“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.” 2 Corinthians 11:3
Paul was concerned about the different versions of the Gospel that were circulating around the Church at Corinth. There were those who were offering a different message other than salvation by grace through faith. The Christian life is an ongoing battle against Satan, who does all he can to steal the Word from us. And, if he can’t steal it, he tries to dilute it through deception. Most of us know we are in spiritual warfare, but many are confused about where the battle is! Paul made certain we knew that the battle is in our minds. I believe spiritual warfare is defined in the Bible as the battle over the decision-making process in our minds.
The two words Paul uses in the above scripture are “beguiled” and “subtlety.” Satan operates by deception, and that is still his chosen method of operation today. He didn’t come against Adam and Eve with power or force. Instead, he used deceptive words. Today, he knows how powerful the pure Truth is, so, instead of trying to come against its power, he simply twists it through deception and complicates it, then passes it off as the Gospel, thereby robbing it of its power.
In Eve’s case, Satan took a simple truth, twisted it, and thereby complicated it and deceived Eve through his craftiness. If she had walked in the simplicity of God’s Word, she would have remained pure. And really, The Gospel of Christ is so simple that we need outside help to misunderstand it. So, let’s keep it simple!
People who complicate the Gospel with revelations that the average person can’t understand, or they are so complex that extra training is required to grasp it, are all questionable as to their source. The wisdom from God is easily entreated – pure, peaceable, comforting, without hypocrisy, and exalts Jesus, not people! So, let’s open our Bibles, study the Word, apply the Word to our own lives so as not to lose sight of its very beautiful and stately simplicity!
With Love, Pastor Tom