else to make an assessment, only God knows the truth. But we can examine Scripture and compare our beliefs with the truths of the Bible. I have randomly selected and listed below fifteen highly debated subjects within Christianity along with Scriptural references. Please do not fall for the lie that the Old Testament is no longer relevant, it is timeless just as the entire Bible is timeless. While it is true that Jesus fulfilled God’s law, it still serves to identify for us what is a sin. Please read and honestly answer each question (you don’t have to write the answer if you don’t want to).
1. Number of days of Creation.
Science suggests that a great amount of time was required to form the universe, solar system, and life. The Bible tells us that God created everything in seven 24-hour days: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” (Genesis 2:1-3, ESV, see also Exodus 20:8-11; 31:17; Hebrew 4:4).
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
2. No death before man sinned.
In an attempt to blend Christianity and science some believe that God used a form of evolution to create the diversity of life. But evolution’s “survival of the fittest” model requires a significant number of species to die before death was introduced in the Bible: “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12, ESV, see also Genesis 2:17; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
3. Homosexuality.
Although not scientifically supported, our society believes that homosexuality is not a choice. But the Bible teaches that it is wrong: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22, ESV) “If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.” (Leviticus 20:13, ESV, see also Romans 1:27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:9-10)
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
4. Jews and Israel.
Many church leaders and theologians have boldly proclaimed that God is through with the Jews and Israel. That the blessings promised to the Jews have been forfeited due to their unwillingness to accept Jesus as their Messiah, some have even stated that the church is the “new Israel.” But that is not what the Bible says: “But this is what the LORD says: I would no more reject my people than I would change my laws that govern night and day, earth and sky. I will never abandon the descendants of Jacob or David, my servant, or change the plan that David’s descendants will rule the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Instead, I will restore them to their land and have mercy on them.” (Jeremiah 33:25-26, NLT, see also Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 30:3; 33:7, 11; Romans 11:1-36).
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
5. Millennial reign.
Some church leaders and theologians (many are the same as described in number four above) have rejected the concept of Jesus reigning for 1,000-years on earth. Believed to have been added to accommodate a time period to fulfill the previously unfulfilled promises given to the Jews. But the Bible reads: “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:1-4, ESV)
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
6. Evangelism.
Many Christians have rejected the need for evangelism, the active outreach of the gospel message. Some believe that since God made His selection of who is going to be saved, that there is no need to tell others about Jesus’ offer for salvation. Others put the Sunday morning experience as being more important. Jesus gave every believer the task of evangelism, we read: “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15-16, ESV, see also Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 13:10; Colossians 1:23)
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
7. Judgment.
Many Christians have a distorted view of Jesus when it comes to judgment and condemnation. They choose to believe that Jesus would never condemn someone to be imprisoned for eternity, let alone in a place like hell (see Appendix 4). Jesus often spoke about hell (see Matthew 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5). Fast forwarding to the future when Jesus is sitting at the white throne of judgment, the book of Revelation gives us an account that will occur: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15, ESV)
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
8. New Earth and New Heaven.
As discussed earlier there are some that believe that God’s kingdom will emerge on earth. But the Bible teaches that both earth and heaven will be replaced: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” (Revelation 21:1, ESV, see also Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13)
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
9. Crude speech.
Many believe that our language and mannerism’s are unimportant and therefore frequently use colorful words even though they are ambassadors for Jesus (see 2 Corinthians 5:20). Christians are constantly being watched, what they say and do should always be a reflection of Jesus. In his epistle to the church at Ephesus he wrote: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Ephesians 4:29, ESV) and “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” (Ephesians 5:4, ESV)
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
10. Eternal Covenant.
God made a covenant with Abram (later became Abraham) that promised him that from his descendants He would make a great nation and all the families on earth will be blessed by the people of that nation. This covenant is first mentioned in Genesis 12:1-9 which includes an interesting benefit, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse.” (Genesis 12:3a, ESV). The Bible teaches that it is an everlasting covenant, as clarified in Genesis 13:14-17 and Genesis 15:1-21, and ‘sealed’ in Genesis 17:1-8. The covenant was later reiterated to Isaac and Jacob (see Genesis 26:2-5; 28:1-4, 12-15) and remains valid today. But many today deny that this covenant and its promises of blessings are still in effect.
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
11. Jesus did not sin.
Since Jesus was born as a human there are some that believe that He is a sinner. But if that was true then He would not qualify to fulfill God’s law and be able to offer salvation for others. Peter wrote, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.” (1 Peter 2:21-22, ESV, see also 2 Corinthians 5:21) According to the Bible Jesus did not sin.
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
12. Jesus is God.
Often in conjunction with the argument regarding Jesus as a sinner, is the argument that Jesus never claimed to be God. If that was true then why was He crucified? On several occasions Jesus stated things that can only be interpreted as being God, for example: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30, ESV); “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58, ESV); and “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9, ESV) Jesus may not have explicitly stated "I am God," his words, actions, and the overall message point to Him being God. The Bible elsewhere also supports that premise, for example, Paul wrote, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13, ESV, emphasis added)
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
13. Noah’s Ark and the worldwide flood.
Geologists claim that there is little to no evidence of a worldwide flood and conclude that Noah and the flood is only a story. They look at places like the Grand Canyon and claim that took several million years to erode, all while ignoring strong evidence that it was the result of a worldwide flood. We see that Noah and the flood account are recorded in Genesis 6:1-9:29, but we read that even Jesus referenced the flood in Noah’s day, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37-39, ESV, see also Luke 17:26-27) This was a worldwide flood not a local flood.
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
14. The first eleven chapters of Genesis.
Similar to the thinking behind rejecting the account of Noah, his ark, and the worldwide flood, many have rejected the creation account; the serpent; the fall of humanity into sin; people named Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel; a person named Noah; the worldwide flood; a person named Nimrod; the Tower of Babel; and the formation of the various languages around the world (or parts thereof), calling it all “a fairytale.” The gospels record several times when Jesus quoted from these chapters (see Matthew 19:4-5; 23:35; 24:37-39; Mark 10:6-8; Luke 17:26-27).
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
15. The virgin birth of Jesus.
Another under the category of limiting God, is the idea that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was not a virgin, thus rejecting the Biblical account that she was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. As Matthew wrote, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:18-23, ESV, see also Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:26-38)
Do you believe the Bible or man? __________
So, how did you do? These are just a few points that man has claimed to know better than God. Seeing there is a gap between God’s perspective and ours helps us understand why there is a lack of unity among Christians. Is there a way to repair the damage? Of course, always remember that God is a God of second chances (or third, fourth, fifth…).
Did you believe the Bible in all fifteen points? Praise God! I think the apostle Paul would say, “that Jesus Christ is in you!” (See 2 Corinthians 13:5) Keep near to Him and His Word.