Truth and Deception
Ezekiel 25:17
The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.
Genesis 4:6-7
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you may rule over it.
In the words of Proverbs 14:15, "The simple believe anything, but the prudent give thought to their steps." As believers, it is essential to guard our hearts and minds, carefully discerning the truth from deception. The Apostle Paul warns in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 that "the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." Therefore, let us test every teaching and claim against the Word of God, holding fast to what is true and righteous, and rejecting what leads us astray.
Today, I encourage us all to contemplate Truth. We will do so by taking a look at the four deceptions that I have already included in the message today, each more subtle than the one before.
1) The picture at the top was produced by the AI software ChatGPT, from a simple request to produce a picture of Donald Trump taking communion from Pope Francis. Due to legal restrictions, the AI is restricted to producing a rough likeness of the two individuals. However, I assure you of two things: the AI is completely capable of producing a photorealistic version, and I am using a publicly accessible free version (i.e. the least powerful version).
2) The Ezekiel passage is a direct quote from the Oscar-winning 1994 movie, Pulp Fiction. The “passage” is spoken several times by the mob enforcer, Jules, played by Samuel L. Jackson. Given its profanity-filled, violent nature, Pulp Fiction’s audience would likely not have known that the movie-version Ezekiel is almost entirely fake. Most throughout the years have assumed that the passage is taken directly from Scripture.
3) Steinbeck’s American classic, East of Eden, is heavy on themes surrounding the story of Cain and Abel. However, it is important to know that it is a work of fiction, influenced by culture and sculpted by the author. To adapt Scripture for his purposes, Steinbeck replaced the translation in the last sentence of Genesis 4:7 from “must” to “may”. In doing so, Steinbeck allowed for a theme of man choosing to be a saint or a sinner, empowering himself to break the cycle of sin. Poetic license in this case subtly changes one word to minimize the life and work of Christ beside the power of man’s choice.
4) The final deception: the entire first paragraph of this message was written word-for-word by ChatGPT. I encourage you to find fault, if any, in the teaching. I cannot. If I was in a hurry, I am confident that the technology would be capable of writing all of my Wednesday messages… or perhaps my Bible study notes for tonight… or an entire sermon. What are the implications of such technology? We do not fully yet know.
I ask your forgiveness for the purposeful deception, but I thought it would serve as a powerful example. Culture and technology are powerful tools and influences, and in the wrong hands, they can be used to deflect our hearts and minds from the Truth.
Discipleship is critical to discerning God’s Truth. Discipleship with fellow believers will guard you from your own self-deceptions and allow for the Spirit to use others to work on your heart. Dive into God’s word and be wary of worldly truths.
Your brother in Christ,
Thomas Goodrich