God Loves… Himself

II Cor 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

False teachers do in their hearts dignify, and in their words magnify, extol, and exhort with legal arguments a preposterous sanctification, repentance, mortification, grace, and graces, popishly and falsely understood; new life, holy and righteous walking, universal obedience to all God’s commandments, sincerity, humiliation, uprightness, fastings, regeneration, popishly also and falsely understood; and such like works exhorted with legal arguments, or a hope of rewards and blessings well, if we do them; and with fear of punishments and blessings ill, if we possess them not; which how much the more they are thus preposterously exacted and legally exhorted, so much the more under terms and titles of the Gospel, such preachers teach but the light of nature, the pride of works, and the vain glory of man; and so do withdraw people from Christ to hang upon their own works and doings; by resting upon the popish rotten pillar that God accepts {whereby their own sincerity is trusted to instead of Christ} the will for the deed, and so do drown Christ’s glory, free justification; do destroy faith, waste and consume the Church of Christ, teach a false bastard sanctification, and are those dangerous seducers of souls, that the faithful are commanded {as they will continue chaste virgins to Christ, and not to be beguiled with Eve by the subtlety of the serpent, and seduced from the simplicity of their faith that is in Christ} to discern and take notice of, as they are described; {II Cor.11:13-15;} where the Apostle fore-warns and thereby sufficiently fore-arms all the children of wisdom by thus plainly describing these seducers.

They profess themselves apostles; that is, sent forth of God; but they are false apostles, and they are great workers, but deceitful workers. How deceitful? Transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ; that is, as if they were the true ministers of Christ, and taught the true Gospel of Christ; and no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into a messenger of light, and therefore it is no great thing if his ministers transform themselves, as though they were the ministers of righteousness; that is, calling earnestly for all works of righteousness, and their end shall be according to their works and righteousness; that is, though they seem to be the principal men that shall be saved, yet the same Apostle threatens to them certain destruction; which he warns on purpose that we may not believe every spirit, but rather try the spirits whether they be of God. {I Jn.4:1}

Seeing these are the wolves whereof Paul gave warning, {Acts 20:29, 30,} that should arise up out of the very midst of them, and should teach not seeming false things, but only preposterous things, or true things out of order, setting the cart before the horse; that is, caring more to call for works and a good life, than they care whether the people have assurance of the sound faith of their free and perfect justification; whereby, although the people bear them record, and applaud them, that they have the zeal of God; yet it is not according to the knowledge of free justification in Christ, because {by a carnal understanding of justification} they being ignorant of the righteousness of God, must needs go about to establish and set up the golden calf of their own and the people’s own righteousness, of their supposed sanctification, works, and well doings; and by thinking secretly in their heart with the Papist that justification is easily learned and is ready to open the gate to the people to live wickedly and loosely, they seldom and slightly preach justification, and thereby show that they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God (Rom.10:2,3). (John Eaton, Discovery of a most Dangerous Dead Faith, 1641)

Nothing is more common, and certainly nothing more fatal than self-deception. The number who are ruined by false views of religion is doubtless great even when compared with those who perish in avowed infidelity of careless indifference…Many are deceived by mistaking the mere dictates of the understanding for the gracious affections of the heart. This class of persons may be distinguished by the correctness of their sentiments and their opposition to error. Early instructed in the principles of christianity, their minds have become stored with evangelical truth, and they will, perhaps, even “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. The doctrines of entire depravity, of a vicarious atonement, of justification by faith, of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and of an eternal state of retribution, have their unqualified assent, and constitute most essential articles in their creed. It may be that their speculative acquaintance with these doctrines is superior to that of many humble believers, and instances are not wanting in which unsanctified men have written in defence of doctrines with great ability and effect. (Self-Deception by Jacob Helffenstein)

The most deceived man of all is he whose mind is influenced by the Evil Spirit and yet he believes that he is besought by the Good Spirit (Sermons by the Devil, W.S. Harris)

1 John 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

Ephesians 4:22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

Since deception of the soul is spread throughout the professing Church, it would be vital for each local church to remind people of these things and to help people search their own hearts. It would also be vital for each person to engage in self-examination as Paul said in II Corinthians 13:5. We can know with certainty that Paul did not engage in statements like that for no reason, but that he thought that people should examine themselves. He did not say that they should examine themselves to see if they were faithful in their attendance at church. He did not say that they should examine themselves to see if they read the Bible and said prayers more often than not. He did not say that they should examine themselves to see if they had joined a church. He did not say that they should examine themselves to see if they were doctrinally correct. He did not say that they should examine themselves to see if they were moral.

What Paul said that they should do is to examine themselves to see if they were in the faith and to see if Jesus Christ was in them. Here is the real issue and all else can contribute to self-deception. All the things listed in the previous paragraph can be used as self-deception, but the real issue is whether Christ dwells in the person or not. Being religious, and even religious to the extreme, can be a way of self-deception. Religious exercises can be ways of self-deception. What we must know is if Christ really and actually lives in us or not.

What is clear or should be clear is that many are deceived by the information they have in their heads. Paul also taught us that knowledge puffs up, so great amounts of religious information can puff us up as well. The soul that is puffed up is also a soul that is blinded by being puffed up. Pride does lead to a fall and the more pride the greater the fall. The soul that is puffed up with religious information and religious activity is the soul that is deceived and will be in for a great shock on judgment day. It is utterly no evidence at all that a person has a lot of information about Christianity stocked in the brain, but what is needed is Christ in the heart.

This is so vital. It is not that having a creed is wrong or that teaching a catechism is wrong, but when people learn those things and only store up the information in the brain and do not have a changed heart, that very information can be a way of self-deception. Some of the Dutch branches of the professing Church are required to teach through the Heidelberg every year. That may or may not be a good plan, but those things do not in and of themselves produce spiritual fruit. They can be ways of puffing up the soul with pride as any other method. It is not the information that we have in our heads, it is the Christ we must have as the life of our soul. While knowledge of Scripture is important, it may only be used as a way of self-deception if we don’t have Christ truly.

Nothing is more common, and certainly nothing more fatal than self-deception. The number who are ruined by false views of religion is doubtless great even when compared with those who perish in avowed infidelity of careless indifference…Many are deceived by mistaking the mere dictates of the understanding for the gracious affections of the heart. This class of persons may be distinguished by the correctness of their sentiments and their opposition to error. Early instructed in the principles of christianity, their minds have become stored with evangelical truth, and they will, perhaps, even “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. The doctrines of entire depravity, of a vicarious atonement, of justification by faith, of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and of an eternal state of retribution, have their unqualified assent, and constitute most essential articles in their creed. It may be that their speculative acquaintance with these doctrines is superior to that of many humble believers, and instances are not wanting in which unsanctified men have written in defence of doctrines with great ability and effect. (Self-Deception by Jacob Helffenstein)

The most deceived man of all is he whose mind is influenced by the Evil Spirit and yet he believes that he is besought by the Good Spirit (Sermons by the Devil, W.S. Harris)

1 John 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

Ephesians 4:22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

It would stand to reason that if nothing was more common and nothing more fatal than self-deception, then people would be very, very concerned if not approaching panic as they searched their own hearts. We know that if people contracted a disease that would kill their bodies (natural life) and it was common and fatal, then these people would go to extreme lengths not to contract that disease. However, if people had any spiritual concerns you would think that the knowledge that so many people were self-deceived regarding eternal things it would awaken even greater alarm. The truth of the matter, however, is that people are dead or fast asleep regarding spiritual things and so this great calamity does not even seem to disturb them.

We must pray and seek the Lord to open our eyes to the facts of the matter. Jesus was very clear in Matthew 7 that many had entered the wide gate and are on the broad road to destruction, but only few had entered through the narrow gate and were on the narrow road that led to life. This should drive us to the conclusion that perhaps even the vast majority of those who attend religious services and think that they are on the road to heaven are in fact on the road to everlasting destruction. This means that perhaps many of our own families and friends and those we attend “church” with are self-deceived. Even more, it may mean that “I” am self-deceived. Our hearts that are so sure about “me” and those around “me” need to realize that the vast majority on that broad road may indeed have the same self-confidence.

The biblical teaching on the depravity of man has much to teach us on this point. Because men are fallen and depraved, they are blinded to spiritual things and don’t see themselves as sinners or at least as very bad ones. They think of themselves as those who make mistakes or make choices that are not the best, but they don’t see themselves as vile, wretched, and obnoxious in the sight of God. They are blinded by pride and self and cannot see their evil nature. They are puffed up with pride which serves as blinders on the eyes to sin and anything which might humble a person.

As the body has reflexes that allow the body to escape harm in certain situations, so the soul is full of self which blinds it from perceived harm. The self simply cannot imagine that it deserves hell and that it deserves hell. The religious person uses religion to convince it that it is okay. The religious person will trust in its creeds and in its religion and morality to convince itself that it is okay. Even those who are orthodox in their external religion have false views of Christianity that blinds them to the reality of Christ. It is not the orthodox teaching of Christ that saves. It is not the orthodox teaching about the Gospel that saves. It is not the faith of the sinner that saves. It is God in Christ by the Spirit who saves. It is God who must really and actually shine Himself and His glory into the hearts of sinners and sinners will only behold that in the face (presence) of Christ. It is not the teaching about regeneration that gives a new heart; it is the Holy Spirit who must actually give a new heart. We must seek the Lord to open our eyes and hearts in fact and reality and not just hear about it.

Nothing is more common, and certainly nothing more fatal than self-deception. The number who are ruined by false views of religion is doubtless great even when compared with those who perish in avowed infidelity of careless indifference…Many are deceived by mistaking the mere dictates of the understanding for the gracious affections of the heart. This class of persons may be distinguished by the correctness of their sentiments and their opposition to error. Early instructed in the principles of christianity, their minds have become stored with evangelical truth, and they will, perhaps, even “contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. The doctrines of entire depravity, of a vicarious atonement, of justification by faith, of regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and of an eternal state of retribution, have their unqualified assent, and constitute most essential articles in their creed. It may be that their speculative acquaintance with these doctrines is superior to that of many humble believers, and instances are not wanting in which unsanctified men have written in defence of doctrines with great ability and effect. (Self-Deception by Jacob Helffenstein)

The most deceived man of all is he whose mind is influenced by the Evil Spirit and yet he believes that he is besought by the Good Spirit (Sermons by the Devil, W.S. Harris)

1 John 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

Ephesians 4:22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

Once again the quote from a man who was quite famous in his own day and to some degree an experienced minister and evangelist hits with power. Could it be that a day (at least in appearance) that was far better in terms of Christianity could still have said about it that “Nothing is more common, and certainly nothing more fatal than self-deception” and that have nothing to do with us? Was self-deception really a common thing in the 1800’s? Is it common in our day as well?

When we view things from the eternal perspective, being ruined is not just losing all of our financial resources or personal property, it is our soul being lost and ruined for eternity. This type of “lostness” means that our soul would never know the slightest joy again as it would be under the wrath of God. This means that there is nothing of more importance than seeking the Lord and having Him find us. It means that should give our whole beings and efforts at seeking the Lord that we would not be deceived. It means that many (even multitudes) around us are deceived and that of those who are orthodox, conservative, and quite moral. It means that perhaps many in our churches are deceived.

If nothing is more common than self-deception, then it is a common thing among even the most religious people to be deceived. If nothing is more common than self-deception, then it is a common thing for ministers to be deceived. If nothing is more common than self-deception, then it is a common thing for committed church people and those around “me” to be deceived. If nothing is more common than self-deception, then when little or nothing is said about it then myriads of people will remain in their self-deception. Those who are deceived need to see that they are deceived and how they are deceived.

When Helffenstein says that there is a great number of people who are ruined by false views of religion, he is not speaking of intellectual views or doctrines alone. He is speaking of the nature of the heart. People are ruined by false doctrines, yes, but many are also ruined by trusting in true doctrines and not taking into account what it means to have a changed heart. It does no good to have perfect doctrine (in an academic sense) if our hearts are not changed by the free-grace of God.

It does no good to have perfect church order if the hearts of the people are not changed by the free-grace of God. It does no good to focus on the externals when the souls of people are fast asleep in the grips of self-deception. They are asleep to the idea that they are dead in their sins and so they go on in their false views and false hearts while listening to orthodox sermons in an orthodox church. They are not saved by their Reformed denomination and their Reformed doctrines. Christ alone can save sinners and it is not the intellectual doctrine that saves. It is the true Christ who truly saves. “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

There are many people in both evangelical and reformed churches today who are self-deceived. This self-deception is at the deepest level and in the most important area of life—their eternal soul. The people I am talking about are not the open hypocrites, but those who seem to be very religious. They may be church members, some of the most regular attendees, elders, and even pastors. These are people who, by outward appearance, seem to be godly, but they are not genuinely converted. They have never been deeply convicted of their sins or humbled in any way; their pride has not been broken, nor have they submitted to the true demands of the gospel. Quite simply, they are religious people who are on their way to hell and they do not realize it (Self-Deception by Jacob Helffenstein, from the Intro by William C. Nichols)

The most deceived man of all is he whose mind is influenced by the Evil Spirit and yet he believes that he is besought by the Good Spirit (Sermons by the Devil, W.S. Harris)

1 John 2:26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to deceive you.

Ephesians 4:22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

Throughout the Old Testament it appears that many were deceived about the nature of true religion. The nation of Israel would fall over and over into sin and idolatry and did not appear to know that it was wicked and sinful. The nation of Israel (as a whole) was quite deceived when the people continually appeared to think that when they did their external duties that God was pleased. The natural and fleshly heart appears to be captured into the bondage of thinking that external duties pleased God even when the heart was given over to idols. They were deceived by their own hearts, the lusts of their own deceit, and those who tried to deceive them. Whatever else one can attribute their falling from the true way to, they were deceived.

In the New Testament we see how deceived that the Pharisees were. They were in bondage to a system of thought that appeared to them as orthodoxy and they held on to that tenaciously even when Jesus demonstrated that system to be false. The Pharisees were also in bondage to a religious system that had them trusting in their own works and righteousness. The Old Testament people were deceived by true religion and the New Testament people were deceived in many ways by what was true religion. After all, the religious leaders in both Testaments built their beliefs from the Bible, or at least they thought they did.

“There are many people in both evangelical and reformed churches today who are self-deceived.” This statement, if true, is a statement that should shake people to the very depths of their souls. I would argue that it is quite evident and cannot possibly be false, though there may be room for disagreement on the extent of this self-deception. If Luther, Calvin, and the Puritans were right about the true nature of justification by grace alone through faith alone, then very few are hearing the Gospel today. If it is a fact as Luther and Calvin asserted that the church rises and falls on what it believes about justification, then there has been a huge fall in our day.

Even when the confessions are orthodox, the Gospel may not be preached. Even if the ministers are orthodox that is no guarantee that they are preaching the Gospel. When the leaders and ministers of denominations and churches are deceived themselves, regardless of their sincerity they are not preaching the true Gospel and as such the deceived have become deceivers. John Warwick Montgomery wrote a book by the name of “Damned through the Church.” That certainly appears to be happening today, though we might think of it as “Deceived through the Church.” Practicing the externals of a version of Christianity does not guarantee that those practitioners are indeed Christians, but perhaps may just be evidence that the people are deceived.

The weight of the quotes above (of Scripture and the human authors) must be taken seriously, yet if they are taken seriously then we may arrive at the conclusion that the things of religion can be used to deceive people as well as enlighten them. The teaching of the Bible is that God alone can enlighten and illuminate the understandings of people. When people read the Bible or preach without that illumination, therefore, they may be preaching and teaching in a way that deceives people. This should cause us to seek the Lord for humility in all the religious things we do. It is not enough to do the things that religion requires as God alone can give us new hearts and love in those new hearts to do the things of Christ out of love for Him, which is to say that they are not just our works but that they are our lives. Christ is to be each person’s life and not just be imitated. He cannot be imitated in truth until He is our life.