THE BEWITCHING OF THE BELIEVER
THE BEWITCHING OF THE BELIEVER
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? Galatians 3:1
Are you aware that genuine believers are not exempted from being bewitched?
For us Baby Boomers (born from 1946 to 1964) we became very familiar the term bewitched on a major media platform. There was a sitcom that captivated a considerable viewing audience entitled Bewitched starring Elisabeth Montgomery, whose character was Samantha, a witch, that aired on ABC from 1964 to 1972, which regularly received high ratings.
However, I submit to you that the bewitching extended beyond entertainment. The Sitcom seduced the nation in embracing the art of witchcraft as exciting, hilarious and benign and not evil.
The word of God by which we as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, our God and Savior, fixed as our absolute authority, has a definite displeasure for witches in addition to a considerable contempt for the casting of spells.
Leviticus 19:31 - Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.
Exodus 22:18 - Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
Deuteronomy 18:9-12 - When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.
In the word of God, you will find in the New Testament two words that are translated “bewitched.” In Acts 8:9-11 the term bewitched depicts the influence that Simon the sorcerer employed to manipulate a multitude of people in Samaria. They were arrested in amazement and wowed by wonder because of his conjuring of spells and magic. Consequently, the people championed him as one with transcending abilities.
Another word for bewitched in scripture conveys the thought of being “under an evil influence” or “to be enchanted by error.” Paul charged the church in Galatians as being foolish for departing from what they were taught about our Lord Jesus’s crucifixion on the cross and dismissing his death as not being necessary for salvation.
Galatians 3:1 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
The legalist in the church bewitched the believers into embracing a fabricated faith fixed in works.
Join me next week as we consider the Bewitching of the believer in this current political climate and election cycle.
Not a sermon just some thoughts.