The Devil's Masterclass on Heresy
The Devil's Masterclass on Heresy
A Bonus Article & A Joyful Moment
Before you read today’s article, I’d love to share a moment of joy with you. This past Saturday I had the chance to meet two friends in person for the very first time. Daniel Gilman and
are two of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and they are both doing extraordinary work in their respective fields. When Daniel invited Karen to come and speak at an event in Cambridge, and I knew I had to be there. What I didn’t know was that I would get the chance to get to know both Daniel and his family, or that travelling between London and Cambridge would play out like Bilbo’s unexpected journey—I probably should have guessed that last part.Karen was asked during the Q&A how she became adept at both writing and speaking, to which she replied that that whilst she’d jumped into the former with alacrity, she’d fallen into the latter by accident. What makes Karen a good speaker—and what made the event so fruitful—is her love for God, for his people, and for the literature they have been blessed with. Sometimes it felt like a well-crafted poem, at others like a youth telling us about her first crush.
If you’re not following either of their work, you really should be. Daniel is doing great stuff at The Centre for Public Speaking, or you can find him on Twitter. Karen is providing vital insight to the masses, helping people read slowly, carefully, and promiscuously1. You can find her right here on Substack at
.
Now, let’s talk heresy.
“Did God actually say?…
You will not surely die…
When you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God”Satan’s Lies, taken from Genesis 3:1–5
The enemy once led the entirety of humanity2 into heresy and rebellion, and he wants nothing more than to do so all over again. Although one man failed in the face of Satan’s lies, another led us down the path to victory over them.
The father of lies has never found himself out of practice, he has been subverting the truth of God’s word since before death had even entered the world. His methods have varied, but the lies themselves have remained oddly consistent. After millennia of practice, the lies of the enemy echo on, and people around the world fall prey to them again and again. As Christians, we know that no matter how many times the accuser taunts us, or rallies armies of men against us, that God’s eternal truth will remain firm. With that said, throughout Church History, the enemy has taken that truth, forged false versions of it, and then found voices willing to spread these counterfeits. These voices have infiltrated the church, and spoken out against it. They have preyed upon weak members, and sought to bring down strong shepherds. This is still happening even today.
One of the best ways to stop these heresies in their tracks, is the recognise the lies that form their foundations, and challenge them in the same way that Jesus did in thew wilderness.
By using God’s word.
Did God Actually Say?
Rather than enticing believers into blatant blasphemy, he softens the temptation. As such, heresy often begins with the question, “Did God actually say that?”
In the present day, “that” might be anything from issues of sexuality to Jesus’ commands to care for the poor. Throughout history, it has also gone further, to deny truths about the Father, the Son, or the Spirit; to encourage sinfulness, or to institute a freshly minted pharisaical law.
The enemy doesn’t care how we disobey God, he just wants us to get on and do it.
In the wilderness, the Devil came and tried this same lie out on Jesus. Jesus had gone to the wilderness to fast for forty days, and forty nights, and so Satan sings in harmony with Jesus’ hunger pangs, taunting him,
“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.3”
Are you really the Son of God? Satan asks, I know you said you were coming to fast but no one will know, right? If you are who you say you are you once made Manna settle like dew on the ground, surely you can make some simple bread?
Just take and eat, it’ll be good.
Jesus replied:
It is written,
“Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”The Holy Bible: English Standard Version Matthew 4:4
When you’re tempted to go astray, to walk away from what God has called you to, return to his words. If we neglect to do so, or chip away at the Scriptures, leaving out the bits we wish weren’t there, or those that don’t comport with the latest worldly fad, we allow the lie to fester and transform into heresy in our hearts.
We might even spread Satan’s next lie for him.
You Will Not Surely Die
The most insidious version of this lie today is the heresy of universalism. If God so loves the world, then surely he could never truly punish anyone. Surely in the end, no matter what we’ve done, no matter what we believe, no matter who we are, we deserve to be in heaven with God, right?
Satan doesn’t usually dress his lies up to look evil, he speaks to the desire of our hearts, one that God put there in the first place.
The most horrendous thing about this lie is its proximity to the truth. God has come to give us eternal life, he has made a way. God promised to put an end to death for all his people before a single one had come to pass.
If we begin to believe that we can come into the fullness of life by any other means, we’re forfeiting the true way.
After failing to tempt Jesus to break his own word, he tells him:
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Matthew 4:6
Jesus did die. Not only that, but he die for our sins at the appointed time. He cared not for his own safety, but died so that our eternal hope could be secured.
Jesus said to him,
“Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version Matthew 4:7
We have all gone astray, we have trespassed on the enemies land, and our good shepherd had come out into that wilderness and brought each of us back. When we fall prey to this lie, however, we test that goodness, we test the boundaries of his boundless love, and that is a grievous sin. Instead, if you find yourself there again, if you look up and see only darkness, search for the light, repent, and run back.
You will see your father running towards you.
You Will Be Like God!
It has often been stated that the modern man wishes to become his own God, and I have heard many an apologetics seminar on just that subject. If this is a modern sin, Adam must have been a very modern man. Perhaps instead this is as ancient as sin, and Satan’s promise is as weak and empty as it ever was.
Satan’s final temptation was to take Jesus to a high place at the height of his hunger and weakness, and offer him strength, worship, and godhood. Adam failed this test though he was offered so much less. Jesus knew, however, that the false version Satan was offering him paled into comparison with both the Trinity, and Jesus’ resplendent and glorified bride, the church. The Devil’s masterclass, that had, has, and will fool many was no match for Jesus. He commanded him to depart.
Then Jesus said to him,
“Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version Matthew 4:10
Some make themselves into gods, others invent gods in their own image. If you’re tempted to do the same, if the fruit looks good to eat, if the enemies’ offer is in any way alluring, remember that you are called to so much more. You are already being transformed to be more like Christ, by his will, and that is a much greater prize.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.4”
Increasing in the Kingdom of God is not achieved by elevating ourselves to godhood, but by making ourselves like servants, by loving others, and loving our Lord above all else.
Worship and serve him.
Now and always.
Grace and Peace,
“Promiscuous reading is necessary to the constituting of human nature.”
―John Milton, Areopagitica
As quoted by Karen Swallow Prior on Saturday, “promiscuous” might often be associated with specific activities today, but wasn’t always. A good argument for reading slowly and carefully.
Adam & Eve
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 4:3.
Romans 12:2 ESV
"We might even spread Satan’s next lie for him." Oof. That's sobering. Thanks. :)
That sounds like such a joyful Saturday :)