Do You Know a False Jesus?
If you hear the name of Jesus spoken in your church or in the culture, and His name is not often and readily mentioned in conjunction with that long-forgotten word, “sin,” then you most likely are not hearing of the true Jesus.
If religion seems powerless or boring to you, or if it appears to be one of many tools for use in your life, then it is probably because you have not yet encountered the true Christ. In fact, I will go so far as to say that the very dangerous spirit of the antichrist can be closest when Jesus is spoken of, but not accurately so, or – more subtly – not fully described in terms of His essence and mission.
The angelic announcement of His coming to Joseph puts it all in perspective. The very words of God’s supernatural herald ought to be known, repeated, pondered, and upheld in every circle of ministry that claims the title “Christian.”
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)
And from that introductory statement of who Jesus is and what He does, spoken to Joseph and to us, we see two indisputable and critical facts:
1) He is God, not born of the seed of man, but placed in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit; and yet, He is in flesh, sharing our humanity; and
2) He came to save us from our sins.
In Christendom today, we see the weakening of pure doctrine from the lips of unfaithful people. In alignment with Scripture’s prophecy that spiritual delusion will swell, false teachers will abound, and the spirit of the antichrist will gain ground, we observe so much spoken of Jesus, except the essence of His reality and mission.
Jesus Christ is the God-Man who came expressly to save us from sin. Sin is not only what goes against God and His standards; it is whatever falls even the tiniest bit short of His all-encompassing glory. Sin is rampant in us. Moreover, we cannot be delivered from it without Jesus. We cannot draw near to God and His holiness without the forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ, the God-Man. He is God with flesh on, to stand in our place and pay for our sinfulness.
Jesus is not your moral teacher. He is not your example. He is not your source for community leadership. He is not a political pawn. He is not one of many ways to God. He is not a cosmic consciousness. He is not the source of holistic medicine. He is not someone who comes along to make you a better version of yourself.
He is the Savior from sin. He is the Re-Maker of a human heart. He is the only Restorer of relationship with the Father.
We are not simply “better off with Him.” We are lost in sin without Him.
Sinners need a Savior. If no one speaks of sin anymore, then people do not know the Savior; they instead know a false Jesus, an antichrist.
– Shelli Prindle