Do Not Be Deceived

Do Not Be Deceived

“For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you.” Psalm 5:4 ESV

We minister in an extremely religious culture. According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the nation is divided as 85% of the population being Christian, 12% Muslim, and 3% other. But I have found there is a great deal of overlap between African traditional religion and whatever faith people claim to follow. A constant between Muslims and most Christians is a conviction that they will go to heaven based on what they do. Muslims commonly say, “if Allah wills it,” they will enter heaven and Catholics offer a similar statement when prompted that it’s up to God whether they will enter heaven. No one can know for sure, but many seem quite confident that God will let them in when they die.

The universalist religious perspective espouses this same confidence. Everyone can have their own path, but ultimately all roads lead to Rome (heaven in this case) and God will just sort it out in the end. What has been striking me recently about this mindset is how much it belittles the nature of God and how sympathetic it is towards human weakness. I just watched a program where a person bore the label of a “gay Christian.” The person said that they wanted to show people “you can be gay and also follow Jesus.” That statement is quite paradoxical. Consider this text –

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV

Notice first that the body of Christ does include people who have committed each of these types of sins. But see how Paul puts it in the past tense? “And such were some of you.” Concerning the mindset that you can follow Jesus while content to continue in the behaviors Paul listed, Paul says, “do not be deceived.” People who practice these things will not inherit the kingdom of God. There is a difference between having a sinful temptation in one of these areas and failing in that sin and repenting and doing your best to turn away from it versus saying “I can be a thief and also follow Jesus.” This is approval of what God condemns.

Now, the person I mentioned would probably be offended by my insertion of thief rather than homosexual in their sentence. That helps illustrate the point I’m making. We treat God’s revelations of his definitions on right and wrong based on our own thoughts and feelings. I think universally people still agree stealing is wrong, but some of the other things listed have been made gray. Universalism says, “God will overlook that. Ultimately, that’s not what he’s concerned about.” Confidence that you can go to heaven based on your works thinks similarly. These positions filter life through what mankind thinks is good and bad, while trying to ignore or reinterpret the definitions God gave of his perspective. It helps solidify the belief that my good can outweigh my bad. Psalms 5:4 clearly says otherwise. It’s impossible for sin to be in the presence of God. Scripture does not teach that you will or will not go to heaven based on how many good things you’ve done. Actually, the scriptures say you will go to heaven based on whether you’ve done one wrong thing.

“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” James 2:10-13 ESV

Notice the wrong things are wrong because of what God says is wrong, not what we feel is wrong. Satan has crafted many clever lies. This one has gained greater effect recently. We are becoming part of an environment that will produce more of this result that Jesus warned about –

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” Matthew 7:21-23 ESV

Jesus will say to them you were not following me, you were following yourself.