“Can a ‘Christian’ Be Deceived?” This is a question I’ve been asked many times. However, it could never be a one-word answer such as “Yes” or “No”. Not at this stage… because we need to do some defining before a definitive answer can be given. For example, I could say, “It all depends on what you mean by the word, ‘Christian’”. Personally, I am not very keen on it. These days, it can mean absolutely anything, and there are millions of people calling themselves “Christian” with whom I have nothing in common whatsoever, apart from being a created human!

So, at the outset, I would rephrase the question to say, “Can a Disciple of Christ be Deceived?” Anyone can call themselves a “Christian” without any real change happening. Or it can just be a title that one has ‘inherited’ from birth. In fact, the word “Christian” was originally a disparaging expression and not one which disciples of Christ used to refer to themselves. As well-stated in Ellicott’s commentary on 1 Peter 4:16:

“Peter purposely uses the name “Christian” which was a name of derision among the heathen. It is not, as yet, one by which the believers would usually describe themselves. It only occurs twice besides in the New Testament—in Acts 11:26, where we are told of the invention of the nickname, and in Acts 26:28, where Agrippa catches it up with insolent scorn… So contemptible was the name that, as M. Renan says, ‘Well-bred people avoided pronouncing the name, or, when forced to do so, made a kind of apology’”.

So disciples of Christ never called themselves “Christians” in the early church. They called themselves the “brethren” (e.g., 1 Thessalonians 4:10), the “saints”, i.e., holy, sanctified or consecrated people (1 Corinthians 16:1), and “those of the Way”, (Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9; Acts 24:22). But none is more descriptive of true spirituality than being a ‘disciple of Christ’. To be a genuine disciple of Christ is the real deal. One cannot fake that easily as it is far more demanding than merely calling oneself a “Christian”. The word “disciple” is derived from the Latin, discipulus, which comes from discere, to learn; related to docēre, to teach. A disciple is an avid learner and has an infinitely teachable spirit. Most people calling themselves “Christians” do not have such a spirit and seem to learn very little other than how to hone their subjective feelings, or to display self-righteousness, or to go down the rabbit holes of false and wacky teachings.

So, to answer our rephrased question, “Can a Disciple of Christ be Deceived?”, I would now have to respond with another question, “Do you mean temporarily deceived or permanently?” This is not just a pedantic question but is utterly germane to the situation. You see, it is one thing to be deceived on a temporary basis, which I think is possible for any disciple of Christ, especially if they do not get genned-up on the Bible or have not honed their level of discernment, or have got sloppy in their thinking and living, neglecting their sanctification and mortification of sin, or have not sought-out solid Bible teachers. But I do not believe that it is possible for a genuine disciple of Christ to be finally deceived forever so that they plunge into “the second death” in the life to come. This is where it gets interesting. Why is that, do you say? Well let’s open it up…

This whole question of “Can a disciple of Christ be deceived?” is intimately tied in with what is known as “eternal security”. If you are not a believer in ‘eternal security’ and you think that a disciple of Christ can lose his or her salvation, then you are going to think that a disciple of Christ can be finally deceived. But if you are a believer in ‘eternal security’, then you know very well that a disciple of Christ can be temporarily deceived but could never be finally deceived, i.e., leave this life as an utterly deceived individual. I am speaking here about major deception. We may have some minor elements which we thought were correct but they are not of ultimate importance. For example, thinking that Jesus had long flowing hair when He didn’t. Or thinking that the King James Version is the only authorised Bible ever. I’m sure you get my drift. On that level, yes, of course a disciple of Christ can be deceived right the way through life. But could a disciple of Christ be deceived into believing the words of a false teacher and following him or her? It could be possible that a genuine disciple of Christ might temporarily be taken in by such a character if they were not very well-taught and had not yet developed the gift of discernment of spirits; but they would not be permanently deceived. Is it possible that a disciple of Christ (or one of “the elect”, as Jesus calls them, Matthew 24:23-25) could be deceived by false ‘christs’ and false prophets? Because as the end of the age draws nearer, there will be a proliferation of such types. These were Jesus’ words on that:

“At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible”.

The implication there is that the signs and wonders would be so deceptive that they could technically deceive the elect but it isn’t really possible. They could certainly deceive countless false professors of faith, because they run after any old bandwagon without discernment. But could genuine disciples of Christ who have the Holy Spirit and are part of ‘the elect’ be deceived? The weaker ones among them may waver somewhat for a time because of the enormity of the deception. But they could not finally be deceived and fall away into iniquity.

On a general level, could a genuine regenerated disciple of Christ walk away from the whole Christian scene and be drawn into a life of sin? Temporarily, maybe, if there were important lessons to be learned, but not permanently. As John said, when some folks who he called “antichrists” went out from the flock (plainly in a permanent manner), he said that “They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of them belonged to us” (1 John 2:18-19). To those who did not “go out”, John said, “You, however, have an anointing from the Holy One, and you perceive all there is to know” (1 John 2:20). The genuine disciple of Christ would never definitively and finally “go out” from the people of God. If you belong to the people of God you ultimately remain with the people of God. Even if you have, for a time, walked away from the people of God for various reasons (e.g. you were abused in a church, or you became disillusioned with the number of professing Christians who tell lies and engage in nasty gossip and slander), you will always return stronger and more resistant to such treatment. Once His, always His. If you are His, even if you wander away from Him for a while, you will still be His, irrevocably, as He watches you make a mess of stuff and then realise where you should really be. His hand will always be upon you.

This is why an understanding of ‘eternal security’ is so necessary. It is very fashionable among the multitude of professing ‘Christian’ ‘influencers’ on social media — who are generally somewhat sensational and propagate numerous conspiracies — to almost hysterically condemn the teaching of ‘eternal security’ with absolute hatred. This is part and parcel of the ugly and embarrassingly fake “Christianity” which now prevails in the visible church, in which ignorant and petulant professors of faith have come to dictate the church’s teachings.

The Bible plainly teaches that a true disciple of Christ cannot lose his or her salvation. Here are the abundant Scripture proofs that believers cannot possibly apostatize and are kept faithful to the end of their lives by the power of God:

  • “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, who takes delight in his journey. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand” (Psalm 37:23-24).
  • “The righteous will hold to his way, and he who has clean hands will be stronger and stronger” (Job 17:9).
  • “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
  • “Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:37-40).
  • “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and the Father are one” (John 10:27-30).
  • “In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am” (John 14:2-3).
  • “And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).
  • “Truly, truly, I tell you, whoever hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not come under judgment. Indeed, he has crossed over from death to life” (John 5:24).
  • “For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).
  • “For sin will not rule over you, for you are not under law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14).
  • “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30).
  • “…in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory” (Ephesians 1:13-14).
  • “The Lord will rescue me from every evil action and bring me safely into His heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18).
  • “For our citizenship is in heaven…” (Philippians 3:20).
  • “Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen” (Jude 24-25)

Added to the above irrefutable Scriptures there is the teaching of the eighth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Romans, which is devoted to proving that the saints are saved forever, and that there is nothing which can come between them and their faith.

My friends, it is time to GET SERIOUS about what the Bible teaches instead of falling for the soundbite, dumbed-down mentality which seems to prevail in the visible church “Christian” scene, leading to all kinds of bandwagons which make a mockery of our faith: The Israel First bandwagon, the (pseudo) signs and wonders bandwagon, the ‘pre-trib. rapture’ bandwagon; the ‘speaking in (phoney) tongues’ bandwagon; the ‘Name it and Claim it, Health ’n Wealth’ bandwagon (prosperity theology); the ‘New Apostolic Reformation’ bandwagon; the ‘Seven Mountain Mandate’ bandwagon; the ‘Deliverance Ministry’ bandwagon; the ‘slain-in-the-spirit’ bandwagon; the ‘Judaising’ bandwagon; the ‘Christian Zionist’ bandwagon; the ‘KJV-Only’ bandwagon; the ‘liberation theology’ bandwagon; the ‘Christian Right’ bandwagon; the ‘Sacerdotal’ bandwagon (bells and smells); the ‘Professional Protestant’ bandwagon; the ‘Absolutely and Utterly Thoroughly Reformed’ (legalistic) bandwagon; the ‘Jesus Freak’ bandwagon; the ‘Toronto Blessing’ bandwagon; the ‘QAnon’ bandwagon, and a whole truckload more. These are all the result of rank superficiality.

The downfall of most professing Christians today is that they are superficial and only ever skim the surface. They are dilettantes who dabble in the Word of God, taking verses out of context to suit their truncated version of truth, but do not really take the fullness of its teachings on board. The rabid denial of ‘eternal security’ or the refusal to accept the ‘final perseverance of the saints’ is a satanic curse on the visible church which is all part of the apostasy away from the truth of the Word of God. As Thomas Brooks (1608-1680) rightly stated, Satan uses devices to keep disciples of Christ “in a sad, doubting, questioning and uncomfortable condition” (Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices, fp.1652, Part 3). One of those devices is to make them think that they can lose their salvation. That is as ludicrous an idea as if you were to think that even if you eat well you will still starve to death! To deny the ‘eternal security of the saints’ is a slur on God’s character, who does not use half-measures when it comes to His people. It is also a symptom of the shallow man-centred semi-Pelagian/Pelagian way of thinking which is so prevalent in the churches today, by which it is imagined that a person “makes a decision for Christ” while contemptuously ignoring the fact that it was God who put that decision into the person’s mind in the first place!

Therefore, how one answers the question, “Can a Christian Be Finally Deceived?” is determined by how one answers the question, “Can a Christian Finally Lose his or her Salvation”. Genuine “Christians” — i.e., genuine disciples of Christ — cannot finally be deceived and cannot finally lose their salvation. Things can happen to them along the way which can shake them to the core, which can even make them seem to lose their way for a time (and which can, so to speak, send them into “the desert” to heal). But this is all part of ‘working out our salvation with fear and trembling’ (Philippians 2:12), which is us doing our bit after God has definitively and for all time saved us. So, yes, genuine disciples of Christ can be deceived temporarily, but when a voice of salvific truth speaks to them they will hear it and be restored, for genuine disciples of Christ have teachable minds and hearts and will thereby always veer back towards their solid foundations.

Therefore, at this present time, if you are deceived by any of the professing ‘Christian’ ‘celebs’ and ‘heroes’ who are false teachers, false prophets and phoney leaders being dangled before you through the christianised ‘cult of the personality’, and you persistently ignore with disdain those who are trying to pull you back (thereby clearly betraying your former profession of faith), you will start to fall into a lifestyle of being increasingly deceived in a major way as time goes by, because God will ‘give you over’ exponentially until your whole life is utterly steeped in deception and inveiglement (important word to have in your vocabulary). You will become a stinking trashcan of chicanery and subterfuge, thereby proving that you never really were a genuine disciple of Christ in the first place. And if you fall so easily for all that, obstinately and relentlessly brushing aside with contempt those who present you with the truth of your deception — thereby proving that you have not been “born from above” (John 3:3) —  you will find yourself in a position in which you will ultimately revere the Antichrist when he is revealed because he will be steeped in massively more cunning deception than anything you have ever experienced before. Every wave of deception which hits you now, at this stage in the game, is just a rehearsal for that time. In other words, you are being groomed and gaslit by Satan to be one of those who will ‘marvel and follow the beast’ like little puppet-pawns on his chessboard. Meditate on all that carefully.

One can say that the present times, and the even more terrible times which are to come, will be a test of faith as to whether one is the real wheat or the zizania, a tare, an impostor in the church. As the pressure piles on and persecution of the true Ekklesia ramps up considerably, and eventually the true saints even start to be slain by edict of the “man of lawlessness” once he has been revealed, much to the relief of corrupt society, those who do not really belong among the people of God will fall away because of the ‘heat in the kitchen’ and apostatise because they never really were the elect of God and will never stand true for Him when confronted by the possibility of death for the faith. What a vindication that will be of both Bible truth and God’s faithfulness. Frankly, I can hardly wait.

False teachers, false prophets, false christs abound as never before. Idols, all of them. Therefore, the opportunities to be deceived are legion. Please ensure that you prove the seriousness of your heart and the genuineness of your faith by resisting them all, by developing a Holy-Spirit-inspired sixth sense through which you are able to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1) and “keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).

Do not let the ubiquitous superficiality of subjective experience deflect you from the deep foundation of objective truth, for that deflection is the Achilles Heel in the ‘Christian’ scene today.

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© Copyright, Alan Morrison, 2025
[The copyright on my works is merely to protect them from any wanton plagiarism which could result in undesirable changes (as has actually happened!). Readers are free to reproduce my work, so long as it is in the same format and with the exact same content and its origin is acknowledged]

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