LightGrams
December 1, 2022
Volume 26, Number 36
Merriam-Webster, known for their publication of dictionaries of the English language, announced earlier this week their “Word of the Year for 2022”. The word “gaslighting” surprised even the editors, who said that there was no single story in the news that caused interest in the word to peak. The term was introduced in 1938 but has drawn greater interest over the past four years. Every day in 2022, Merriam-Webster said, the word was looked up frequently.
In 1938 Patrick Hamilton produced a play called “Gas Light” in which a man tried to convince his wife that she was mentally unstable. Though he would dim the lights at various times, he claimed to her that she was mistaken; the lights were not dimming at all. His motives were evil.
Since its introduction, “gaslighting” has referred to the efforts of some to mislead others for selfish purposes. It is akin to our now-familiar “fake news” or brainwashing. In recent years there have been publicized instances of distortions of the truth to advance the goals of sinister individuals. Truth is sacrificed in the practice of gaslighting, and people are deceived into believing a lie.
Truth is at the heart of the Bible. Psalm 119:160 makes the claim: “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” Jesus affirmed this claim in His prayer on the night He was arrested: “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
There is one, however, who is busy gaslighting as many people as possible. Paul wrote of this in 2 Corinthians 11:3: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Satan seduced Eve into disobeying God’s simple command (Genesis 3:6), and thus death was introduced into the world.
Satan is a master at gaslighting. In tempting Jesus to sin Satan even quoted Scripture (Matthew 4:6). Jesus knew Satan was twisting the Scriptures to say something God never meant, and he responded with “It is written …” (Matthew 4:4,7,10). By knowing and using God’s word properly, Jesus avoiding the deception Satan was trying to cast over Him.
Will Satan mislead you or me? It depends. It depends on whether we love and believe the truth (see 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). According to that passage, those who don’t “love the truth” God has revealed are most vulnerable to Satan’s deceptive tactics. By knowing God’s word (as Jesus demonstrated), we have a shield with which to defend our souls from Satan’s arrows.
The Jews of Berea serve as a great model for any of us: “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11). Are we searching the Scriptures daily? If not, be prepared to be gaslighted in the worst way. What some will tell you is light will actually be darkness.
Come to the light God offers! Study His word, the Bible. Worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Get in touch with us if you’d like to discuss these ideas further.
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Copyright, 2022, Timothy D. Hall. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from the New King James Version (Copyright, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc.).
“LightGrams” is produced by the Central Church of Christ, 2722 Oakland Avenue, Johnson City, Tennessee, 37601, and is written by Tim Hall, minister. It is sent free of charge every Thursday to all who request it. To subscribe or to receive more information, write to “Tim@GraceMine.org” (our E-mail address), to the U.S. mail address above, or call (423) 282-1571.
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