UNFINISHED

 Love does not exist apart from truth. It is only lust disguised as love. 

In 2 Corinthians 11 (Paul speaking), I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpents cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one that you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.

(continue reading in your Bible verses 5-11 for context, as I am continuing in verses 12-15)

And I will keep doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from underneath those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Notice where it says, "just as Eve was deceived by the serpents cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere devotion to Christ." Then it goes on to say such people, (what people)? The people that have been led astray from their pure devotion to Christ- These people are false apostles who are servants of satan and like him they masquerade as an angel of light. These people do not have the righteousness of Christ no more than satan is an angel of light. It is all a mask to hide their deception. When Eve was led astray, it was because she trusted the serpent that the knowledge of good and evil would make her like God. But she and the man were already made in the likeness of God. When her and Adam ate the fruit, their eyes were opened and they became like one of God. What does that actually mean, "like one of"? Think of a child becoming like one of their parents. Does this mean they are like the whole of the parental unit? No. It means they are like one of them. Adam and Eve became like one of God. When the man became one like God (Genesis 3:22), he then knew good and evil and was unable to reach out his hand and partake from the tree of life, to eat and live forever. What does this mean? He was separated from life and only knowing good. He came to know death. He was no longer in the image of God. He became separated from God. He was one like God. Are we good so far?

*The man was deceived by the woman who was deceived by the cunningness of the serpent.

*They became like one of God

*They became without the image of God

*He then became afraid of God

Separation makes one afraid. Fear causes us to self protect against the one we are afraid of. Self protection is rebellion and it is caused by fear when we are led astray from our sincere devotion to Christ. When we are in self protection mode, our trust and hope is not in Christ. It is in ourselves. This often will be a time when a person will set up rules and boundaries for their rebellion against God. For example, when Adam and Eve were separated from God, being apart from him- they could then see their nakedness. When they saw they were naked, they hid from God. Why? Because of fear that they were exposed. In their separation from God, they saw their own shame and hid from God because they were afraid. This is the knowledge of evil. The knowledge of evil brings shame and shame always brings fear. Fear is the beginning of wisdom. But perfect love casts out all fear because fear has to do with punishment. We will save all of that for another day. Because we are born separated from God (because of Adams sin) our nakedness will be exposed to us and we will always feel shame. The good news is we do not have to hide from God. We can trust him, naked and all! If we try to hide from him with our fig leaves, we are no different than satan putting on a mask, pretending to be an angel of light. Only in Christ do we receive a true robe of righteousness that covers us. Remember when God said, "It is not good for man to be alone"? God then separated the man by taking the woman out of the man. The man was not longer alone. He was separated. God brought that which he took out of the man back to the man. The one who came out of him was deceived and caused him to sin. It is not what goes into a man that deceives him, but what comes out of a man that defiles him. First, God separates then He joins together. What brought separation first? It was death. When Adam ate the tree, death entered into mankind separating him from God. He could hear God, but he could not see God. All he saw was his own nakedness and his own shame. But God is for us and not against us. He did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died- more than that, who was raised to life- is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." No, in all things we really more than conquerors though him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in al creation, will be able to separate us form the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Do you understand that in Christ we cannot again be separated from the love of God? The perfect love of God that cast out all fear cannot be separated from us who are in Christ!