And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. (Mk 13:5-6 NKJV)
See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Col 2:8 ESV)
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. (Rom 16:17-18 ESV)
Do not be deceived by anything . . . especially not “new” doctrines or theological teachings.
What about deception? What do we need to understand about it?
When confronted with her sin, Eve said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” (Gen 3:13b). The original Hebrew word for “deceived” implies trickery and craftiness; it is sometimes translated “seduced.” Seduction is an appropriate way to think of the deception of Eve—she knew full well what God had said, but she chose to disobey because she wanted something that the serpent cleverly offered. ~ Excerpt from article “Why Does God Allow Deception?” at https://www.gotquestions.org/God-allow-deception.html.
So, according to the above excerpt, deception is a type of seduction of a person’s will by the enemy of our souls. We each know full well what God wants us to do, but because we have a certain desire, we choose to disobey the Lord. It is temptation. That is the devil’s stock-in-trade.
So, we must guard our hearts and minds against deception. Particularly in the area of so-called new doctrines or “deep” theological teachings. The Bible was written to human beings, not to theologically trained minds; so if we have to turn our brain into a pretzel to understand a teaching, something is definitely wrong with it.
Some things are mysteries that God will reveal to us when we are face-to-face with Him. But the teachings about our salvation, our benefits, and our blessings are all plain to recognize and effortless to understand. Simply read the Bible and study it.
Don’t allow yourself to be led astray by “new” or “deeper” teachings concerning salvation. Everything that you need is in the Bible, and can be studied and verified. God bless you!
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