“Deluded By Dishonesty”

Friday, July 07, 2017

I have a friend who asked me a question.  He asked me about 2 Thess 2:11.  He wanted to know why God would send a "strong delusion" to man.  He feels it is God allowing Satan to cover the eyes of man.  I told him it was most likely because man is so obsessed with evil; it’s God's way of rubbing their nose in it.  I told him that when man desires evil, that's what he gets (evil).  Could you explain this whole thing to me so that I can give him the answer he seeks?

Sincerely,
Friendly Counsel

Dear Friendly Counsel,

2 Thess 2:11 is referring to only a certain group of people – those who refuse salvation because they are unwilling to love the truth (2 Thess 2:10).  What your friend is concerned about it is that God would somehow allow Satan to keep people from having the freedom to see the truth, but that isn’t what this verse is referring to.  Jhn 3:16 makes it clear that God sent His Son so that everyone would have the freedom to choose salvation, and Ezek 18:23 shows that God doesn’t desire any of the wicked to perish.  The strong delusion referred to in 2 Thess 2:11 is the same as the seared conscience mentioned in 1 Tim 4:2.  When people refuse salvation and refuse to see the truth, they will naturally become more and more wicked because they will make bad choices.  They will sear their own conscience and become deluded with evil.  If we are honest, we draw closer to the truth; if we are dishonest, we move farther from it.

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