What is deception?

Deception is a deliberate attempt to make something that is false to appear as if it is true. It is a lie made in such a way that the liar deliberately makes it to appear as if it's true. Similar words for deceiving include: lie, snake, mislead, beguile, delude, dupe, defraud, trick, bamboozle, fool, swindle. The person making the lie is called a liar or a deceiver.

It's also important to separate deception from ignorance. Deception concerns wrong thoughts, words, and actions that a person receives or carries out while having some knowledge that they are wrong.

Ignorance on the other hand, concerns wrong thoughts, words, and actions that a person receives or carries out while having no knowledge that they are wrong. It is unknown deception or deception without one's knowledge. This is why knowledge or understanding on key matters in life is so important. Ignorance will be covered ahead in this chapter.

Concerning deception, the wrong thoughts, words, and actions may be considered wrong from different perspectives. These include: from a moral perspective, cultural perspective, from a legal perspective, from a physical health perspective, from a religious perspective, or even a combination of any. It is the religious perspective that's more important for us Christians. Applying the Christian faith in its true sense, with God's Spirit effectively working in our lives, fulfills all fundamental human perspectives.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law . Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires,” Galatians 5:22-24 (emphasis added).

How does deception work in people?
In every scenario leading to deception there's an inner voice opposing the deceptive thoughts. The inner voice says why it is not worth carrying out the thoughts and actions. This inner voice is called the conscience.

A conscience is easier to illustrate than to define. It is our personal judge that gives us the sense of what's right and what's wrong. It is a moral compass in us that works more from our emotions, rather than the mental side. The conscience uses the mind in guiding and revealing the moral basis. However it uses our emotions in creating an inner atmosphere that facilitates avoiding to think, say, or do wrong.

When we think, say, or do anything that's wrong our conscience rings a prolonged emotional bell in us that we've gone the wrong way. The emotional bell it rings is called guilt. Guilt makes us feel sad, unpleasant and it makes us to desire making up for the wrong, or desiring to correct it. This is why someone is said to have a “guilty conscience” when he/she has said or done something wrong. A person with a healthy conscience will experience some level of guilt for something wrong.

Genuine guilt or true guilt is healthy to a certain level. Guilt is the emotional voice response from our conscience that enables us to stay or get back to behaving in a manner consistent with our beliefs and values. When we think or attempt to say or to do something contrary to our conscience a sense of guilt wells up in us condemning us and insisting to do or say the right thing.

Most people have a working conscience. This is the case even for non-Christians. It's just that unbelievers do not have the extra backing of the Holy Spirit to convict their conscience if they attempt to stray or end up straying from what's right.

The bible says about unbelievers (Gentiles), “Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness , and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them,” Romans 2:14-15 (emphasis added).

Thus everybody has a conscience. The only question is, “what percentage of their conscience is operating?” Some it's 10%, others 40%, some 95%, and so on. Only God can accurately measure the weight of each person's conscience on each matter in life.

Some people have a higher sense of consciousness or awareness on matters to deal with the poor, others on children, on physical health, the environment, on animals, on morality, on civil rights, others on politics, and so on. For us Christians our sense of consciousness ought to be highest on spiritual issues. It ought to be highest on the spiritual poverty for those who have not yet received salvation through Christ. Then followed by other needs of our fellow humanity –physical health needs, material needs, psychosocial needs, and so on. The rest may take third place.

Being a Christian does not automatically translate into being pure, godly and holy. However it opens an opportunity that unbelievers do not have. This opportunity is being under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives a bigger boost to our conscience by making us receive the heart of God. We're given a new heart once we become born again.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws,” Ezekiel 36:26-27 (emphasis added).

The dilemma is that being given a new heart under the influence of the Holy Spirit does not automatically translate into being pure, godly and holy. It requires our input and willingness to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in embracing this new nature. God through the Holy Spirit does not remote control us without our consent. He respects our free will (as Almighty as he is) and has thus chosen to work alongside our willingness.

What about a seared or burnt conscience?
Although most people have at least a working conscience some do not have a healthy conscience. The bible speaks of people “whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron,” 1 Timothy 4: 2.

A person with a seared conscience or burnt conscience is one that does not feel guilty for doing wrong. He cares little about other people's interests and primarily only thinks about his self-centered interests. The conscience becomes seared when inner convictions of right and wrong are rejected on a constant basis that an individual blunts the conscience. It becomes dull, deadened, compromised, or ineffectual. The conscience grows weaker and more silent in the individual.

With a dull conscience a person ends up experiencing little to no guilt for any wrong thoughts, words or actions. Thus he's not able to have what is commonly called a “guilty conscience,” for committing a wrong. A person who's able to experience little or no guilt over fulfilling a wrong desire becomes an easy vessel for deception.

The individual becomes an easy vessel for being deceived and in deceiving others. The level a person has compromised his/her conscience to become seared will determine the extent a person will give in to deception. The higher the compromise the more he/she will be willing to embrace wrong matters.

Think about it: a petty thief who snatches wallets and handbags has a less weak conscience than a criminal who's ready to kill for gain or a person in the business world who for gain is willing to harm the moral, physical health or material lives of masses. A pimp who's business is supplying prostitutes to willing clients has compromised his conscience more than the prostitutes he manages.

The same can be said of some people with higher influence who compromise their consciences: top politicians, business people, media executives, educational heads, entertainment executives, and others with extensive influence on masses. Being given much responsibly a higher accountability is expected from them. Some (not all) compromise their accountability for self-gain.

“When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required,” Luke 12:48.

Can a Christian have a seared or burnt conscience?
A Christian cannot have a seared conscience. Having a seared conscience cannot happen to a Christian, unless he/she has willfully fallen out of the faith. A person can depart from the Christian faith. This takes a lot of serious wrong choices knowingly and after ignoring repeated convictions from the Holy Spirit. How else can we explain those who were once in the faith and now want nothing to do with Christianity?

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons,” 1 Timothy 4:1.

Needless to say that there is still hope to return for such individuals. Needless to say too that a person who has left the Christian faith does not automatically imply he/she now has a seared conscience.

Next Part Three sources of deception

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