Question: What does ‘Being Deceived’ mean?
Answer: ‘Being Deceived’ is the act of accepting as true or valid what is false or invalid.
Question: What does ‘Deception’ mean?
Answer: It has two meanings: a) the act of deceiving someone intentionally ie attempting to persuade someone to accept something as true or valid when it is known by the deceiver to be false or invalid; b) the state of being deceived.
Forms of Deception
- Lying — making false statements with the intent to deceive
- Omission — withholding information that could alter the perception of truth
- Misrepresentation — distorting facts to create a false impression
Question: What does ‘true’ mean?
Answer: That which is consistent with fact or reality; not false or erroneous; right and not wrong, correct.
Question: What is ‘truth’?
Answer: That which describes or reveals underlying reality, the true or actual state of a matter.
Question: What does ‘valid’ and ‘invalid’ mean in terms of how we think?
Answer: This question is best answered by examples. But first a few more definitions: ‘Claims’ are presented as statements or claims to truth. An ‘argument’ is a set of reasons or evidence offered in support of a claim. (Not a quarrel with your mate in this context). ‘Premises’ are claims or assertions, when linked together lead the reader to a conclusion which may be valid or invalid.
An example of a ‘valid’ argument:
- Premise 1: If it rains, then the ground will get wet (true)
- Premise 2: It is raining (true)
- Conclusion: Therefore the ground is wet
This is a valid argument because ‘rain’ is made up of water and wets surfaces it comes into contact with, in this case, the ground
An example of an ‘invalid’ argument:
- Premise 1: Freud was a clever man (true)
- Premise 2: Freud had a beard (true)
- Conclusion: All men with beards are clever (untrue)
This is an invalid argument because beardedness and cleverness are not always associated together. Note, then, both premises can be true but the conclusion may not be.
In Matthew 24:4, Jesus said, ‘Take heed that no man deceive you’ (lead you astray) and goes on to speak about false messiahs and false prophets. Other biblical authors write about false prophets, teachers, apostles, witnesses, brethren and accusers. Deception is a serious issue: the following books of the Bible warn of deception: Matt, Mk, Lk, Jn, Rom, 1Cor, 2Cor, Gal, Eph, 2Thess, 1Tim, 2Tim, Tit, 1Jn, 2Jn and Rev. And who is behind this deception? Paul writing to the Corinthians writes (2Cor 4:3-6) ‘if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel (gospel of the glory) of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.’ In other words, the god of this world (Satan and co) is trying to prevent belief in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and resurrection from the dead, by deceit and contradiction to what God has said (Gen 3:1-6). So there are various forces and influences working against you and me trying to prevent us from finding the truth and believing it. To combat that opposition, reading all of the Scriptures and ‘rightly dividing the word of Truth’, ‘proving all things’ (1Thess 5:21) and being a ‘Berean Jew’ who ‘received the word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so.’ (Acts 17:11), is the answer. In other words, the Berean Jews didn’t just accept anything Paul and Silas said; they checked it against the Scriptures for validation (Hebrew Bible, OT); we must too; the Old Testament and the New Testament such that we are not lead astray from the way, the truth and the life in Jesus Christ.
It is God the Father’s purpose that we know certain truths: a) (1Tim 2:4-6) ‘…Who will (wills) all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Jesus Christ, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.’ b) (Jn 17:3) ‘…that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.’ And to know someone in reality, rather than know about someone, you have to have a personal relationship–that is what God the Father is seeking.
To avoid deception, need to know the truth ie what is true and what is false. Where then is the truth? The books in the Bible. It is worthwhile your time reading all that Book, studying it, believing it and applying it to your life according to sound principles which I am going to lay out below.
The Bible
- claims inspiration by God, even though written physically by humans. (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20).
- It assumes the existence of God and does not attempt to prove it, e.g. ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’ (Gen 1:1).
- based in a historical setting– the Ancient Near East (Italy, Greece, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia) where archaeological artifacts, inscriptions and cities have been found. These countries are still with us today in 2026. Israel became a nation again on May 14 1948.
- Jesus Christ, its central figure’s life, death and resurrection from the dead have generated many historical records; not just by the New Testament eyewitnesses but the Church Fathers too who came afterwards.
- The New Testament authors record Jesus believed the Hebrew Bible was true and the word of God.
- Many attempts throughtout history have been made to destroy the Bible but they have failed (and will continue to do so).
- Many folk throughout have had their lives changed by heeding, believing and obeying the word of God, and have entered into a personal relationship with the God the Father through believing in the Man, Jesus Christ.
- Best explanation (I believe) of our origin, existence, present circumstances, and offers help and a future hope. Our 2 main issues are guilt, because of sin, and death: the Bible addresses both these issues: a) forgiveness of sin resulting in peace with God the Father and peace of mind, because of Jesus’ death for sin; b) the hope of resurrection because of Jesus Christ’s resurrection. There is a promised restoration and things will not always be like they are.
I am going on a journey of ‘rightly dividing the word of Truth’ to find the truth and expose error as an anti-dote to deception — are you coming with me? We might wander off the path but our Guide, the Spirit of Truth, will lead us back, I’m sure, because He wants us to know the Truth, what is real, because God the Father love us.
