Ephesians 4:14
14 That [hina] we henceforth be [o] no more [meketi] children, [nepios] tossed to and fro, [kludonizomai] and [kai] carried about
with [periphero] every [pas] wind [anemos] of doctrine, [didaskalia] by [en] the sleight [kubeia] of men, [anthropos] and
cunning craftiness [en], [panourgia] whereby [pros] they lie in
wait [methodeia] to deceive; [plane] KJV-Interlinear
14 As a
result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and
carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness
in deceitful scheming; NASB
The purpose of the
ministry in dealing with the communication or instruction or teaching of the
Word of God, is to educate people in the many truths of life. And one of those truths is that the world will
go to great lengths to fool, to make ambiguous, to simulate truth and so forth
so as to confuse and mislead.
Children here is a term
that represents the uninitiated, the impressionable, those easily led astray
with false teachings. Children has
nothing to do with ones physical age, but with ones understanding in knowledge.
Sleight of hand, is a
reference to teachings that appeal to the emotions, teachings that are made to
appear as though they also came from Christ, but do not, teachings that promote
one thought but lead to another agenda, bait and switch, teachings that are
deceitful.
Cunning craftiness, are
teachings or opinions that employ methods that might seem harmless, but also come
with ulterior motives.
Without the clear instruction
of doctrine, people are unable to understand the truths of life. Truths that
include the hazards that come from the world.
Without doctrine, no one
is able to see through the fog of life, no one.
You cannot ascertain truth, or clarity of thought, or orientation to
anything unless you have some solid standard to measure against. Doctrine is that standard.
Without a standard, an unmovable
standard, then everything becomes relative, and whatever is popular becomes the
norm. Once it was popular to burn heretics,
or witches. Some cultures easily find
bias against others.
Look around the community
or the world, and you will find group after group that has set up standards by which
they live. And while some or all may
seem innocent, sooner or later these compromised and simple standards always
lead eventually to more horrible standards and atrocities. But then folks will always deny that their
standards could never lead in that direction.
And so goes the deception, even self-deceptions of the world.
The naïve will never see
it. Only the educated, and more
specifically the spiritually educated, have the inner resources to discern
between that which is truth, and that which is false. Therefore, God has set up a mechanism for the
teaching and the learning of Bible doctrine that is designed not only to help
you grow up to spiritual maturity, but along the way, to help you discern
between that which is right and that which is wrong and to even avoid the evils
of the world where possible.
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