A Review of “Is Ethical Deception a Fiction? (Part 3)”
“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).
Sometimes, when watching a movie, an unexpected action occurs, and the viewer is astonished. “I didn’t see that coming!” he says. That was my reaction to Mac Deaver’s pronouncement at the close of his review of my third article opposing his theory of Authorized Ethical Deception. Somehow, he determined that my critique of his original article “amounts to an attack on the providence of God” (7). Really? Did anyone who read the September 22nd article (2013) come to that conclusion besides Mac? He repeats that I presented “an unintended attack on the providence of God” (7). I didn’t see that coming—especially since I had appealed to God’s providence as the means by which He allows Satan the opportunity to deceive.
Deaver began by saying, “I find no fault with most of the article” (1). He correctly says that words can sometimes be used in both a positive and a negative sense and that it only takes one exception to show the versatility of a word. He used as an example the word translated “lust”; although generally negative, it is clearly used in a positive way, also. We both recognize the validity of this principle; in fact, my case on the word deception was based on the fact that it is never used in a positive light. One New Testament word group (noun, verb, adjective) [1386, 1387, 1388 and 1389] is used 15 times. They are listed below: the reader can judge for himself if even one time in any of these verses one could derive a positive aspect.
and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him (Matt. 26:4). The note in the margin of the New King James (from which all these are taken) has “deception” for “trickery.” [The word related to deception in each passage will be italicized and bolded.]
thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness (Mark 7:22).
After two days it was Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take Him by trickery and put Him to death (Mark 14:1). [Again, deception is in the margin.]
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (John 1:47).
And said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all unrighteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10).
Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers (Rom. 1:29).
“Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit” (Rom. 3:13).
But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God (2 Cor. 4:2).
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ (2 Cor. 11:13).
But be that as it may, I did not burden you. Nevertheless being crafty, I caught you with guile (2 Cor. 12:16)! [Crafty here and deceit below are from other words.]
For our exhortation did not come from deceit or uncleanness, nor was it in guile (1 Thess. 2:3).
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all guile, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking (1 Peter 2:1).
Who committed no sin, nor was guile found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22).
For “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile (1 Peter 3:10).
And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God (Rev. 14:5). [Words vary according to NKJ edition.]
Having quoted in full these 15 verses, the reader has surely noticed that none of them contains even the slightest positive nuance. A different Greek verb [1818] is used five times in the New Testament. In Romans 7:11, Paul taught that sin had deceived him, and in Romans 16:18 he talked about the false teachers who could deceive the hearts of the simple. He also warns against anyone who would deceive himself (1 Cor. 3:18), and likewise warns against allowing someone else to deceive us (1 Thess. 2:3). The fifth verse is printed in its entirety:
But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3).
Will anyone affirm that any of these have a positive connotation? Another noun and adjective [3834 and 3835] is associated with craftiness. The verse immediately above contains “craftiness,” which is one of six, as it is in 2 Corinthians 4:2, already cited, and “crafty” in 2 Corinthians 12:16 (already cited). The other three are also translated “craftiness” (Luke 20:23; 1 Cor. 3:19; Eph. 4:14). None of these are used in an uplifting manner, either. One verb [2603] is used only once in the New Testament in Colossians 2:18: “Let no man defraud you of your reward….” The King James uses beguile in that verse.
27 times the “deceit” concept is found in the New Testament—and not one of them is used in a positive sense. But, believe it or not, another word group exists that can also at times be translated “deceive” or “deceiver” [4105, 4106, 4107, and 4108]. Since 55 verses use these words, we cannot reproduce them all here. It should be pointed out, however, that in various passages the verb is translated “goes astray” (Matt. 18:12) and “err” (Matt. 22:29, KJV). The noun is also rendered “error” (James 5:20; Jude 11). It is also translated “delusion” in 2 Thessalonians 2:11; this verse will prove to be important later.
So, one would expect that Deaver might go to a verse that shows clearly the use of deception as a good thing, but they all have a negative context. He cannot say, “Here is an instance when Jesus used deception, therefore, it is all right for Christians to use deception.”
The Old Testament
In trying to make the case for Authorized Ethical Deception (AED), Deaver spends most of his time discussing the three passages I brought up in my article in an effort to use them against me. My thesis was, and is, that when someone allows something to happen, he is sometimes credited for authorizing what happened. For example, the atheist would argue that, since God allowed evil to exist (by not prohibiting Satan from tempting Eve, by not forcing her to resist, or intervening to make a further argument), therefore He is to blame for sin. Is God to be blamed—just because someone thinks He could be? No.
Satan had already chosen the way of evil; he will not change. As long as he has access to people, evil will continue. God had already given His command to the first couple. Did they love Him and trust Him because He created them? Did they respect His Word in the form of a commandment? They failed to do what He said and sinned. God is not to be blamed in this event. Now consider the first of three passages.
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Surely You have greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, ‘You shall have peace,’ whereas the sword reaches to the heart.”
Deaver says: “…still in some sense the deception is clearly being ascribed to God” (3). He again refers to his main thesis, that God cannot sin (by lying), but deception is not lying and is therefore a legitimate means that God may employ. Two things must be said in response to this argument. First, we have taken great pains to show that in every instance the words translated “deception” never have a positive flavor. Neither is it so in this passage. Although Deaver may be honest in his approach and may mean well, I personally would feel awful accusing God of using deception when it is always an evil thing. Most people would shy away from doing such a thing. According to Gesenius, the Hebrew word [5377] translated “deceived” means “to lead into error, to cause to go astray” (570).
Second, the text does not say God used a bit of deception on the people; it says specifically what the deception was; observe the bolded part of the verse:
He deceived them by saying, “You shall have peace.” If He told them that, it was—wait for it—a lie. Deaver is on record as agreeing that God cannot lie; so: True – False. God lied when He told the people they would have peace. The fact is that someone is often credited for what he allows to be done whether or not he approved of it. Did Jesus approve of Judas betraying Him when He told Him, “What you do, do quickly” (John 13:27)?
Could Jesus have stopped Judas from betraying Him? Sure, He could have had the other apostles tie him up and keep a close eye on him. He could have been somewhere else when they came to arrest Him. He knew that Judas would betray Him; He told him so at the last supper. When Judas (who had already been paid for doing so) asked if he was the one who would betray Jesus, the Lord answered, “You have said it” (Matt. 26:25). When John asked who it was that should betray Him, Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon (John 13:26). Jesus knew what he would do and told him to do it quickly. But He did not cause Judas to do it; he had already made the decision. The Lord allowed him to do what he was already committed to doing. Jesus cannot be blamed for Judas’ actions because He did not stop him.
Likewise, the false prophets of Jeremiah’s day were not stopped by God. He allowed the false prophets to deceive, but He did not agree with them or approve their message. The false prophets lied, saying, “Peace, peace,” when there was no peace (Jer. 6:14; 8:11). In Jeremiah 4:10, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that Jeremiah is lamenting that God allowed the false prophets to convince the people with a message they wanted to hear anyway.
Jeremiah 20:7-9 (the 2nd passage)
In my previous article, I explained Jeremiah’s emotional state and the meaning of the word translated “deceived” in the King James, but “induced” and “persuaded” in the New King James and other translations. The Septuagint did not use any of the Greek words discussed earlier; so this Hebrew word may be used in either a positive or negative sense, which cannot be said of any of the words in the New Testament.
Mac tries to disparage me for the explanation offered. He says: “According to Summers, inspiration is no assurance that the truth is being spoken by the alleged inspired man!” Such an observation sounds like a damaging accusation, but it falls flat. The book of Job was written by inspiration, but much of what was said by Job’s friends was not inspired. Even Job himself acknowledges, “…Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand things too wonderful for me, which I did not know” (Job 42:3b). The Holy Spirit did not lie in recording Jeremiah’s frustration. Whereas God persuaded him, he did not deceive His prophet.
Ezekiel 14:9 (the 3rd passage)
The context of this passage concerns men who have set up idols in their hearts (v. 2). God’s message to them is to repent (v. 6). Anyone who had idols in his heart and then came to the prophet to inquire of him concerning Jehovah, God would Himself answer (v. 7). He would “set His face” against that man, make him a proverb, and cut him off from the midst of the people (v. 8). The prophet would also be punished:
“And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand and destroy him from among the people of Israel. And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired” (Ezek. 16:9-10).
Deaver is forced into the unenviable position of saying that God first induced (deceived) the prophet into agreeing with the man who had set up idols in his heart but then destroyed him. What would be the difference between this and in God enticing Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit and then punishing them because they did so? God did not literally do either. He allowed Satan to do both because the devil is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). When God says that He induced the false prophet, He means that He allowed him the freedom to make the wrong choice and throw in with the man who had set up idols in his heart.
2 Thessalonians 2:11
The same situation exists in 2 Thessalonians 2:11: “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.” The word translated “delusion” [4105] was mentioned previously, and it is usually translated “error.” Did God send them error directly, or did he allow Satan to deceive them? Surely, Mac would not want to claim the first choice.
Deaver finally comes to an astounding conclusion: “But God can providentially act so that lies are circulated where men who want them can have them. Will Summers deny this?” (6). Is he kidding? This is what Summers has been affirming—that God providentially allows Satan to lie and deceive those who have no love of the truth in the first place (1 Thess. 2:10). But if Mac means, by God providentially acting, that He personally and directly deceives, then the two of us will continue to disagree. When every New Testament instance uses the various words translated “deceit” in a dishonorable way, no one has the right to assume that God uses the same evil tool in a direct way. He did not create error, but He allows it to exist. He does not tempt any man but allows Satan to do so. He does not encourage people to sin, but does not prevent Satan from deceiving them.
Why?
For Mac Deaver to write so copiously to try to establish and then defend Authorized Ethical Deceit, one must ask the question, “Why? What is to be gained?” It cannot merely be an effort to defend Abraham. What, then, is his motivation? Is he planning on using deception and trying to justify it to himself? Or have he and others associated with him already been doing so? He said he would retain the word deception, but in the New Testament, it clearly describes evil. Deception is not ethical when discussing or debating with someone holding to a different position. Certainly, it is not authorized. When did Jesus or the apostles ever use it? The gospel never spread through deception, but truth (1 Thess. 2:1-3).