Looking at optical illusions made me think about spiritual illusions that deceive many people. Here are a few spiritual illusions to consider, to help us clearly distinguish between man-made illusions and divinely revealed truth.

1. “One church is as good as another.” This illusion assumes that all the churches men have established are pleasing to God (2 Cor. 5:9-10). But Jesus built one church: one body over which He is the head (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:4).

2. “Join the church of your choice.” While God has indeed given mankind freewill, He did not give man free rein to build churches and offer them as commodities to the masses. Jesus purchased His church with His blood (Acts 20:28). Why choose a man-made church of inferior value?

3. “Doctrine is not important as long as you are sincere.” This illusion is that a sincere heart equals remission of sins. But it does not. Only the blood of Christ cleanses the sin-stained soul (1 Pet. 1:18-19). Only when sinners obey “from the heart that form of doctrine” delivered by Christ’s apostles will they be saved from sin (Rom. 6:17-18, 3-4). Recall that Saul was sincerely persecuting Christians and Cornelius was a sincerely moral man, yet both were lost in sin until they believed and obeyed the gospel (Acts 26:9; 23:1; 10:1-2; 11:14).

4. “We must be doing something right; look how big our church is!” The false adage that “might makes right” is adapted to religion, and millions are comforted by the illusion that numbers represent divine approval. They forget Jesus’s warning that “few” find “the way which leads to life” (Matt. 7:13-14).

Optical illusions play tricks on the eye. But spiritual illusions fool the soul and have eternal consequences. So, remain focused on God’s word of truth. “When your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light” (Luke 11:34). Never forget, “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 16:25).

- The Spirit’s Sword, Dec. 28, 2025