Misplaced Object of Faith

In 2 Thessalonians 3:2, Paul asks believers to pray:

"And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not Faith."

At first glance, Paul appears to be speaking of people with evil intentions. Yet a closer look at the language he uses may reveal something deeper. The Greek word translated "unreasonable" is atopos, meaning "out of place," "misaligned," or "not in proper order." This suggests more than open hostility; it points to a condition of being spiritually misplaced.

Throughout Scripture, one of Satan's most effective strategies is not necessarily to make people openly oppose God, but to subtly shift the object of their faith away from God's appointed provision. His greatest victories often come not through obvious rebellion but through misplaced trust, our faith.

Misguided Devotion Rather Than Malicious Intent

Many who opposed Paul's message were not irreligious people. In fact, some were deeply devoted to God according to their understanding. Paul's strongest opposition often came from those who were zealous for the Law of Moses and committed to preserving religious traditions. Their problem was not a lack of sincerity; it was that their faith was placed in law-keeping, religious performance, and human effort rather than in Christ and His Finished Work. It is the same today. People are looking at what they are doing and can do.

Paul himself had once walked that same path. Before his encounter with Christ, he was exceedingly zealous for the traditions of his fathers. Yet all of that religious devotion could not produce righteousness before God. Nothing we do, no matter godly it may seem, can produce righteousness.

This reminds us that sincerity alone is not enough. The object of Faith matters.

"The Faith" Is Not of All

The phrase translated "for all men have not faith" is especially significant. In the Greek text, Paul refers to "the Faith." This points beyond a general capacity to believe and directs our attention to a specific truth, a specific Faith.

What was the central message Paul preached?

"For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2)

"The Faith" Paul proclaimed was not faith in self, faith in works, faith in religious systems, faith in having faith, or faith in human wisdom. It was faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrificial work at the Cross.

Not all men possessed this Faith because not all men had embraced Christ crucified as the sole ground of their righteousness and acceptance before God in Paul's day. It is the same now. Not all men (Believers in Christ) have "The Faith" mostly due to the fact it is not preached in churches today.

Satan's Counterfeit

Satan rarely attacks Faith by attempting to eliminate it altogether. Such a strategy would be obvious. Instead, Scripture reveals that he often disguises himself as an angel of light, presenting alternatives that appear spiritual, wise, and even godly.

His strategy is to redirect faith:

  • From Christ to self-effort.
  • From grace to law.
  • From dependence upon the Cross to dependence upon religious performance.
  • From God's righteousness to self-righteousness.
  • From simple faith in Christ to confidence in human wisdom and understanding.

The danger is that a person may remain deeply religious while becoming increasingly disconnected from the Power of God. The Power of God is displayed by the Office of the Holy Spirit, and He ONLY works within the parameters of the Cross of Christ. So when the object of our Faith is in anything else other than the Cross of Christ we tie the hands of the Holy Spirit who is God. It has to be God's Way, and His Way is Jesus and Him Crucified. This is the ONLY way that the Holy Spirit can "legally" work in our lives. It is a "law" that He must abide by.

The Power of the Cross

The Cross is not merely the doorway into Salvation; it remains the foundation of the Believer's daily walk with God - Sanctification. Every spiritual blessing flows from the Finished Work of Christ. When faith rests exclusively in Him and what He accomplished through His Death, Burial, and Resurrection, the Holy Spirit is free to work in the life of the Believer.

This is why Satan relentlessly seeks to move the object of faith. If he can persuade Believers to place their confidence elsewhere—even in good things such as religious activity, knowledge, or personal discipline—he obscures the sufficiency of Christ - where the Cross of Christ looses it effect - empty of its power to save the lost. The Cross of Christ is the true power behind Salvation for their is no other way for the lost to be saved. So if Satan can move the Believer's, and indeed the Church's, Faith for that which gives us Salvation, then are those people even saved? This is why the Message of the Cross is so important. I truly believe God graces us in our ignorance; but when we are presented with The Truth and reject, this is where we get ourselves in trouble. This is where I was - ignorant - but I heard Truth and accepted it.

Paul understood this danger. Therefore, he continually pointed Believers back to Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.

The issue is not whether people have faith; everyone has faith in something. The issue is where that faith is placed. Scripture consistently teaches that the power of God is found not in the strength of our faith, but in the One upon whom our faith rests and more importantly that which He accomplished in His Finished Work - His Death, Burial and Resurrection.

The enemy's most subtle weapon is not always open wickedness. Often it is a misplaced object of Faith. God's answer remains the same: Jesus Christ and Him Crucified.

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