By Dave Doveton, Anglican Mainstream.
Nothing in human language can describe the utter shock and pure terror of the soul who, passing the gates of death, drifts not into the heavenly bliss that they were expecting, but plunges into the chasm of infernal torment. It surpasses by far the shock of the unrepentant who their whole lives have deliberately scorned and rejected a loving and just God. They know their eternal destiny hinges on their recalcitrance and rebellion, but the religious person believes they are safe and secure.
They have spent many years in Church, either as congregants – or, embarking on a vocation to the sacred orders of ministry, have spent their lives in service to the Church. They could be preachers, teachers of great reputation, prominent bishops or megachurch leaders.
At the moment of death, they pass not into the warmth and light of eternal rest but find themselves before the judgement seat of Christ. Dazzled by his infinite holiness and purity, they realise their lost and hopeless state. Then they hear those words that drain every confidence and instil a terror beyond belief, Depart from me you workers of lawlessness… (Matt 7:23)
The Error
Jesus refers many times to self-deception as one of the most prevalent dangers of the spiritual life. No status can insulate one from this error, as scripture makes abundantly clear -indeed the most likely candidates for self-deception seem to be spiritual leaders – bishops, priests, moderators, pastors. In his parables, [1] there are several references to this. One may think, for example of the Parable of the Tenants[i], or the Parable of the Two Sons[ii]. Also, in John’s gospel, Jesus pronounces on the spiritual blindness of the Jewish leaders as a self-inflicted judgement; If you were blind, you would have no guilt, but now that you say, ‘We see’, your guilt remains. (John 9:39,40)
Status can carry with it a subtle but deadly temptation to pride and self-satisfaction. People tend to reinforce that by placing their leaders on a pedestal. They tell them how wonderful and godly they are, and we all like to be affirmed. However, there is a fine line between affirmation and the flattery which strokes egos and blinds the soul to self-examination. As Jeremiah reminds us, “The heart is deceitful above all, who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9)
The devil tempts us in many ways to turn away from God by sinful behaviour. However, his most subtle strategy is to lull a person into false assurance, so that they become inured to the Holy Spirit’s promptings to repentance. Cocooned in a doctrine of inclusion, and a belief in a God of love that overlooks unrepentant sin, the result is a soul resting in presumption, not genuine peace; a soul insulated against the conviction of the Spirit,
Their moral rectitude and their life of service convince others they are heaven bound, and those around them offer support for their self-delusion. Make no mistake, we will not always distinguish the tares from the wheat until the angels come at harvesttime.
There are many ways leaders can be trapped in their self-deception and thus also deceive those under their care. One common contemporary deception is in the area of human sexuality where leaders have misled their congregants. Here self-deception seems to have taken root in the deepest part of the human psyche -our sexual nature. For it is that part of what it means to be human that points us to our teleological end, in God’s providence and plan for his creatures. In the beginning he made us male and female in order that we may be co-creators with him. We have in principio a natural end – that is to procreate within a loving and supportive family structure and raise the next generation. There is a teleological order permeating all being, as Thomas Aquinas observes,
“Since the whole course of nature proceeds and is directed to an end in an orderly manner, we must posit something higher which directs and governs these things as Lord: and this is God.”[iii][2]
To understand the nature of self-deception, we return to Jesus’ pronouncement in Matthew’s gospel:
Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name, and do mighty works in your name? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from me you workers of lawlessness.’
Firstly, I believe that Jesus’ choice of words is instructive here – he uses the Greek anomia – lawlessness or iniquity. While sin is a more general term that often means “missing the mark”, iniquity is more specific, meaning a deep, conscious twisting or distortion of God’s moral standards into crooked or perverse behaviour. It is the word most often used to translate the Hebrew awon – literally “crookedness”, “bending,” or “twisting,” It describes a perversion of what is good and right.
St. Thomas Aquinas defines iniquity as fundamentally a disorder or lack of proportion and alignment with the divine rule and justice, treating it as synonymous with moral injustice. It is in effect a turning away from the order of reason and a mind that refuses to be properly subject to God and His eternal law. Thus, it can be seen as disorder – going against God’s divine purpose, twisting and corrupting his creation.
Natural good is corrupted, in as much as man’s nature is disordered by man’s will not being subject to God’s; and this order being overthrown, the consequence is that the whole nature of sinful man remains disordered.[iv]
Secondly, we note the words of those judged, ‘Did we not… do many mighty works in your name?’, and Jesus’ reply, ‘…depart from me you workers of lawlessness’, as if to emphasise the fact that what they really did in their lives were not works of righteousness but works that distorted God’s moral standards. Jesus is pointing out that there is a difference between doing things for him (in his authority) and doing what he requires. They are judged for blatant disobedience regarding the moral standards he has laid out for his disciples, and what they have done for Jesus does not absolve them from transgressing these commands. Such instruction Jesus has given in the preceding text of Matthew 5:1 to 7:20. In short, we cannot have salvation on our own terms.
Scripture clearly teaches that lawlessness or iniquity applies to sexual ethics (among other things). The moral law in Leviticus labels sexually immoral acts – incest, homosexual relations, adultery and bestiality specifically as iniquity[v]. In the New Testament[vi] these offences are regarded as egregious[vii] enough to bar one from the Kingdom if not repented. In 2 Peter 2:7-9 there is a reference back to the Sodom incident, labelling the acts of the people of the city as lawless[viii]. Paul also makes pointed reference to the sexually immoral and those engaged in homosexual relations in a list of those he labels as ‘lawless and disobedient’.[ix]
So, Christian leaders are ‘workers of iniquity’ – if they have engaged in actively working against God’s purpose, subverting his creative purposes most clearly seen in marriage and procreation, by denying it and telling people there will be no consequence in this life or indeed eternally, for their behaviour.
The Divine Telos
If, as many in contemporary culture are wont, we define our own purpose as centred on our feelings and affections, paradoxically we eliminate the significance of our bodies, which are biologically male or female. The body is just material with no moral significance and can therefore be used as a mere instrument to serve our desires, which have the ultimate authority. The body exists to serve no higher purpose than to put into action my feelings and desires, to express who I believe I am.
As Pope John Paul II has observed, our material bodies have become raw material for human activity. This utilitarianism is really a will to power, which turns order into disorder, rejecting the order of creation and the divine purpose. Not only do we reject God’s earthly telos for our lives, but ultimately his eternal one – to share with him in his heavenly kingdom. As Paul declares,
“…but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” (Romans 2:8)
The Mystery of Iniquity
Their chorus of Lord, Lord betrays the familiarity of long practiced worship leading, preaching, and praying. Did we not…? reveals their achievements in ministry – perhaps even becoming renowned preachers, healers, teachers or administrators; casting out demons speaks of the authority they wielded. Surely that counts for something? They are still confident in their eternal security.
But they are workers of iniquity (anomia) or lawlessness – so taking an active part in the hidden mystery of lawlessness, which will be fully revealed in the ‘man of lawlessness’.
This mystery is outlined in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12,
- It is present throughout the church age:
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. (V7)
- It is revealed and embodied in fulness in ‘the man of lawlessness’:
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship…. proclaiming himself to be God. (V3,4)
- It is in essence an exaltation of the self, one who places his/her own will above God’s will:
The coming of the lawless one is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused [x]to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (V9-12)
That is, because they did not love the truth they showed favour towards unrighteous behaviour – even receiving pleasure from it. They themselves are not aware, nor are their many followers until the moment of death, because the mystery of lawlessness is not fully revealed; their true state is concealed until they cross into eternity and face the divine majesty.
The tragedy of their end is compounded by the fact that they could have taken hold of God’s grace and mercy when they still had time, as expressed by the Psalmist,
“Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:2)
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[i] Matthew 21:33-41.
[ii] Matthew 21:28-32.
[iii] St Thomas Aquinas, Super Evangelium S. Ioannis Lectura, no. 3.
[iv] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Treatise on Grace Q109 OF THE NECESSITY OF GRACE, Article 7.
https://ccel.org/ccel/a/aquinas/summa/cache/summa.pdf (p2539)
[v] Lev 20: 17,19, Num 5:31; see also 1 Sam 3:14 Eli’s sons who seduced young women in the court of the sanctuary, 2 Sam 24:10, 1 Chron 21:8 David confesses to adultery.
[vi] Eg.1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Ephesians 5:5,6;
[vii] See Robert Gagnon’s Essay regarding its egregious nature according to scripture: How Bad Is Homosexual Practice According to Scripture and Does Scripture’s Indictment Apply to Committed Homosexual Unions? http://www.robgagnon.net/HowBadIsHomosexualPractice.htm
[viii] 2 Peter 2:8.
[ix] 1 Timothy 1:8-11.
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