Doing some research into our Church's history, I came across this article in the magazine of the denomination we used to belong to in the 1930s. It is instructive, particularly given that the Bethel Society had Pentecostal roots.
A Note on “Changed Lives”
Can Satan Change Lives?
Practically every 'modern' movement
seems able to produce 'changed lives', so that the true believer is
apt to be considerable puzzled. Cults such as Christian Science and
Spiritualism most certainly have men and women whose lives have been
transformed into characters of beauty. Surely evil could not produce
such fruits? Many think therefore that though such cults (and there
are many others!) may contain plenty of error in doctrine etc., yet
Christ must be dwelling in
the lives of many of the adherents who are so clearly living the life
of kindness, unselfishness and peace. Is it possible that Satan
can change lives?
Some
years ago the Sunday School Times published
the testimony of a Christian woman who had been remarkably delivered
in answer to prayer from the Satanic cult of Bahaism. When she first
accepted the teachings of this cult, there came into her life a
wonderful peace and quietness, and she had a remarkable control over
her children that she had never had before. Please note that her life
was 'changed' – but not by Christ. Finally she was delivered and
entered into the 'fulness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ' –
and knew the meaning of the fruit of the Spirit, but not before.
So
Satan can change lives and apparently for
the better (but the word in italics is very important!), and the true
Christian has to be very wary in judging a new movement by its
'changed lives'. There are counterfeits of the Christian spiritual
life which are very subtle, very deceptive and highly dangerous, They
imitate certain parts of the Fruit of the Spirit.
Note, in passing, that there is only one
Fruit of the Spirit, although it is in a cluster of nine parts (Read
Gal. 5:22, 23). Then how may we tell the real from the false? By
observing whether one special part of this fruit is present or
absent. One part of the fruit of the Spirit is absent from all false
religions, even though other parts are simulated, and that part is
Faith.
No false cult brings its adherents to faith in the shed blood of the
Lamb of God as the only way of Salvation. If this one part of the
fruit of the Spirit is missing, you may safely assume that that other
eight are likewise absent no matter how plausible the counterfeits
may seem.
Anon.
The Bethel
Messenger December
1937
1 comment:
This is a good reminder. You can find similar teaching in C S Lewis' Screwtape Letters where Screwtape tells Wormwood that if you can get a person to fall with something so simple as a game of cards then there's no need to try to get him to murder. For some then perhaps they only require the appearance of goodness without Goodness, himself, which as you wrote is without faith. Good thoughts.
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