In the electric engineering field, the danger is found in the error of combining positive and negative currencies when connected to a generator. As long as remaining separate, the dichotomies pose no threat. Transgression results when contravening the axiomatic laws, like tempering with the dichotomous electric currencies. The physical universe is governed by such laws, without which, the physical universe does not exist.
Jesus could have jumped from the Temple pinnacle, aiming at proving to Satan that indeed Jesus was God’s Son. Nevertheless, indeed, God’s children are not governed by physical laws. The laws governing the universe are not, necessarily limited to what is delineated in Scriptural records. All scientific laws are manifested in axiomatic laws, emanating from a single law controlling everything in the physical universe. For instance, the law of combustion devours any flammable material, without exception. One of Satan’s temptations, directed at Jesus, was jumping from a temple’s pinnacle, to prove that Jesus was different from physical humanity.
Satan’s temptation was on the factor of Jesus’ physical condition. Physical humans are subject to axiomatic laws, like gravity. Satan had been aware of Jesus’ superiority. This is just as Satan knew that Adam, in his spiritual condition, was superior to Satan. Deceiving Adam would only be possible in his physical condition. Using Adam’s spiritual ignorance deception became possible causing his downfall. Satan considered that Jesus could be like Adam’s state of degradation, undeserving of Godly status. However, Jesus was conscious of His Godly identity.
God’s children are not different from God, although, when reduced to a state of degradation and without knowledge, God’s children are vulnerable. Because of His superior knowledge, Jesus appropriately handled Satan’s temptation by stating: “It is written, ‘you shall not tempt the Lord your God'” (Matthew 4:7) Satan had known the Godly condition of humanity. But, when attempting to deceive Jesus, Satan assumed that Jesus would behave similarly to how Adam behaved.
Imagine the random behaviour of ordinary Christians, when similarly tested, but unconscious of their spiritual identity. They become intimidated, unable to tell Satan to stop tempting Satan’s God. As created in God’s image, the status of humanity is that of God, meant to be uncontrolled by the physical universe. However, in their respective degraded physical conditions, humans cannot claim that reality without inviting God’s wrath. The aspect of receiving grace is premised on the confirmation of their status of being God’s Children.
The laws of physical nature were also applicable to Jesus. The last bout of Satan’s temptations had been designed to test Jesus’ character on the aspect of handling ego. This can be regarded as chief among the three gradient levels of temptation by Satan. That temptation aimed at what sustained Satan’s nature. After failing to convince Jesus, there was nothing left for Satan’s mischievous tricks to deceive Jesus, at that time.
However, Satan did not entirely give up, as he constantly tested Jesus, as long as Jesus remained in physical condition. He tried testing Him on several occasions, including persuading Jesus to avoid the agonies of the cross. Jesus used prayer, to avoid succumbing (Matthew 26:36-44). He withstood all those temptations, due to His superior knowledge, including awareness of being God’s Son. The chief disseminator of falsehood is Satan.
Falsehood is not harmful, when aware of the mechanics of discarding falsehood. False information about a river said to be safe, when infested with crocodiles, does not affect a cautious person. He wouldn’t dare cross without verifying the information. Any person’s danger lies in assuming the informant of false information would be truthful, without verifying it for himself. This requires being cautious of any information, before adoption.
Iniquity is a condition of assuming falsehood as truth or assuming truth as falsehood. This is why Jesus said only the truth, grants freedom (John 8:32). All actions require verification and understanding before application. Denouncing scientific evidence in Christianity is unwise. Christianity, when studied scientifically, rather than blindly believing, grants understanding. Careful evaluation of information before understanding becomes necessary.
Understanding in the realm of education necessitates careful verification before adopting and applying information. Knowledge is readily accessible if approached incrementally. This means taking one step at a time before moving to a more complex level. Without this methodical approach, comprehension remains elusive, no matter the value of the information. A person becomes bewildered when engaging with information haphazardly, without incremental progression. This is how the presumption of truth can be misleading, and the belief in falsehoods can appear valid, thus deceiving humanity.
Iniquity thrives in the absence of proper education. To access truthful information, one must be assured of its origin. The veracity of information can be ascertained by examining the credibility of its source. Many believe that God is the primary source of all knowledge, and this concept should not be confusing to those who have sought divine guidance in comprehending reality.
Any person can claim to be a truthful informant and God’s servant when projecting the opposite. The harmfulness of iniquity lies in adopting the wrong information for what it is not. This is caused by failure to verify sources of information. This could be the primary reason for Jesus having told His disciples to avoid being addressed as “Rabbis”.
Wisdom involves the capacity to critically assess information before accepting it. Jesus is considered the benchmark for validating any information. In today’s world, one may encounter harmful information that seems credible yet leads to a slow decline. Without proper verification of the source, an individual may be unknowingly heading towards ruin.
The miscalculation of data is deadly, leading to eternal demise. This includes pretending to be a Christian when the opposite is true. This also includes pretending not to be a Christian when truly a Christian. Deceitful information is not always humanly transmitted. It can be manufactured mentally when randomly engaging in assumptions.
Satan may communicate directly through the mind channel, to deceive any person. This is what necessitates constant prayers. Nevertheless, scientists can be commended for discovering scientific laws and handling problems of survival. This is just as the dissemination of information is currently facilitated through technological discoveries.
God’s grace is achievable only when aware of conditions that attract God’s grace. Willingness to learn is the first gate towards accessing knowledge. The condition of being under the law necessitates knowledge acquisition; a failure which any person cannot avoid the consequences of violating axiomatic laws. Satan constantly tempted Jesus, who had superior knowledge.
The three bouts of testing, meted against Jesus, were aimed at Jesus’ physical condition. The immediate requirement for knowledge, ahead of everything else, is sustained in this truism. This is notwithstanding that humans consider food and other physical necessities ahead of everything. At one stage Jesus corrected Martha, who had held false data, assuming it was true.
Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:38-42 NKJV)
Mary may have been assumed to be lazy for not assisting in common household chores. However, Jesus highlighted Martha’s erroneous condition for not being aware of seniority of knowledge in this life. Spending time with Jesus, without being distracted by household chores was most important. Life is too short, requiring spending much time studying God’s word.
The entrapment that occupied Martha can apply to anyone surviving in this physical world. For instance, anyone can convincingly explain reasons for not studying the Bible. But from which source would that person have adopted that as truthful datum? The teachings of Jesus in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7 seem to encompass all that is expected of a Christian. These chapters collectively provide comprehensive guidance for anyone seeking to earnestly follow Jesus’ teachings.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble (Matthew 6:31-34 NKJV).
Knowledge is power. No knowledge surpasses that which the Founder of Christianity imparted. Recognizing that Jesus stands incomparable to any other source of information in the world requires a certain capacity for appreciation. But the story of Jesus should never be taken as understood by those pursuing His name, rather than pursuing what He taught. Great teachers are those pointing at what Jesus taught, more than pointing at the personality of Jesus or what other people have taught.
The capacity to perform miracles is often seen as evidence of being a servant of God. However, this notion is complicated by the prevalence of deceitful miracle workers. Jesus cautioned that deception would primarily come from such individuals in the physical world. He, specifically, pointed out that miracle workers would be responsible for misleading many people, particularly as the end times approach. This underscores the critical importance of diligent information verification.
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” (Matthew 24:23-25 NKIJV).
Deceivers assume to gain when deceiving others. The whole purpose of deceiving would be to acquire recognition and monetary gains. Ordinary people cannot feel secure, without being a follower of some religious figure. Jesus’ instruction to leave everything, if intending to be one of Jesus’ disciples, does not appeal. A person feels secure when being a follower of another fellow human being, who may be renowned for whatever reason. Hence Jesus gave the above comment, as a warning to Christians, ahead of time.
Avoiding falsehood is as easy as appreciating that true knowledge comes from the source, who is validated as Jesus. Any second-hand information, when coming from another fellow human being, can grant confidence in assuming correctness. But until one compares with the source, the opportunities for being misled would be greater than when fumbling alone for Christ’s information. The most important data in Christianity is that one cannot point at another person when making an excuse for being misled.
The tendency to blame others for one’s own problems is a common trait among many. This holds especially true for individuals who are still exploring their identities. The undeniable fact is that each person is unique compared to another. An individual may not have realized their uniqueness yet, but it is as distinct as one object differs from another. I hope that Christians recognize this truth sooner rather than later, to diminish the likelihood of the anticipated great deception.
In the field of education, the most imprudent trend that is taking hold globally is the reliance on purely theoretical knowledge. Scholars base their educational assurance on those pronounced as renowned scholars. For instance, the term “Theologian” is considered esoteric, when in actual fact being empty. To the objective evaluators, nothing valuable has ever come from such theoretical Scholars, except speculations, without tangible basis.
Dissertations authored by certain scholars are often considered overly complex by non-scholars. The challenging nature of such works is what renders the authors esoteric. Consequently, students may be persuaded to enroll in questionable institutions to gain similar esoteric status. Those who try to grasp the complex reasoning of these scholars might find themselves discouraged, especially when aspiring to earn an esteemed PhD in theology.
One would be expected to articulate the Trinitarian falsehood, rather than advance Jesus’ teachings. Anyone not subscribing to the Trinity would be labelled heretical but without citing Jesus’ affirmation. This is true. Cowardly as most people are known to behave, such teachings are taken seriously. Therefore, Bible studying becomes most dangerous to ordinary people. Gullible people, accordingly, become deprived of Jesus’ truthful information.
Andrew Masuku is the author of Dimensions of a New Civilization, laying down standards for uplifting Zimbabwe from the current state of economic depression into a model for other nations worldwide. A decaying tree provides an opportunity for a blossoming sprout. Written from a Christian perspective, the book is a product of inspiration, bringing relief to those having witnessed the strings of unworkable solutions––leading to the current economic and social decay. Most Zimbabweans should find the book as a long-awaited providential oasis of hope, in a simple conversational tone.
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