“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19 ESV
Reflection: what are your favorite church traditions?
It is getting more and more difficult to sort through what is actually happening in the world today. Take any story, whether related to wars, economy, climate, or whatever – what is real and what is some sort of twisted propaganda? You might have your favorite news source, but how do you know that they are telling you the truth? Think about it, where are they getting their information? You can even listen to two “journalists” going to the same war zone at the same time, but end up reporting two very different stories. How is that even possible? Of course, if they were just reporting what they were seeing, their stories might align. But, most have already a “bias”, coming from somewhere, tied to their own belief system. So although journalists try to be objective, in reality they are subjective.. On top of that, they work for owners of that news which have their own agenda of what the story is supposed to reflect. And they will only publish something that is in line with their views and beliefs, so the journalists don’t have much choice if they want to keep their job.
This bias phenomenon is not only true for journalism, it is true pretty much everywhere. Winston Churchill famously said that “History is written by the victors”, indicating that even our recorded history, what we learned in school, might not be reliable and correct. That the victors may have left out certain facts that would put them in a bad light. Or, try to change the narrative, even if ever so slightly, enough to change public opinions. But beyond news and history books, how far and deep does this falsehood go? Over the past 5-10 years, many have realized that they have been lied to most of their lives, on a massive scale. Some even go to the extreme thinking that pretty much “everything in the world” is based on some lie, which can take them down all sorts of rabbit holes. For us Christians, should we be concerned about this? And, specifically, should we be concerned about any falsehood in church history, teaching, doctrine, traditions, etc?
John wrote something pretty telling, that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” 1 John 5:19b ESV. The whole world is still in the power of the devil, the deceiver, the father of lies, which explains a lot of things. So what does it mean when Jesus said “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”” John 16:33 ESV. Overcome here means He conquered over the forces of the world, over the devil. And John wrote later, that we in Christ have the ability to do the same, “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” 1 John 5:5 ESV. The devil still has power in the world, but we can overcome the world. But what does that mean, to overcome the world?
One of the fiercest enemies of Jesus was the religious class; whom Jesus said were of their father the devil. “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 ESV. Pretty harsh words to the ones who supposedly dedicated their lives to following God’s law. But, as Jesus pointed out, they were really not interested in following God, only increasing and maintaining their own power and wealth. And we look back at those days, perhaps shaking our heads thinking how could not the people see that their religious leaders had become corrupted? There was a great deception in the synagogue, where false teachings had taken over. They followed tradition, passed down by the elders, more so than keeping only with what God had spoken.
But, let’s stop for a moment and do some honest reflection. Are we doing some of the same today? Has church become more focused on tradition, following what the church doctrine and leaders say, as opposed to what God has said? Are we as God’s people really seeking only the truth, even willing to let go of some of our church traditions if rooted in paganism? It is arrogant to think that we are not susceptible to the same level of false teachings and corruption of the church, as in Jesus’ days. Let’s think carefully about who we are listening to, what we are doing, and why, so that we follow Christ alone, not getting mingled up in noise, falsehoods and idols of the world. Even falsehoods and idols that might have crept into our churches. John ends his first letter by saying
“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21 ESV
