Are You Believing Either of These Lies?

Nobody who is believing a lie knows or thinks they are. That is what it means to be deceived. And in truth, all of us are believing some things that are not true in some way or other. This is likely why the Bible tells us, over and over, that God resists the proud. The first key to not believing lies is humility.

An experience I had recently jolted me into typing out some thoughts. My goal is to point out two modern day deceptions that I believe have caused great damage in our culture. Because of these deceptions, our very civilization is at stake.

I took my vehicle into a local quick lube station to have the oil changed. I sat in the grungy, chilly little waiting room where the TV hanging on the wall was broadcasting a show. Other than sports, I do not watch TV, so while recognizing it as a modern sitcom, I had no idea what the show was.

Within a matter of minutes, the progress of this particular gem of a comedy went from two teenagers (boy and girl) sitting together on a bed in the girl’s bedroom, full of innuendos about sex, to the “goofball” husband/father figure fantasizing about—and even putting his hands on—another man’s wife, to two gay men announcing the adoption of a baby.

I was having a hard time believing you could pack so much vice into such a short period of time, but the writers and producers of this program were quite successful. They are obviously good at what they do.

After a quick search I learned that the show is called, not surprisingly, “Modern Family.” Maybe you’ve heard of it. It was a real hit in America, it seems.

This culture is in serious trouble. The reality is, actually, that our western culture is seriously troubled. Can there be any doubt as to why so many people are sad, miserable, anxious, depressed, guilty, and burdened down? You cannot live this way, promote, laugh at, encourage, and flaunt this kind of vice, and expect image-bearers-of-God to be happy and content. The example of a “modern family” given to us from the world is in every way opposed to what God created a loving and happy family to be—the direct antithesis. And, of course, this is only one example.

Our greatest danger in America is not terrorism, China, North Korea, nuclear warfare, or AI. Our greatest danger is the judgment of a righteous God upon godlessness, flagrant sin, and ignorance. Until we acknowledge the reality of the true and living Creator God, have a proper fear of Him, seek His Kingdom, and have our own wicked hearts conquered by accepting His free gift of salvation through Christ, we will continue driving this train straight toward the cliff.

This culture has been lied to, and has embraced the lies. Believing lies never leads to good ends. The enemy is a liar, seeking to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). And he is good at what he does.

How have we as a culture been lied to? I believe in two major ways, targeted at two specific groups. First, the enemy has lied to the unbeliever. And second, the enemy has lied to the Christian believer. Let me briefly explain.

Unbelievers have been deceived.

Our present western civilization has had it pounded into their heads, decade after decade, that God’s Word does not match up with reality. The lie has been told over and over that there is no God, that the Bible is a myth, that we are here by chance—only matter that resulted from a primordial soup that came from, well, nothing at all—and that when we die, we die. Unbelievers have imbibed the lie that man is accountable to no one, and can live however he wants to live, in order to be happy.

Sadly, as has been demonstrated in so many ways, this kind of living does not bring happiness, but only heartache and a road full of emptiness, disaster and pain. Our Truth in Time ministry, including our BC Messenger podcast, seeks to demonstrate the validity and historicity of the biblical accounts in the real world, giving real answers about the true and living God, and how He most certainly has acted within His world. By God’s grace, we have real answers, bringing God’s world and God’s word together to counter the lies that have been so often spoken. When you begin to see the reality of God’s terrible judgment on sin within a society, it can be a pretty good incentive for right living.

Christians have been deceived.

I also believe many well-meaning Christians have been deceived, and the results have been devastating. Christ-followers have the answers that unbelievers need. Christians know that the thirst for purpose, true contentment and happiness can only be satisfied by the Creator, and this is only possible by the restoring of the relationship between man and his God.

But the enemy is very sly, and has deceived many modern believers into a gnostic way of thinking, which leads to a truncated gospel.

I believe, for example, that one reason our present culture can have public TV like “Modern Family” received by the masses as acceptable social entertainment is partly due to this lie that many Christians have believed. Much of our present Christian culture has had it pounded into our heads for years that all of this cultural decay is only inevitable and expected, that it is no use to (as one popular radio preacher of yesteryear put it) “polish brass on a sinking ship.” We are to “keep our eyes on the skies,” expecting an imminent rescue of all the saved, out of this world, any minute now. We are not here to make this world a better place, right?

No, that is wrong. A very clever deception indeed.

To be more specific, we are losing the present cultural battle partly because many Christians do not think it is the responsibility of God’s people to be the hands and feet of Christ within every single area of society. We have not been told that we are to bring education, the arts, economics, entertainment, politics, business, government, medicine… every area, into submission to Christ the King. What we have instead been told is that disaster looms and the future is bleak for this world. Many are waiting to get out of this looming disaster before it strikes, and then God will finally pick up His plan to bring in the kingdom of righteousness. There are some major theological errors that have led to this way of thinking, which I hope to delve into in future articles.

Ask yourself a simple question. What did Jesus do and say when He was here? What examples did He leave, and what did He tell His followers to do? Did He make the world a better place? Think it through… He restored life. He stopped suffering and healed the sick. He called out sin. He loved the forgotten. He fed the hungry… all of this and more was part of His redemption plan.

And then, after paying the price for sin and rising from the dead (in this present world), He left, went to the throne of power, and commissioned His people to carry on with what He had started. Jesus stated,

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. -John 14:12

Trusting in Christ and in the gospel of the kingdom brings the power of the Holy Spirit of God upon our lives. Our hands and feet now truly become the hands and feet of Christ, bringing salvation and redemption to every part of the world that He came to save (John 3:14-17) and is saving.

So back to the lies. Can you see the strategy of how these lies are such a perfect setup for the enemy to take advantage? First, keep the unbelievers and pagans enslaved to their passions and lusts, demonstrating to them over and over that the Bible isn’t even true, and there is no real God to be accountable to. Let them continue to wander in darkness looking for purpose and happiness, dragging future generations down with them. Second, keep the Christians under a false premise that the world is “going to hell in a hand-basket” anyhow, so there is no use in bothering to try to change the world… with little to no eye for the future, just keep yourself pure and try to keep someone else from going to Hell.

It is, of course, not unimportant to witness to the lost, but this view is truncated, not taking in the full vision of God’s plan of redemption for the world. Our first commission from God is to take dominion of the earth (Genesis 1:28; 9:1-10), and God has never ended that commission. And in fulfilling that first commission, God’s people will fulfill their second commission to make disciples of Christ among all the nations.

Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, has come. Every square inch of this world belongs to Him. Surprisingly, the Savior of the world did not come at the end of history, but in the middle of it. His purpose for coming was to plant the kingdom of God in this world, to let it grow, and in this way, to save the world, all for the glory of God. Jesus taught things like this,

With what can we compare the kingdom of God…? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade. -Mark 4:30-32

This is what has been taking place through the hands and feet of God’s people for a long time now. Christ, as the Seed that would die in the ground, gave of Himself as the sacrifice for sin, sprung up again the third day bringing new life into a dead world, and has given the raised-again believer in Christ the Spirit of God. In this way, we may have our passions subdued, living a full, fruitful, purpose-filled life, in fellowship with our God, bringing all things in the world into submission to Christ. This is the gospel of the kingdom of God.

The reality is right in front of us that God judges sin. And God’s judgment is not pretty. It is horrible. God truly did cleanse the debauchery and flagrant sin of the old world with a flood of water as the oceans of the southern hemisphere flooded up into the northern hemisphere, wiping out entire societies of men, women and children. When you see these things as they actually happened in the real world, you understand just how horrific God’s judgment is. It is not a fairytale, “otherworldly” judgment of God you are reading about in Genesis, or anywhere else in the Bible. God is a “consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29) and He is not to be played with. You had better get right with your God, oh man.

And yet, in His mercy, Christ has come that we might have redemption, abundant life, using our work, talents and abilities to spread the Kingdom of God within this world. Have an eye for the future of the kingdom and take a stand, Christian. Let’s start living like the Savior of the world did come into the middle of history, and that He actually is redeeming all things to Himself.

Let’s fully invest ourselves, and our God-fearing “modern families”, into Christ’s work of “making all things new.”

And let’s begin by ceasing to believe the lies of the enemy.

Get new posts by email