Self Deception: Why Knowledge Alone Falls Short
When Seeking Knowledge Leads To Self Deception
One significant issue plaguing many believers today is a misunderstanding of what it means to follow Christ. Too often, I’ve encountered people who, in their pride, believe they require no further instruction. They assume they have it all figured out, simply because they once recited the sinner’s prayer. However, nowhere in the Bible does Jesus explicitly instruct us to attain salvation solely through this prayer. This misconception frequently leads to self-deception, one of the enemy’s most potent tactics.
Regularly examining our heart posture is essential. We must be honest about our shortcomings and struggles. When we approach the Lord with honesty and humility, He extends His helping hand. However, when we allow a spirit of deception to enter, we provide the enemy with an open door to initiate the work of self-deception.
The process of self-deception is initiated in many ways, typically starting with false teachings, false prophets, and lying spirits. Once a person comes into agreement with any of these things, the deception begins to lead them astray from the truth of God’s word. These individuals might not even realize that self-deception is taking root. Eventually, they lose their grasp on the standard of truth, becoming double-minded and unstable in all their ways. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8
The Pursuit of Knowledge
Many have replaced the call to follow Jesus and to embrace Him with a relentless pursuit of knowledge. This pursuit is reminiscent of the temptation in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were forbidden from eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God warned them that this would lead to death. We must ask ourselves: Are we consuming the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge or the Tree of Life?
Today, some people treat the Bible as a source of hidden mysteries and secret knowledge, rather than a mirror that reveals our need for a Savior and a transformed mind through the indwelling of The Holy Spirit. This skewed perspective allows the enemy to deceive them into thinking that God’s function and purpose is solely to offer hidden revelations and mysteries. Meanwhile, they live lives devoid of the fear of the Lord, relying on their own will and understanding, and practicing willful sin, uninterested in being made a new creation, uninterested in the transformative work of the Holy Spirit.
Eisegesis vs. Exegesis
To understand Scripture authentically, we must read it in context and consider the entirety of God’s Word. Outside of this, individuals create their own version of God and their own gospel, distorting the truth of God’s Word. The term Eisegesis refers to the distortion that occurs when we inject our own interpretations or ideas into a text. Exegesis takes a different approach than the aforementioned method, as it prioritizes extracting the inherent meaning from the text rather than imposing external concepts onto it.
A true understanding of Scripture requires reading it in context and considering the entire counsel of God’s Word, recognizing that Scripture does not contradict itself. Unfortunately, individuals operating in self-deception and error are often unteachable. No matter how much evidence, context, or translations you provide, they persist in their own version of the truth, refusing to see Scripture as God-breathed. They have created their own truth, and the power that comes from hearing the word of God that brings forth saving faith gets perverted and twisted as they continue in self-deception and error. They will say phrases like “Well I believe it means …… and Well I believe there’s a parallel, and it also means this….” No matter what, they do not view the scriptures as God-breathed.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
As we stand before the Living God on Judgment Day, He will not assess us based on our knowledge of genealogy, hidden mysteries, eschatology, or theology. Instead, we will be judged on whether we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, becoming justified, sanctified, and transformed through our faith and trust in Him. Being born again into a new creation. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3. Let us prioritize a genuine relationship with Christ over the pursuit of mere knowledge.
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. John 12:48-50 KJV
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.But the wisdom that is from a bove is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. James 3:13-18
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Romans 1:21-22
As I urged you when I was on my way to Macedonia, stay on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain individuals not to teach any different doctrines, 4 nor to pay attention to legends (fables, myths) and endless genealogies, which give rise to useless speculation and meaningless arguments rather than advancing God’s program of instruction which is grounded in faith [and requires surrendering the entire self to God in absolute trust and confidence]. 1 Timothy 1:3-4
