For anyone who might argue that spiritual deception cannot happen to the Christian, just consider how often the New Testament warns against spiritual deception. Listen to just a few of these verses:
And Jesus answered and said unto them,
Take heed that no man deceive you. (Matthew 24:4, and see Mark 13:5)
For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Matthew 24:5)
And he said,
Take heed that ye be not deceived. (Luke 21:8)
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. (1 Corinthians 3:18)
I have heard many pastors say, “I don’t need to talk about spiritual deception as long as I teach the Bible verse by verse.” And I have heard many others say, “I don’t want to be negative; I just want to focus on what I am for, not what I am against.”
But I say to these pastors, to ignore the topic of spiritual deception is to ignore a biblical principle. How can one teach the Bible verse by verse, yet never have anything to say about spiritual deception? And when reading these passages (of which there are many), would it not be negligent to overlook their relevancy to what is happening in the church today?