2 John 1:7-8, Don’t be deceived

2 John 1:7-8, Don’t be deceived

Raising children in modern times can be quite a difficult task as you are trying to balance a fine line of your children being too trusting or being too paranoid. You want you child to be loving caring and see the good in those around them but you also want them to be aware that there are people out there who will harm and take advantage of them if they are not careful. The way our society has turned the last decade or so makes this and even hard task as more and more you see where the ones you are supposed to be able to trust, prey on those they should be protecting. Perhaps the most terrifying place that we see this taking place is in the church, it is not uncommon to read of ministers and how their moral failures have harmed the church. What may even be more freighting than their moral failure is their theological failures as more and more abandon the biblical gospel message to preach a modern message that appeases their congregation. This is what the Apostle John warns the receipt of his letter about when he tells her to not be deceived by those who teach a gospel other than that which the Apostles preached.

The early church had to deal with those of the Gnostic faith who taught that God was Holy and had nothing to do with the flesh. This also meant that they taught that Jesus did not physically come in the flesh to this earth because He could not due to His status of deity. This is a distinct contradiction to the message of the Apostles that Jesus came in flesh, related with His creation, and suffered and died for our sins on the cross. We live in dangerous times today where there are those who try to change the gospel message to fit their agenda. They will say that Jesus is okay with things that the Bible clearly says He is not, they will say that a loving God would never send someone to Hell even though scripture clearly warns us of it, and they say religion is a personal thing between you and God when the Bible clears says we should share our love for God with everyone. If you’re your children are going to be paranoid over someone taking advantage of them make sure that it is in the spiritual realm. Teach them what the word of God says and encourage them to study it for themselves so that they will not be deceived.