The Deceitfulness of Sin!

The Deceitfulness of Sin!

“Purify your souls in obedience to the truth to a sincere love of the brethren; love one another fervently with a pure heart.” 1 Pet. 1:22.

Complying with this exhortation is absolutely necessary if you want to overcome Satan and preserve fellowship with God. In our dealings with each other and the various circumstances we end up in, it is easy enough for some malice, envy, and dissatisfaction to accumulate. You will be corrupted if it is not acknowledged and cleansed out.

If we take the example of Israel who left Egypt with the intent of entering the land of Canaan and compare it with those who are being saved from the world and getting them prepared for the rapture, we can see how difficult that is. Then we definitely have a need for this word of exhortation from the apostle: “But exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” Heb. 3:12-13.

The deceitfulness of sin is dangerous. Many people have been hardened by it and consequently have fallen away from the living God. Sin is a skilled preacher. It presents the matter in a false light so that in the end you are in the service of sin while thinking that you are fighting for righteousness. Your heart is hardening, so that you become less and less sensitive to the workings of the Spirit and finally fall away from the living God in the midst of believing that you are fighting for the truth. Then you have succumbed to the deceitfulness of sin. This is what happened to Cain, Balaam, Korah, and many, many more.

We can compare a person who harbors sin in his heart with a lion tamer or a snake charmer. He plays with his life, and hardly anyone pities such a person when he is bitten or loses his life.

Many people are not very careful when it comes to a little bit of bitterness, envy, love of money or seeking honor. In a manner of speaking, they suppress sin so that it is hidden, thinking that they are going to be careful so that it doesn’t go too far. They are snake charmers. Let us assume that you can hide it, but do you believe that the revelation of the Spirit is given to such people? Do you believe that the Father and the Son will make their home with such a person and have intimate fellowship with him? John 14:23. Not at all! “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:10-11.

Take note of the person who hates his brother; he thinks that he sees clearly. This is the essence of the deceitfulness of sin. If you think you can hide your hatred or your fornication or the fact that you seek honor—God knows how to bring all that into the light. God puts a stone of stumbling in your way. Ezek. 3:20. He lets circumstances arise so that the serpents you have guarded will bite you. That will be your death. Eccl. 10:20.

If you want to save your life you must purify your soul in obedience to the truth to a sincere love of the brethren. Do not amass the malicious things others have said or done to you. That is their sin, and they are responsible for it; but you must walk in the light and in love, so that you have intimate fellowship with the Father and the Son and with the saints. Only then will you be along when Jesus comes again. 1 Pet. 4:8.