Don't be deceived

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! – 2 Corinthians 11.3-4

Paul had a fear for the people in Corinth. He knew that people were liable to deception – after all, Eve, before the Fall, was deceived. People are, as the hymn puts it, ‘prone to wander.’ All of us can be like children with our eyes turned aside by the theological beads and baubles.

There is only one way to avoid being deceived. We are not going to do that through the world’s wisdom or by anything else. The only grounding that will truly ground us is the faithful study and obedience to the word of God.

When we think back to Eve we can see the tools Satan uses to try and deceive us. We corrupts the word of God. He questions God. He appeals to the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. He doesn’t try to attract us with ugly stuff. He appeared as an angel of flight just like false teachers today.

We have a simple gospel – don’t let Satan complicate it.