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“Am I being deceived?” is probably not a question that we are eager to ask. No one likes being lied to. Most of us learn that early in life. I remember being told a story on the playground by a classmate. He was so confident in the way that he told it, I believed it without question and even told others. Later, I realized that it wasn’t true. What stuck with me was not so much embarrassment about being duped as the realization that my trust had been treated casually.
That experience repeats itself over time and in different relationships. Parents quickly learn that children easily tell small but revealing lies. Friends can twist and evade truth and give half-truths, slowly eroding trust. Most painful for many is the deceit of a spouse—unfaithfulness to promises made.
Beyond personal relationships, we live in a fallen world marked by deceit. In our society, falsehood often flourishes. Sadly, we have come to expect distortion in public life. Leaders, media voices, educational institutions, advocacy movements, and experts shape narratives, reframe facts, and manipulate the truth. What Isaiah observed in his time is true of our own: “Truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter” (Isa. 59:14).
For Christians, this is not a surprise. Deception lies at the center of Satan’s strategy in this world. From the opening pages of the Bible, he wields it like a weapon. When the serpent approached Eve, he did not coerce, threaten, or overpower. He subtly and persuasively deceived. Jesus later identified deception as primary to Satan’s character. He said, “When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44).
Of course, this does not remove personal responsibility. Eve was guilty, though she responded to her Maker, “The serpent deceived me” (Gen. 3:13). We, too, can be corrupted by similar deception. That truth hits even harder when we acknowledge the Bible’s teaching that “the heart is deceitful above all things” (Jer. 17:9). Not only is deceit something that is out there, but there is a propensity within all of us to be self-deceived.
How do we stand firm when falsehood is around and within us? The Apostle Paul says, “Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth” (Eph. 6:14). Not surprisingly, it begins with being anchored in God’s Word: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). We also cannot trust ourselves uncritically: “Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool” (Prov. 28:26). Our ears need to be discerning so that we do not hear only what we want to hear (2 Tim. 4:3). Active involvement in the life of the church steadies us in the truth (Eph. 4:11–16). And we must live in union and communion with Jesus Christ, who is the truth (John 14:6).
The answer to the question “Am I being deceived?” is “Yes, within and without.” Yet the transforming power of the gospel brings God’s truth to bear on deceived and deceitful hearts. And the triumph of Christ means that one day every falsehood will be silenced and the truth will stand victorious.