"Let
no man deceive you with vain words:..."
We
all know and understand what the word vain means. It means
that which is superfluous, it does not make sense, it is confusing,
and lord knows there is so much of that out there these days. Vain
also means to be empty and devoid of truth, destitute
of spiritual wealth and health, of one who boasts of his faith as a
transcendent possession, yet is without the fruits of faith
(metaphorically speaking) of endeavors, labors, acts, which result in
nothing, vain, fruitless, without effect and of no purpose. (Taken
from the Greek Thayer Dictionary, Strong's Greek Dictionary number
G2756) These are what Paul and others called, “another
gospel”.....everything is centered on the gospel of the kingdom of
God and heaven, which John the Baptist introduced and Jesus
proclaimed but common or mere man (unspiritual) has wrested or
twisted. This gospel of the kingdom is what the Holy Spirit, when
restored within us, develops. It is in the unveiling of the mystery
of this gospel, and our progression of understanding and receiving
the knowledge of Christ, that unlocks the power of His kingdom within
us.
It
is so vitally important that we take this verse to heart. We
are not to be deceived with words that are not appropriate, and not
based on the Scriptures.
Or worse, taking scripture and twisting it to say and mean what it
does not. We have told you before about those who invariably ask me
questions about what they have heard on Sunday morning or during a
conversation. When they come up with some of the goofy stuff they
hear preached or spoken of in conversation, the first thing I say is,
did you look for it in your Bible? If it’s not in there, forget it.
And if it is not in context with the overall theme of what is being
spoken of in that particular portion of scripture, forget it. If
you can’t back it up with Scripture then it is a deception, it’s
a false teaching, and always remember Satan is the angel of light,
and he can transform himself into a preacher of light.
Even Satan's disciples can twist the word to say or mean, something
other than what it is saying or pointing us to. So we have to be so
very careful that we are not taken in by vain, deceptive words. This
is why we are admonished to study to show ourselves approved, a
laborer who can rightly divide (delineate) the words of Truth. Which
simply means that we are able to understand them, or to discern the
spiritual reality of the metaphorical example, and they begin to make
sense to us. Jesus is said to have told His disciples, “Unto
you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to
others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they
might not understand.” (Luke 8:10)
Some
may argue that this was only for the twelve disciples of that time,
but when once we have entered the gate of redemption, we become a
disciple of Christ. From that time forward we remain a disciple and
are progressively learning of Him.
Ephesians
5:6
"Let
no man deceive you with vain words; for because of these things
(this mass of deception) cometh the wrath of God upon the
children of disobedience."
We
mentioned before that most of the unbelieving world scoffs at the
idea that God will one day pour out His wrath and judgment upon
Christ-rejecting-mankind. They think that it is just some figment of
our imagination, but we’ve got news for them, "That day is
coming!" It may not be in our lifetime, although we think it
will be, but this we do know- it’s coming! There will
be a day when God will finally say, "ENOUGH!" When
that day comes then His wrath will be poured out and a big portion of
that wrath will be on these who have been deceiving the multitudes.
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