Disguised as Servants of Righteousness

2 Corinthians 11:12-15 ESV

“And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.”

It is not entirely clear to me all the specifics behind what Paul was writing about here, but it is easy enough to ascertain the general theme of what he was saying so that we can make practical application of this situation to our own lives. And so we will proceed with that.

The first thing that is standing out to me here is that Paul’s opponents were claiming to be of equal standing with God as what he and the other apostles were. So, they were claiming to be true servants of the Most High God, called of God, and speakers of truth in sincerity and of the wisdom of God. And we have many of those today who are doing just that, claiming to be pastors and apostles of Christ and evangelists and teachers of truth. But many of them are deceitful workmen disguising themselves as the Lord’s servants and messengers. And many people are following after their lies.

So, what is really the BIG LIE which is being tolerated, accepted, and spread widely across church denominations in America today, and perhaps in other nations, as well? It is that we can believe in Jesus (rarely defined biblically), have all our sins forgiven (past, present, and future), and be on our way to heaven, but regardless of how we live. So, what this does is it gives people the impression that a mere one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ is enough to secure them heaven when they die but while they continue in deliberate and habitual sin, for they believe their sins no longer matter.

Even if a preacher does mention repentance, it is rarely used more than just as an indication of confession of sins or it is defined merely as a change of mind in a decision to believe in Jesus Christ. Or if it is used in its purest sense, which is how it is most always used in Scripture to indicate a change of behavior and lifestyle and practices as a result of genuine faith in Jesus, it is rarely mentioned by these imposters as required of God for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God, but more as a recommendation or as a suggestion. Like I hear some say, “Well, this is how we should live, but…”

So, what these deceitful workmen in our day and time are doing is that they are deliberately giving people false impressions of what it means to be saved from their sins and to have eternal life with God. Thus, their adherents will often continue in deliberate and habitual sin, even without conscience or remorse, convinced that all their sins are forgiven, and so they believe that they can continue in sin and that it will not be held against them. For they do not believe that how they live or how much they sin will keep them out of God’s heaven. And so few of them are feeling the need to alter their ways.

And even some of these “self-help groups,” although they claim to be helping people out of their addictions to specific sins, are oftentimes just enabling them and they are giving them a group of others with the same sin issues with whom they can commiserate weekly. And I am not saying here that none of these are helpful or that no one is delivered from their addictions via these self-help groups. But from what I have read from their own words and have heard about from those who were part of these groups, many of them are not instructing their addicts in biblical deliverance from sin, and in what it means to be walking in freedom from slavery to sin.

The only one I have learned of so far that I believe comes close to being biblical in their approach is “Pure Life Ministries,” based in Dry Ridge, KY (USA). But this is not an endorsement of everything that they do or how they go about doing it. Just from the groups I have read about and heard about, theirs seems to be the most accurate to the Scriptures in how they deal with sinful addiction, i.e. with slavery to sin. For what they are mostly teaching, from what I can ascertain, is what Jesus, Paul, and the other New Testament apostles taught with regard to our salvation from sin:

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

2 Corinthians 11:19-21 ESV

“For you gladly bear with fools, being wise yourselves! For you bear it if someone makes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. To my shame, I must say, we were too weak for that!”

And this is the sad reality of what we are being faced with in today’s Christian culture here in America. Far too many people professing faith in Jesus Christ are embracing these false shepherds of the people who are charlatans and wolves in sheep’s clothing, who are deceitful workmen disguising themselves as apostles of Christ and as pastors and preachers and teachers of the pure word of God. And their adherents are being impressed to believe the lies as truth and to reject the truth as the lie. And that just breaks my heart that so many are being deceived.

Thus, they are rejecting the truth of the gospel, and many of them are strongly opposing the truth of the gospel, too, bringing it into disrepute. Thus, if we are sharing the truth of the gospel, and if we are refuting the lies of Satan, we are going to be opposed, perhaps in many of the same ways as Jesus and Paul and the other apostles were opposed. For Jesus said that as they persecuted him they will also hate and persecute us. And the more that people are embracing the lies, the greater the opposition will be, and the more that we are going to feel all alone, but not alone, for God is with us who are with him.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

What the Lord Says  

An Original Work / February 24, 2014 

Based off Isaiah 43:1-44:5

This is what the Lord says to you:

Fear not, for I have chosen you.

I have summoned you by your name.

You are mine. I died, you to save.

When you go through your trials, so deep,

I will be with you; you will not sink.

You are so precious always to me.

Trust in your Lord, Savior and King.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who gave salvation to you;

Who delivered you from your sin;

Takes your burdens now upon Him:

Forget the former things of your life.

Give of your heart not now up to strife.

See all the new things I have for you.

Walk in vict’ry. Trust in what’s true.

This is what the Lord says to you:

He who made you; who will help you:

Do not fear what humans may do.

Walk in freedom. Follow what’s true.

Drink of my Spirit given for you.

Trust in my mercy, for I love you.

I have a plan for all of your life.

Follow my ways. Do what is right. 

https://vimeo.com/87634334