Even Love Has Its Counterfeits

The love that God’s grace produces is proved as much by what we don’t do as it is by what we do do. Knowing what love looks like is important. Knowing what it does not look like is equally important.

I suppose before I dig into this I should come out and say that saving grace is not proved by what we believe. There is a big difference between knowing about saving grace and having saving grace. Yes, we need to crave God’s truth as a newborn baby craves its mother’s milk. We need to grow in the knowledge of truth if we are ever going to grow in godliness, one doesn’t happen without the other. But we are never told to look to our possession of knowledge of doctrine or Scripture, as proof of our salvation. Good theology is necessary for growing in grace, but it is not in and of itself, the proof of it.

This is important because all things of value have their counterfeits. Diamonds have counterfeits, gold has counterfeits, money has counterfeits, Rolexes have counterfeits, Gucci purses have counterfeits, even cigars have counterfeits! If something is of value it has its counterfeits, and the same holds true for spiritual things. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:12-14 (NIV),

And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under 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.

In a sermon on that same passage, False Light and True, Jonathan Edwards (that awesome 18^th century pastor) explains how this is so:

But Satan in the counsels that he gives men, transforms himself into angel of light in both these respects: he puts on a disguise of holiness, and also of kindness to men.

First. He, in the counsels he gives men, puts on a disguise of holiness; and that two ways.

1. In that he counsels men to sin under pretense of duty. When Satan would tempt men to sin, this is a stratagem he oftentimes makes use, viz. to persuade men that ‘Tis their duty. Thus oftentimes when he counsels men to a violent pursuit after the world, he suggests to them that ‘Tis more than their duty. They ought to take care to provide for themselves and for their families. He calls their anxiousness and eagerness after the world a prudent care.

So he often dissuades men from parting with some of their estates for the benefit of their neighbor in want, or for some public service, under pretense of duty. He tells them that ‘Tis their duty to be frugal and saving of what they have. He calls that bountifulness and liberality, which is indeed their duty by the names of profuseness and prodigality, and so represents it as sinful. So sometimes he persuades men to set up their own wills in any affair, in opposition to others, under pretense of conscience. So sometimes he counsels men to be contentious and quarrelsome, and makes them the means of fomenting a great deal of strife, under pretense of holy zeal. And many other like ways has Satan of tempting men to sin under pretense of their obeying God’s commands.

2. He oftentimes puts on a disguise of holiness in his temptation, in that makes use of Scripture in his temptation. Thus the devil makes use of Scripture in his tempting Christ. Matthew 4:6, “And he saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy bot against a stone.”

So he often abuses the Holy Scriptures to tempt men by putting his false and deceitful glosses upon them, or drawing false inferences from them.

Thus the devil oftentimes makes use of Scripture to tempt men to discouragement and despair. He, by some wrong interpretation or application of some awful texts of Scripture, makes men think that there is no hope for them, and that it is not worth the while for them to seek salvation, and so thence tempts them to leave off seeking.

So the devil oftentimes makes use of Scripture to flatter men, and to harden them in their sins. He makes use of the declarations of infinite mercy that there are in the word of God, to tempt men to presumption and make ’em the more bold in sin. To the same purpose, he oftentimes makes use of the instances of the falls of the saints that we have an account of in Scripture, to harden them in their sins.

Second. Satan transforms himself into an angel of light in counselling men, in that he puts on a disguise and pretense of kindness to them. He often will lead men into by paths with that, that this is the likeliest way to their spiritual good. Thus when persons are under convictions and exercise of mind about the state of their souls, Satan is ordinarily very busy with them with his counsel and advice. He is always ready at hand upon every difficulty to whisper them in the ear, and to direct them to this or that as the most prudent course, and what will be most for their good. None [is] so forward to give counsel in such cases.

Thus Satan often tempts them to neglect such and such duties with that, that if they do them, they shall only provoke God the more and increase their own guilt. Thus he sometimes counsels persons to neglect the duty of secret prayer, and to absent themselves from the Lord’s Supper. So sometimes Satan advises persons when under difficulties to keep their difficulties to themselves, by no means to make them known.

And sometimes it is to be feared that persons under conviction are tempted to allow of wicked thoughts, blasphemous risings of heart against God, and very envious and malicious thoughts against their neighbors that are converted; for the devil tells them they will be in the more likely way to be converted for it, because others that have been converted have been so. They tell of many wicked and blasphemous thoughts they have found within themselves, a desperate, quarrelling spirit; and therefore they look upon it that this is the way, that when persons are so, then they are in a likely way to be converted. They look upon it [as] necessary in order to see their own hearts. And hence Satan tempts them to humor such a disposition, when they feel it rising within ’em, that so they might be in a good way to be converted.

And many other ways does Satan lead persons into snares, and in ways that tend to their own ruin, under pretense of leading of them in the likeliest way to their own good. Thus Satan transforms himself into an angel of light when he acts the part of a counsellor.

Satan transforms himself {into an angel of light} in doing [the] part of a comforter by flattering men in a false light, instead of spiritual and saving light. There are counterfeit graces and a counterfeit light that the devil oftentimes flatters men in, and influences them to depend upon, instead of true grace and the true saving light of God’s spirit. Every grace has its counterfeit. As there is a counterfeit faith and a counterfeit love, a counterfeit repentance, a counterfeit charity, {a counterfeit} humility, {a counterfeit} thankfulness; so also there are counterfeit discoveries in imitation of those saving discoveries that are made of God, and Christ, and spiritual things in the work of conversion, that Satan himself may be the author of; or if he [is] not the author of them, may make use of them to deceive and blind the subjects of them, and in thus imitating the discoveries of God’s spirit, transforms himself into an angel of light (The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 19. Pages 125-127).

Not all that looks good is good. Not all that glitters is gold. Satan can look like an angel of light. Teachers in the church can have an appearance of godliness. Saul looked like a good king, he was imposing, politically savvy, and an accomplished military strategist, but he lacked real godliness and so lost his kingdom to David. Eli seemed like a good High Priest and father figure to Samuel, but he lacked real godliness in turning a blind eye to the evil his sons were doing and so God removed his family from the priesthood altogether. Judas looked like a true disciple and walked with Jesus for three years but in the end sold Him out for money. The Pharisees were committed to making sure that Israel returned to God after the exile, they were committed to not making the mistakes of their forefathers, but Jesus pointed out again and again that while they had a form of godliness, they were very far from God. Their holiness was counterfeit.

How do you tell the difference between true holiness, true love, and false? Jesus says you tell it by its fruit, its actions, by what it produces. Jesus says in Matthew 7:15-20 (NIV),

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

James says virtually the same in James 2:14-17 (NIV)

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

There are two ways Scripture teaches to tell the difference between counterfeit love and real godly love.

The first is positive: Love is the presence of some things.

The second is negative: Love is the absence of some things.

Take 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV) for example:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love is proven by the presence of patience, kindness, joy in the truth, protection, trust, hope, and perseverance.

Love is proven by the absence of envy, boasting, pride, dishonoring others, selfishness, quick anger, constantly pointing out wrongs, and delight in evil.

In 1 Peter 2:1 which we looked at in yesterday’s post, Peter teaches that love is proven by the absence of malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. A love that is not absent of these things, is not a godly love, it is counterfeit.