2 Thessalonians 2:12

“that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness”

“That they all might be judged who believed not the truth”: The word “judged” here is being used in the sense of condemned. Being deceived and ending up lost is. just and fair punishment for people who rejected God's saving message (Mark 16:16). “Had pleasure in unrighteousness”: “Delight in wickedness” (TCNT). “Have made evil their playfellow” (Phi). “It is of great importance to observe that the opposite of ‘believing the truth' is ‘delighting in wickedness'. This is because truth has moral implications and makes moral demands. Evil, not error, is the root problem. It tells us that the downward slippery path begins with. love for evil. The only way to be protected from being deceived is to love goodness and truth” (Stott p. 173). “The stark contrast reminds us that ultimately we must belong to one or other of two classes, namely, those who welcome and love God's truth, and those who take their pleasure in wickedness” (Morris p. 235). Which class we. fall into? See John 7:17. Morris notes, “These men are not described as sinning through force of circumstances or any form of compulsion. They now find their pleasure in sin. They delight in wrong. For them evil was become good” (pp. 235-236).

Notice how false doctrine is not inherently linked to "difficult passages" or an intellectual problem in mankind, rather religious error is. moral problem. People who embrace error have an agenda for doing so (2 Timothy 4:3).

Thanksgiving and Encouragement