by Prisca | 19 October 2023 08:46 pm10
Deception is the act of lying, cheating, or using dishonest shortcuts to achieve one’s goals. Biblically, it is condemned as a sin because it violates God’s nature of truth and righteousness.
The Bible repeatedly warns against deception, describing it as a tool of the wicked and a manifestation of a sinful heart:
Genesis 31:20 (ESV): “Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing.”
Here, deception is shown as a human tactic used to escape an unfavorable situation. Though Jacob was God’s chosen, this act reveals human frailty and moral complexity.
Proverbs 12:5 (ESV): “The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.”
Deception is contrasted with righteousness, highlighting how deceit originates from a corrupt heart opposed to God’s justice.
Romans 1:28-29 (ESV):
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They are filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness.”
Paul describes deception as one of many symptoms of humanity’s fallen state when rejecting God’s truth.
2 Peter 2:14 (ESV):
“With eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin, enticing unstable souls, they have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!”
Peter identifies deception as a deliberate, ongoing sin that harms vulnerable believers, driven by selfish desires.
2 Peter 2:18 (ESV):
“They entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from error.”
False teachers use deceitful words and fleshly desires to lure back those who have just escaped false teachings.
Deception is fundamentally rooted in rebellion against God’s truth. Satan, described by Jesus as “the father of lies” (John 8:44, ESV), first used deception to bring sin into the world by misleading Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3). Satan’s lies distort reality and seek to separate humanity from God.
Because God is truth (John 14:6), deception is not just a minor offense but a spiritual weapon of darkness. It thrives on envy and the refusal to see others prosper, which fractures community and faith.
However, the Bible calls believers to live in the light of God’s love and truth. When filled with God’s love (1 Corinthians 13), deceptive behavior dies, and we bear witness to the transformative power of the gospel.
Let us seek God’s love and truth daily, rejecting the ways of deception and embracing a life marked by honesty, integrity, and faithfulness.
God bless you.
Shalom.
Source URL: https://wingulamashahidi.org/en/2023/10/19/what-does-the-bible-say-about-deception-2-peter-214/
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