The Lie

“They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

As Paul finishes his warning about the “man of lawlessness”, he has a clear and simple way to describe that man’s message: “The lie”! This “man of lawlessness” would spread a powerful delusion that leads people to condemnation in hell. This is serious. Watch out for the lie!

What is the lie? There are so many false teachings in the world. The devil corrupts God’s truth about marriage and sexuality and money and power and alcohol. There are lots of lies!

But there is one lie that is more dangerous than all the others, because it attacks the foundation of our salvation. The central message of God’s Word is that we are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus. The forgiveness of sins and eternal life are not something we can earn with our good works. They are God’s gifts to us by faith in Jesus. 

But the lie says: “No, you have to do it. Your relationship with God depends on what you do. If you do the right things, if you live the right way, then God will love you.”

Can you see the difference between God’s truth and the lie? This is the greatest reason the Lutheran Church identifies the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church with the “man of lawlessness.” After God led Martin Luther to teach that salvation is by faith alone, the Roman Catholic Church declared at the Council of Trent: “If anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, and that it is not in any way necessary that he be prepared and disposed by the action of his own will, let him be anathema.” In other words, “If you believe that you are saved by faith alone, you are going to hell.” Can you see the lie?

Don’t fall to the delusion. All our best works are tainted by sin, but Jesus died on the cross to take our sins away. God gives us his salvation by faith alone. God’s truth is better than the lie!

Dear Father in heaven, my sinful human nature doesn’t want to trust in you. I foolishly think I’m good enough to earn your love. Forgive me for this lie. Let me trust in Jesus and his salvation alone. Amen.

Pastor Nathan