Avoid Being Deceived

DECEPTION is almost as old as mankind. One of the first events in recorded history was an act of deception. That was when Satan deceived Eve in the garden of Eden.​—Genesis 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:14.

Although there has never been a time since then when deception was not rampant in the earth, it is particularly prevalent today. Looking forward to modern times, the Bible warned: “Wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse, misleading and being misled.”​—2 Timothy 3:13.

People are deceived for all kinds of reasons. Tricksters and confidence men deceive victims to get their money. Some politicians deceive their constituents, determined to stay in power at any cost. People even deceive themselves. Rather than face unpleasant truths, they convince themselves that there is no harm in pursuing dangerous practices, such as smoking, drug abuse, or sexual immorality.

Then there is deception in religious matters. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day deceived the people. Of those deceivers, Jesus said: “Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” (Matthew 15:14) Moreover, people deceive themselves in religious matters. Proverbs 14:12 states: “There exists a way that is upright before a man, but the ways of death are the end of it afterward.”

As in Jesus’ time, many today are deceived in religious matters and no wonder! The apostle Paul said that Satan “has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, that the illumination of the glorious good news about the Christ, who is the image of God, might not shine through.”​—2 Corinthians 4:4.

If we are deceived by a swindler, we lose money. If a politician deceives us, we may lose some of our freedom as a result. But if Satan deceives us so that we reject the truth about Jesus Christ, we lose out on everlasting life! So avoid being deceived. Open your mind and heart to the one indisputable source of religious truth, the Bible. There is too much at stake to do otherwise.​—John 17:3.