The writer of Hebrews discusses a very unique aspect of sin in Hebrews 3:13. It states this,

“…encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

The question inherent within this rather profound statement is, “How does sin deceive us?” The answer to that question is three-fold.

1.) The Sin of Substitution

The first way sin deceives us can best be understood from the wisdom which is given to us in the book of Proverbs.

In the early chapters of the book of Proverbs, the sage warns his son to not be dissuaded from the path of life by the wayward, or adulterous woman. An adulterous woman is nothing more than a substitute for the real thing. Substitution, therefore, is in fact one of the primary ways sin deceives us.

Sin will always present itself as an alternative way to receive, and experience life, happiness, fulfillment, peace and joy. Oftentimes we engage in sin, because we are trying to escape the pain of the reality of our lives, by substituting the pain with something that causes us to numb it, or forget it.

Pain in life creates a void, and sin forever presents itself as an ulterior method by which to fill that void.

Sin deceives us therefore, by presenting us with an activity or an outlet, we think will bring us love, acceptance, or fulfillment, but which inevitably creates more pain and deepens the void of love.

Since only a supernatural being is capable of causing us to feel emotionally, and spiritually loved, indulging in sinful actions can never personify the love we were intended to experience with and from our Creator.

2.) The Sin of Unbelief

The writer of Hebrews instructs us on yet another way sin deceives us. He states in Hebrews 3:12,

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.”

In this instance, we can see that sin deceives us, whenever we fall into unbelief. In the story of the Israelites, the people were constantly deceived into thinking that their negative circumstances were proof that God would not be faithful to fulfill his promise to bring them into the land he swore on oath to give them.

The devil is a liar! And he will throw anything in your path that he can to distract you and convince you that God and his promises are not real.

Don’t fall into the sin of unbelief, whenever things don’t seem to be going your way. We are called to believe in God’s promises in spite of our circumstances, not because of our circumstances.

3.) The Sin of Over Performance

Finally, sin deceives us whenever we believe we must work to attain God’s promises.

Paul teaches in Romans that although all “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23), consequently “all are justified freely by his grace,” (v. 24). In this case, sin deceives us whenever we are convinced that through our performance or good works, we deserve the mercy and grace of God.

This attitude causes us to approach God through our efforts, in order to become deserving of his goodness, mercy and favor, instead of on the efforts of Jesus! But according to this passage in Romans, there is only one thing that our works or efforts produce, and that is death!

Sin deceives us, therefore, when it convinces us that there exists a method by which we can earn or attain God’s favor through our good behavior instead of relying solely on the sacrifice of Jesus. This is a big deception, however, because whenever we jump on the merry-go-round of good performance, we inevitably fall off. Then we must work that much hard to get back into God’s good graces!

Any attempt, therefore, at trying to attain God’s favor or his promises by our own efforts, will ultimately lead to more failure, and will eventually cause even the most “Type A” of personalities to fall into despair, whenever they fall short of perfection.

Remember, the allure of trying to attain God’s blessing through our deservedness,, or denying the validity of God’s promises by elevating our circumstances over his word, or thinking that indulging in immoral, anti-Christ behavior in attempt to fill the void of love, are all subtle, yet devastating ways that sin unknowingly deceives us.

Now that you know sin’s secrets, don’t allow it to deceive you any longer!