Unreality, in a biblical context, refers to that which is false, deceptive, or lacking in truth and substance. It is often associated with idolatry, false teachings, and the deceitfulness of sin. The Bible consistently warns against embracing unreality, urging believers to seek truth and live in accordance with God's Word.

Idolatry and Unreality

Idolatry is a primary example of unreality in the Bible. Idols are described as lifeless and powerless, yet people often turn to them, forsaking the living God. In Jeremiah 10:14-15 , it is written, "Every man is senseless and devoid of knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols. For his molten images are a lie, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work to be mocked. In the time of their punishment, they will perish." This passage highlights the futility and unreality of idol worship, contrasting it with the reality of God's power and presence.

False Teachings and Unreality

The New Testament warns against false teachings, which are another form of unreality. These teachings distort the truth of the Gospel and lead people away from the faith. In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 , Paul writes, "For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." Here, myths represent unreality, leading believers away from the truth of God's Word.

The Deceitfulness of Sin

Sin itself is rooted in unreality, as it promises satisfaction and fulfillment but ultimately leads to death. Hebrews 3:13 warns, "But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness." Sin's deceitfulness is its ability to present itself as desirable and rewarding, while in reality, it separates individuals from God and His truth.

The Call to Embrace Truth

The Bible calls believers to reject unreality and embrace truth. Jesus Christ is presented as the embodiment of truth, and His teachings are the foundation for a life grounded in reality. In John 14:6 , Jesus declares, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." This statement underscores the importance of aligning one's life with the truth found in Christ, as opposed to the unreality of the world.

Living in Reality

Believers are encouraged to live in the reality of God's kingdom, which is characterized by truth, righteousness, and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24 instructs, "You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be renewed in the spirit of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." This passage emphasizes the transformation that occurs when one turns away from unreality and embraces the truth of God's Word.

In summary, unreality in the Bible is associated with idolatry, false teachings, and the deceitfulness of sin. Believers are called to reject these falsehoods and live in the truth of God's Word, as revealed through Jesus Christ.(n.) The quality or state of being unreal; want of reality.3153. mataiotes -- vanity, emptiness
... Phonetic Spelling: (mat-ah-yot'-ace) Short Definition: vanity, purposelessness
Definition: vanity, emptiness, unreality, purposelessness, ineffectiveness ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3153.htm - 6k8414. tohu -- formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness
... 8413, 8414. tohu. 8415 . formlessness, confusion, unreality, emptiness.
Transliteration: tohu Phonetic Spelling: (to'-hoo) Short Definition: waste. ...
/hebrew/8414.htm - 6k

Unreality. November 15.
... Unreality. November 15. Those who have had no real sorrows
can afford to play with imaginary ones. MS. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /unreality november 15.htm

He Does Wrong in Assuming, to Account for the Existence of the ...
... to us how non-being can follow' being, and how what is not a substance can produce
a substance: for, if he did that, we shall find an unreality following God ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/section 20 he does wrong.htm

Troubles of Lingering at the Crossing
... I am as consecrated as I know how to be, yet there is a feeling of unreality and
uncertainty about it that is distressing, and I have found no way to end my ...
/.../berry/adventures in the land of canaan/chapter four troubles of lingering.htm

'The Girdle of Truth'
... We do not need to go far to find a slight tinge of unreality marring the Christian
life: we have only to scrutinise our own experiences to detect some tendency ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the girdle of truth.htm

At the Unknown' Feast in Jerusalem, and by the Pool of Bethesda.
... But as one longs to escape from the stifling atmosphere of a scene of worldly pomp,
with its glitter and unreality, into the clearness of the evening-air, so ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xii at the unknown.htm

Watkinson -- the Transfigured Sackcloth
... Some have taught the unreality of pain, but the logic of life has spoiled their
plausible philosophizing. A man may carry many hallucinations ...
/.../the worlds great sermons volume 8/watkinson the transfigured sackcloth.htm

Writing i. Africanus on the Genealogy in the Holy Gospels. ...
... that no praise accrues to God from that, since it is a falsehood, but rather judgment
returns on him who asserts it, because he vaunts an unreality as though ...
/.../africanus/the writings of julius africanus/writing i africanus on the.htm

John's Rebuke of Herod.
... the infidel, unable to rest on his infidelity"they came too"startled, for one hour
at least, to the real significance of life, and shaken out of unreality. ...
/.../robertson/sermons preached at brighton/xxi johns rebuke of herod.htm

Method and Organization
... thus have tended to destroy the genuine, natural, spontaneous religious life of
boys, and have unconsciously aided the culture of cant and religious unreality. ...
/.../alexander/the boy and the sunday school/vii method and organization.htm

The vine and the Branches.
... of losing Him was too dreadful; and though He had assured them He would still be
with them, there was an appearance of mystery and unreality about that ...
/.../dods/the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol ii/xii the vine and the.htm

Unreality (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) The quality or state of being unreal; want of
reality. Multi-Version Concordance Unreality (1 Occurrence). ...
/u/unreality.htm - 6k

Ecclesiastes (1 Occurrence)
... At the outset he had a noble ambition for wisdom and discipline, but all he attained
to was unreality and perplexity of mind (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18). ...
/e/ecclesiastes.htm - 27k

Preacher (27 Occurrences)
... At the outset he had a noble ambition for wisdom and discipline, but all he attained
to was unreality and perplexity of mind (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18). ...
/p/preacher.htm - 48k

Unreasonable (3 Occurrences)

/u/unreasonable.htm - 7k

Unreal (3 Occurrences)

/u/unreal.htm - 7k

Failure (5 Occurrences)
... Romans 8:20 For the Creation fell into subjection to failure and unreality (not
of its own choice, but by the will of Him who so subjected it) (WEY). ...
/f/failure.htm - 8k

Choice (113 Occurrences)
... Romans 8:20 For the Creation fell into subjection to failure and unreality (not
of its own choice, but by the will of Him who so subjected it) (WEY NIV). ...
/c/choice.htm - 38k

Subjection (40 Occurrences)
... (WEY). Romans 8:20 For the Creation fell into subjection to failure and unreality
(not of its own choice, but by the will of Him who so subjected it) (WEY). ...
/s/subjection.htm - 18k

Eternity (23 Occurrences)
... lasted always. The illusoriness or unreality of time, in respect of man's
spiritual life, is not always very firmly grasped. This ...
/e/eternity.htm - 24k

Gnosticism
... To Buddhism, he thinks, it owed the doctrine of the antagonism between matter and
spirit, and the unreality of derived existence-the germ of Docetism. ...
/g/gnosticism.htm - 38k

Unreality: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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