Sin is of the devil, and it is deceitful because it deliberately misleads man from the paths of life. It is the desire of God for us to walk in the path of righteousness (Psalm 23:3) so that we may continually be partakers of His divine nature, which is Life.
We must understand the mechanics of sin in order to understand its deceitfulness. The epistle of James in chapter 1 from verse 14 declares: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust (desires) and enticed. Then, when lust (desire) has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.” There is first a desire which draws a person away from the truth, then temptation, then strong urge, then the actual committal of the act of sin and when sin is done, it brings death. We see this pattern in the garden of Eden, where God placed the first man and gave him an instruction, a command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2: 17). Then came the devil, that old deceiver or serpent. He sold doubt into Eve, then a lie to fuel lust, and then the actual act of disobedience against God. Every act of disobedience to God’s word is an act of disobedience against God, for God and His word are one. Disobedience is rebellion, as we see in 1 Samuel chapter 15 verse 23: “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…” The devil threw a question at Eve in the book of Genesis, chapter 3 verse 1: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” It was misleading because God never asked them not to eat out of every tree. The devil distorted the truth.
Most indoctrination, ideology, philosophy, teachings, and the like that lead men to error follow the same pattern, they first distort the truth and then convince and convert. The devil went ahead from this distortion of truth to sell a bait for Eve to lust after, which looks good in the eyes of Eve. In verses 4 and 5 of Genesis chapter 3 we see Satan’s coated rebellion which he sold to Eve. We read: “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The fruit, which Eve and Adam had avoided when they were in obedience to God’s word, suddenly was “good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom” for Eve. She took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Their lust matured and led to the commital of sin and both died according to the word of God.
Here we see that death was not a cessation of their existence. It connotes a different thing, the glory of God departed from them. The “breath of God” that made them a living soul, a spiritual entity, having the likeness of God departed from them and they found themselves to be naked. Both Adam and Eve were separated from God who is LIFE and the source of the life they have as living souls. The gospel of John chapter 1 verse 11 says of our Lord Jesus: “In Him is Life that lights up every man that is in the world.” This means that anyone not in Christ has no life and is in darkness because where there is life there is light. Life here takes a deeper meaning, it is more that inhalation and exhilation of breath. Inhalation and exhilation of air does not give light, but the life we have of God lightens up every man. Our Lord Jesus gave us an expansive understanding of life in John 17: 3. “This is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” So life is a consciousness that knows and is in unity, that is, oneness with God and Christ (1John 5: 12).
God has given us His precept and commands which we are to obey for our own good. Anything that leads man away from these is of the devil because as the scripture says in Psalm 62: 11: ” God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this;” God will not contradict Himself, what He has said once remain forever. Also the LORD God does not speak in secret (Isaiah 45: 19) that men should be in doubt and disobey Him out of ignorance. Men disobey God out of their own volition to follow after their own lawlessness for sin is lawlessness.
The mechanics of sin emanates from things we cannot see, from spiritual force that assail our thoughts, imaginations and words through our eyes, ears and minds. Ephesians 2: 1-2 made us aware: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.” This spirit induced motion leads to physical action such as murder, adultery, bearing false witness, injustice, lying and the likes which brings forth death, that is eternal separation from God. God is a Spirit and man sinned against God while he was a spiritual being and he became earthy and remains under the influence of a spirit that works in the children of disobedience. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 12 says: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Man therefore needs the help of a spiritual entity that will redeem him from the hosts of spiritual forces he contend with.
The LORD God declares who He is and what He delights in, in Jeremiah 9 verse 24 saying: “Let him that glory glory in this, that he understands and knows Me; that I Am the LORD who exercise loving-kindness, judgement, justice and righteousness on earth for in this I delight.” Every man therefore is expected to understand and follow after love and kindness, justice and righteousness. The LORD also gave man the commandments codified in the Ten Commandments. God cannot contradict Himself. God is Holy and one of the traits of His holiness is His unchanging nature. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. None of His word will contradict His nature for God and His Word are One. If God declares: “Thou shall not commit murder”, or says that He hates hand that shed innocent blood in Proverbs 6 :17, He cannot turn around to permit this under any guise. Those who are drawn to such act do so according to their own lawlessness and the evil inclination of their hearts. The LORD God rather want all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth in Christ Jesus (1Timothy 2: 4).
The deceitfulness of sin is in this, it always seems right, logical and pleasurable. The scripture says in Proverbs: “There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death (Proverbs 14:12). The only remedy to deceit is truth and obedience to the truth. Our Lord Jesus embodies the truth. He is the Word of God made flesh (John 1: 14). Psalm 12: 6 says: “The words of God are pure words, like silver tried in the furnace, purified seven times.” The book of John chapter 17 verse 17 reads: “Thy word is truth.” Seeing that the word of God is Truth and Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh, He therefore is the Truth. He took on our sinful nature and paid the penalty for our sin by His death on the cross. God raised Him from the dead, indicating that He is pleased with His atonement for our sins. He ascended into heaven after His resurrection and gave us the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit is our Helper who helps us live the new creation life in Christ. “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things (our sinfulness) are passed away, behold all things are new (our state of righteousness), 2 Corinthians 5: 17.
Man needs a spiritual entity to redeem him from the consequences of sin and from the power of the spiritual host in heavenly places. Jesus Christ is the propitiation that God has given for the sin of man. The book of Hebrews, chapter 2 verses 14- 15 summarizes what Jesus, who is the Truth, has done to set men free. “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death, that is the devil and free those who all their lives were held in captivity by their fear of death.” Our Lord Jesus has delivered us from the sinful nature that we all inherited from Adam’s fall and restored to us the glory that man lost in Adam.
As we start the journey of the new year, we should make up our minds to embrace the Truth because that is the only remedy for the deceitfulness and the consequences of sin. In this season of our rising as the body of Christ, we must be vigilant and flee from every appearances of evil. Hosea 6: 2 says: “After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His presence.” We have been revived, having been raised up together with Christ (Colossians 2: 12) and begotten to a lively hope in Him (1Peter 1: 3). We are in the third day wherein we are to arise and shine for our light has come and the glory of the LORD is risen upon us (Isaiah 60: 1). We have been restored unto glory. The essence of His glory risen upon us and restored unto us is that we might live in His Presence. No more should we remain as babes tossed to and fro with the deceitfulness of sin and every wave of doctrine of man that leads us away from Truth and from our God and our Father who loves us so much and gave us His only Begotten Son. It is time to walk in our victory over sin and over the devil and his hosts. The scripture says in book of Hebrews chapter 10 verse 4: “that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.”
It is time to live in God’s presence full of His glory as we await the return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
