Friday, November 26, 2010

Our Ability to Deceive Ourselves

Of all the human perversities, the ability to deceive ourselves is possibly the most perverse and definitively the most interesting to observe (albeit in a perverse way). We can convince ourselves of almost anything; taking a lie, and repeating it to ourselves enough times that we are convinced it is true. More than any other place, this ability shines when it comes to justifying our own actions.

All too often, we see clearly the slightest error of another, while being blind to our own. Not only blind to our errors; but, quite often we are unable to even accept the idea that we could possibly be wrong.

This clarity of vision, into the error of another, is probably the most clear when we see in that other person an action or attitude that we don’t like in ourselves. We may become infuriated with them for their obviously wrong behavior; meanwhile declaring in a loud voice how we are innocent of that same action. It would almost be comical if it were not so sad.

Jesus said:

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5 Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.

Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 6:41-42

Being a Christian doesn’t automatically relieve us of this ability at self-deception; in fact, I’ve seen many a Christian who could teach unbelievers how to practice the fine art. We can even take it a step farther than them, by convincing ourselves that things which God has written in the Bible apply to others, but don’t apply to us.

One of the ways we do this is by saying that we live in a different culture, or a different time frame; so, the commandments of the Bible don’t apply to us. Another is to say that “grace” means that we don’t have to obey God (or at least his commandments), because they are in the Old Testament, and we are believers of the New Testament. Funny, I always that that both parts were considered part of our Bible.

When the world sees us acting this way, they call it hypocrisy. You know something? They are right. It is always hypocritical to try and hold others to a different standard than what we are willing to live ourselves.

Actually, the scariest aspect of this ability to deceive ourselves is when we convince ourselves that what we want is what God wants. We don’t really say it that way, of course; it’s usually phrased as, “God told me…” which gives it as much power as if it had come down with Moses from Mount Sinai. When God has told us to do something, we can break every commandment that exists to do it; after all, God said so.

That’s a very Jesuitical argument; that the ends (what we claim God told us to do) justifies the means (what we want to do). Nowhere in scripture do we see an example of this; however we see lots of them in the church. God never violates His Word or His commandments to have His will done.

So, how do we avoid deceiving ourselves? By submitting to God, to His Word, and to godly people who can tell us when we are wrong. It doesn’t do any good to only submit ourselves to godly friends, because all too often they will put friendship above godly correction. No, we need people who will tell us the truth, especially when that truth is that we are not doing as God would have us do. Then, when we receive that advice, we need to accept and submit to it.

Then, and only then, can we avoid deceiving ourselves.

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