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NASB | 2 Thessalonians 2:11 For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Thessalonians 2:11 Because of this God will send upon them a misleading influence, [an activity of error and deception] so they will believe the lie, |
Subject: How can we avoid deception? |
Bible Note: My dear friend, I agree with you that believers are secure in Christ. I understand that it is my post which was confusing to you. I think you said so very clearly. I have no reason to think that you are confused about what Scripture teaches, and I did not mean to suggest that you were. Now, please have patience with me, as I am exercising patience with you. The question was not whether a believer can lose his salvation. Rather it was whether a believer can be deceived, or deluded, or put to the test, or in some other way negatively influenced by a spirit other than the Holy Spirit sent to him by God. If you would like to think of this you might want to return to my first post and consider the cases that were cited. Consider what happened to Saul (1 Samuel 16:14). Consider what happened to Ahab (1 Kings 22:24). Consider what happened to David (2 Samuel 24:1). I asked you to judge for yourself whether this (God sending such a spirit) ever applies to a believer. This has nothing to do with a believer losing his salvation. At least, I am not suggesting that it does. You might want to consider that there are other unfortunate things that can happen to a believer even if, as you have rightly noted, he does not lose his salvation. You might want to think of 1 Timothy 1:19 where Paul speaks of some who, having put away concerning faith, have made shipwreck. You might want to think of 1 Timothy 4 where some depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron. You might want to consider Galatians 1:6 where Paul says, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel”. You might want to think of Jeremiah 2:13 where God says that his people had committed two evils; they had forsaken him, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. You might want to think of 1 Timothy 6:9 where believers who want to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts. I am not saying that any of these are due to a spirit from God. I am saying that bad things can happen to believers even though, as you have rightly stated, they do not lose their salvation. Please consider that bad things happened to David and the others, even though Scripture does not suggest that they lost their salvation. I have written at length again to try to clear up any confusion. If you are still confused, I suggest you do not waste time commenting on the clarity or lack thereof in my expression. Perhaps you can just think about what I have said and if you cannot make anything of it, then move on to another matter. My real concern is for those who refused to accept and obey the gospel. Is it possible that God sends them strong delusions after that? Is it possible that they will later accept something that they perceive as the gospel but is really a lie. That is the situation suggested in the 2 Thessalonians 2 passage. I joined this discussion because I share the concern that Mommapbs expressed at the top of the thread. I am concerned that we believers can be deceived and can stray away from our service for God when we have failed to live in the light of God’s revealed truth. Also, I see that many people can believe they are saved when they are not, because they refused to believe the gospel when they heard it and later believed something else that they thought was the gospel but was not. I would love to see a discussion on those two points. First: Can it be that a believer will not endure sound doctrine? What happens to him then? (See 2 Timothy 4:3,4). Can this situation be connected to the shipwreck mentioned in1Timothy 1:19? Second: What happens when a person refuses to accept the Gospel? Can it be that he is then allowed to think that something else is the gospel? (See 2 Thessalonians 2:10,11). If they believe a false gospel, won’t they be believing they are saved when they are not? |