We Are Not Just Keeping A Tradition
by Donavon L Riley
The false prophets are always near, lurking at the edges of the Church like wolves dressed as lambs, their voices soft but their words biting, itching to erode Christ’s testimony within His people. They come under the guise of wisdom, perhaps even quoting scripture, claiming authority that is not theirs to claim. Their masks are fragile, thin veils over hollow intentions. They murmur doubts into the ear, gently tugging at the edges of Christ’s promises, and they sow shadows where His gospel light should shine. Whether they realize it or not, they are moved by a spirit that wants to unravel every fiber of grace that Christ has woven through His people.
There is a discernment, a simple clarity St. John offers us: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not of God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now in the world” (1 John 4:2-3). It is an ancient test, a way of unmasking these false voices, a reminder that Christ in the flesh is at the heart of our faith. To deny His presence, to twist His words, is to betray the very foundation of our belief.
The enemy’s goal is as foolish as it is fierce: to shatter Truth itself. Though he will fail—for Truth cannot be unmade—still, he presses on, relentless, luring the faithful with “new” promises that glisten with an easy charm but crumble in the light. These cleverly spun replacements for Christ’s teachings seem convenient, easier to trust, something less demanding than His rugged cross. The spirit of antichrist seeks to edge Christ out, inch by inch, from the hearts of those who bear His name, to slip in a counterfeit gospel dressed in comfort and compromise.
St. Justin warns us that this spirit would root Christ out of our hearts if it could, hoping to make a god of itself within us. But we are called to stand firm, to let Christ’s Spirit live in us without dilution or compromise, holding fast to the Truth that no lie can diminish. We are bearers of the Light, vessels of the true Word, and in that Light, the disguises fall away. We are not just keeping a tradition; we are safeguarding a living Truth, a Word that spoke the world into being and will not be extinguished by any scheme, any shadow, any false prophet.