Pretense is Sin

Pray for discernment!

Far too many people who say they are Christians, have little to no discernment when it comes to knowing truth from error.

We tend to focus on how a teaching makes us feel and whether or not it works (pragmatism), rather than whether or not it is truth. We also believe what we have been taught instead of evaluating what we learned.

Acts 17:10-11
"10 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so."

Read the Word to get discernment while praying for the understanding to be clear.

Galatians 1:8 "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!"

2 John 1:10 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting;"

1 John 4:2-3 "2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already."

Something to ponder: There are those who confess Christ with their words but do not honor Him with their life or attitudes, they do not care about obeying His Word, even twisting the word to fit their own desires. This is a form of denying Christ.

Matthew 15:8 "'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME."

Luke 6:46 ""Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"

There are those who spend a lot of time on getting people to obey God for their salvation, when Christ said all you have to do is believe. Their contention is that if we tell people what Christ said, they will think they can live in sin and still be saved.

The truth of the matter is, if someone is born again, even though they are not perfect in their flesh, they will desire to obey God, they will grow in holiness and they will be ashamed when they have momentarily taken their eyes off of Christ to follow a fleshly desire.

The believer is ashamed of sin, hates it and desires to be cleansed of it. This person will be growing spiritually stronger while becoming more bold. Because this person has the Holy Spirit living in them to continually convict them of sin, give them understanding and redirecting their steps when needed, they do not remain in sin, they are disciplined by Christ Who lives in them and will come out of it.

Hebrews 12:6 "FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."

Hebrews 12:8 "But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons."

1 John 3:9 "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit (continue in) sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God."
[parenthesis added to show the original meaning]

The non-believer is not ashamed of their sin, they are walking pretentiously, caring only about appearances and when challenged will become angry, they are pretenders in the faith, never having been broken over their sinfulness, never confessing it and never desiring holiness. God has not changed them into a new creation because they don't want to be, they love their sin.

John 3:19 ""This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil."

Sadly, we will encounter the pretender much more in these last days than we do true born again believers.

Matthew 7:21-23
"21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’
23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

I know many people like this, who have a form of religion but deny Christ in their life experience.

2 Timothy 3:4-5
"4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these."

Even many of those who appear to have very good lives are walking in pretension, their outer appearance seems to say they are Christians, but deeply in their heart there is a spirit of rebellion and a desire to be worshiped by others.

These are the people who are not persecuted by the world, but rather loved by it. These people play a good role, they are actors, putting on a show to become popular, loving the praise and attention of the world. Their good deeds are done for self glorification, because they do not do these same good deeds when no one is looking, they must have validation by men to feel important, they must have an audience.

These same people very often show contempt for those who would expose them, treating them in covertly unkind ways, while denying they are doing it.

Take an inventory, if you find yourself only being kind and loving to those who elevate you, then you are probably a pretender. Seeking self glory can never be a part of the life of a truly born again believer, since they had to come to Christ in brokenness over sin, they see themselves as dependent on Christ to be what they should be. Their brokenness eliminated the arrogance that is such a large part of the non-believers existence, especially in these last days of high self esteem.

May the Lord work in our hearts to desire to know the truth about ourselves, bringing us into a right relationship with God than can only happen when we have been broken.

Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise."