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Lawlessness
Posted by: Stephen Leonard
Tags:
Christian theology, Devotionals, lawlessness, lies, religion, Strength for the Day
Posted date:
May 6, 2010 |
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Scriptural Basis:
“For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan…and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”
2 Thessalonians 2:7-12
Application:
Can professing Christians be deceived by lies? Absolutely! We have all seen evidence of believers led astray by that which is not true. Unfortunately, it is to their great detriment as it is to those who follow them. Can they lose their salvation by following and perpetuating a lie? According to Jesus’ own words a genuine believer cannot be plucked out of His hands. But the effectiveness of his testimony and the holiness of his character will always be diminished whenever he capitulates for a time to the lies of the evil one and his minions. As we draw closer to the time of Christ’s return and the end of the age, the warning of New Testament passages about this very time is how the spirit of anti-christ will perpetrate such powerful deceptions that “even the elect might be persuaded—if that were possible.” (Matthew 24:24) Such language ought to cause every Christian to pause and consider how capable he or she is in discerning truth, and how to dig it out in the midst of lies on every side. Many are simply too lazy.
Satan, the evil one, is called by the Lord Jesus, the father of lies, and as the prince of this world it is his greatest weapon in wreaking havoc and destruction in the lives of men and women. His preeminent target is the person and work of Christ. He lives to sabotage the path of salvation. He uses every means at his disposal to denigrate the authority and truth of Scripture. He hates the institution of marriage and the family. His goal is the utter destruction of everything God has made and called good. To this end he manipulates people, using their innate sinful desires, to believe the lie and live it to their own ruin.
The widespread belief that homosexual behavior and lifestyle has “come of age” in our day and ought to be accepted and protected as normal and “God-created” is sweeping this generation. Any voice to the contrary is considered bigoted and homophobic. Despite all the accumulated evidence of the destructiveness of couples living together outside the bonds of marriage, it is now more accepted for most young people than chastely pursuing marriage. In fact “chaste” is a totally unknown word today, much less a behavior. Lawlessness is simply the norm for many as exhibited by the rampant denunciation and totally false description of an Arizona bill passed recently to make an attempt at enforcing laws the national government will not enforce itself. They won’t even change the immigration bill to fit their lawless avoidance of their own legislation. Very few critics have even read this Arizona bill as plainly exhibited every time the media opens its mouth to deceive about what it actually says. Meanwhile, Arizona is going bankrupt and its law abiding citizens are being shot. This is the age in which we live.
Every believer today requires a far more healthy diet of “solid food,” what the author of Hebrews calls the “meat” and not merely the “milk” of God’s word. (Hebrews 5:12-14) He writes: “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Don’t be swept away by the avalanche of “modern” ideas saturated with lies as you “wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Encouragement:
“And though this world with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo! His doom is sure; one little word shall fell him.”
(3rd verse of Martin Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”, 1529)
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About the author
Stephen Leonard
Stephen W. Leonard is a retired military chaplain with over 34 years in the Army. He served in combat as an Infantry Officer before becoming a chaplain. He is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and has been the pastor of several churches. He is the founder of a national Youth Leadership Conference and has been the Director of National and International Chaplain ministries. He has degrees from Wheaton College in Illinois, Covenant Theological Seminary in Missouri, and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Stephen is the writer of the weekly devotional series, Strength for the Day. He has also written the booklet "How to Pray for Your Child" as a resource for parents. Stephen is married to Glenda Anderson Leonard, co-founder of the PAYH.
Stephen W. Leonard is a retired military chaplain with over 34 years in the Army. He served in combat as an Infantry Officer before becoming a chaplain. He is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and has been the pastor of several churches. He is the founder of a national Youth Leadership Conference and has been the Director of National and International Chaplain ministries. He has degrees from Wheaton College in Illinois, Covenant Theological Seminary in Missouri, and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Stephen is the writer of the weekly devotional series, Strength for the Day. He has also written the booklet "How to Pray for Your Child" as a resource for parents. Stephen is married to Glenda Anderson Leonard, co-founder of the PAYH.
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