Do Not Be Deceived

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Galatians 6:7

Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. James 1:16

Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Beware that your hearts are not deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them. Deuteronomy 11:16

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9

The entire Word of God emphasizes that we are easily deceived. It is a common theme for hymn writers as well.

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love.

Here’s my heart oh take and seal it,

Seal it for thy courts above.

This is a major theme, perhaps the major theme of book Proverbs.

My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. Proverbs 1:10

We are easily deceived, enticed to sin, wander from God. Yet in spite of these many warnings, we constantly put ourselves in harms way. The Psalmist said;

I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; Psalm 101:3

Paul compares the Christian life to both a soldier in training and an athlete in training. He also calls our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit. Yet we usually go along with the secular humanist idea that our bodies are amusement parks rather than temples. We indulge in pleasure without understanding the consequences.

Seldom have so many people who call themselves Christians been so ignorant of the Word of God. But just knowledge of God’s Word will not keep us from sin. Zeal that is not according to knowledge is destructive, but we are more easily deceived when we are ignorant of God’s clear commands.