“For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
I recently attended a service at a church in South Georgia that my in-laws had been visiting. The short message that the pastor delivered was what I would call “safe.” He didn’t dive very deeply into the handful of passages we considered. His focus was mainly on the love of God particularly as it was displayed by Christ upon the cross being made broken bread and poured-out wine for us (1 Cor 11:24-26). I began to notice a tendency on his part to shy away from passages that might be uncomfortable. For example, as he read the passage on what we’ve come to call “The Lord’s Supper” or “Communion”, he ignored the somber warning of judgment upon those that partake unworthily in 1 Cor 11:27-29.
At one point, he began to read Ps 136 in which every verse ended with “His mercy endures forever” (the preacher’s translation said “His love endures forever”, but as I understand it, the word “mercy” is a better translation of the original Hebrew). What a tremendous psalm! It reinforces over and over again the everlasting mercy of God, for which we all ought to be thankful because if redeemed sinners are to live eternally in heaven, it will require God’s mercy to never run out! But again, as the pastor read, I was concerned to see that he either read quickly over or entirely skipped verses in that psalm that might have been a bit unsettling for listeners. For example:
v. 10
To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, For His mercy endures forever;
v. 15-18
But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who led His people through the wilderness, For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who struck down great kings, For His mercy endures forever;
And slew famous kings, For His mercy endures forever
Now I enjoy meditating on the love of God as much as anyone. I love the hymn of that very name that declares God’s love to be greater than tongue or pen can ever tell. I rejoice to read not only that God loves but that He IS love; however, I understand that God not only characterizes Himself as being loving, but says in Jer 9:24: “I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight.”
Now, in all fairness, I’ve only heard this one message from this pastor, and I realize it may not be fully representative of his ministry; however, I also understand the seriousness of our main text above. It is imperative that as witnesses of our Lord that we declare Him as He is, entirely and completely. Satan and his ministers in their counterfeit ministry don’t tell obvious and open lies but instead declare half-truths. Just consider the way Satan tempted Christ. He quoted Scripture! He presented truths but only partially, totally misapplying them. He tells us enough truth to appear as an angel of light. As 2 Cor 2:11 points out, we must not be ignorant of Satan and his devices, or he will take advantage of us. I pray we will not follow his example but will faithfully declare all that the Lord reveals concerning Himself lest we be guilty of preaching “another Jesus” (2 Cor 11:4).
Jamie