Does God Cause An Individual To Believe A Lie?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin Articles, uncategorizedA querist asks, “In 2 Thessalonians 2:11, it states that God will send people a strong delusion that they should believe a lie. My question is, Does God cause an individual to believe a lie?”
The text of 2 Thessalonians 2:11-KJV states:
“And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.“
Since God cannot lie (Titus 1:2-NKJV; cf. 2 Timothy 2:13-NKJV; Hebrews 6:13-18-NKJV), He logically cannot be the author of lies, nor does He cause an individual to believe a lie (James 1:13-NKJV).
In the Bible, God is sometimes represented as actively doing something, when He only “allows” or permits something to occur (cf. Jeremiah 4:10-NKJV; Jeremiah 14:9-10-NKJV; Ezekiel 20:25-NKJV). As free moral agents, God has given man the ability to “choose” whether or not to believe a lie, or to come to know and understand His truth (cf. Joshua 24:14-15-NKJV; John 8:31-32-NKJV; Ephesians 3:1-4-NKJV; Ephesians 5:15-17-NKJV).
When dishonest folks willingly “choose” to close their ears to God’s truth (cf. Acts 5:27-33-NKJV; Acts 7:51-54-NKJV), God will not force anyone to believe His truth. He will honor their decision to believe error or a lie if they are inclined to do so 2 Thessalonians 2:10-NKJV; 2 Thessalonians 2:12-NKJV).