"And it is no wonder. Even Satan tries to make himself look like an angel of light. So why does it seem strange for Satan's servants to pretend to do what is right? Someday they will get exactly what they deserve" - (2Co 11:14-15 CEV).
There are many of these - people who deceive others for profit or for some other form of gain. I have my own share of them as churches are one of the favorite hunting ground for such despicable creatures. Their skill to lure victims is in their ability to masquerade as good people or, as the passage today calls them, as servants of righteousness (2 Cor 11:15). In Jesus' time, He calls them savage wolves in sheep's clothing (Mat 7:15). Their favorite victims are those who are meek, untrained in the ways of the world, unassuming and gullible. Their preferred method of deceit is their mostly put on facade of being highly educated, socially ranked and as high achievers. In my own personal encounters, one pretended to be a law student while the other a fine arts graduate of UST, carrying a family name that belongs to one of the political scions in this country. Impressive indeed and that's how they gain ground.
But why do we get victimized? Because sometimes we either trust people so easily or at other times, we get impressed by the con artist's pretensions. Jesus dealt with such kinds and so did Apostle Paul. But the latter did not mince words when he compared such with the snake who deceived Eve (2 Cor 11:3) or Satan who masquerades as an angel of light (v. 14). The worst kind of course are those who pretend they are God's workers and are using the name of the Lord to fool people, either to enrich themselves or to gain honor and recognition for whatever end they conceive in their wicked plans. The ones that Apostle Paul had to deal with are bold too, daring to put him down so that they may be exalted (vv. 5-6). The thing with deceivers is that they don't have any limits to the kind of things that they can do. They will destroy others so that they can build themselves up. We can only pray to God that He gives us discernment to identify these people early so that they cannot cause us damage.
The bible have several advice, especially if the kind that we are dealing with are those who pretend to be God's servants. We can train ourselves in the truth. Pretenders cannot fake everything, especially not the truth. We need to be watchful because the spirit that works on deceivers will soon expose themselves as such. We should not allow ourselves to be easily impressed by showmanship or by pretense of virtues. We should assume that sometimes good things are used as favorite wrappings of that which actually stink. Then we should be prayerful that we will be spared from them.
But above all these, let's be careful that we don't become one. Though we don't actually wish to be a victim, yet to be the victimizer is worse for we will be lumped with the devil. Apostle Peter has this to say: "After all, if it is the will of God, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong" (1Pe 3:17 ISV). Somehow, the Lord will spare us from the worst when we encounter these quislings.
