As an introvert, there was always one thing in school that stressed me out: being called on unexpectedly to answer questions.

I enjoyed school for the most part, loved learning, and generally did well. However, I did not enjoy speaking up in front of the class to answer questions, especially ones that felt like a trick.

The hard questions weren’t the issue; you either knew the answer or you didn’t. But there were always those questions that felt too simple. The answer would come to mind, followed immediately by doubt because the answer seemed too easy. Usually, I deceived myself out of giving a correct answer simply because I thought it couldn’t be so easy.

The devil likes to deceive us as well. The “answer” is simple, but the devil comes and tries to create doubt.

In this verse, Paul warns Christians that the devil may somehow deceive us and corrupt the simplicity of Christ. The Gospel is simple: accept Jesus’ gift of salvation and repent of sin. Yet, we become convinced that it can’t be that simple. We are deceived into thinking that we must do something to earn our salvation.

The devil brings confusion and complexity to deceive us, but if we are on guard and take Paul’s warning to heart, we can be reminded that there is simplicity in the truth of Christ.