Who is Jesus Christ?
Millions profess to “follow Jesus,” but are they all worshipping the Jesus described in the Bible?
What first comes to your mind when you hear the word counterfeit? Perhaps you think of counterfeit money. Counterfeiting currency is probably as old as money itself. Professional counterfeiters can turn out a product that is virtually impossible to distinguish from the genuine by the untrained eye. Even before the introduction of paper money, counterfeiters mixed base metals into what was supposed to be pure gold or silver, or “shaved” the edges of a coin so that it weighed less than intended.
Label counterfeiting is also an ongoing problem in today’s global economy. This involves cheap knockoffs that imitate quality products. They carry the same logo, but are made with low-grade materials and carry a much lower price tag. Preoccupied with the thrill of a perceived bargain, the buyer is caught unaware. When the item’s performance proves to be inferior, disappointment sets in.
But such deception can reach beyond consumer products. Consider that we can also be taken in on religious matters. A surprising number of Christians around the world—while sincere—have been misled by religious leaders. Are you sure what you are being “sold” is genuine? For instance, are you aware that the Bible mentions twopersons called “Jesus”?
The apostle Paul forewarned of a clever counterfeit facing the early Church: “For if he that comes preachesanother Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him” (II Cor. 11:4).
Paul was afraid that if false teachers came to the Corinthian congregation and preached “another Jesus” or “another gospel,” they would tolerate this instead of rejecting them. How many spend time determining if they are following the right Jesus? Could you believe a different gospel, brought by a different spirit? Is the Jesus you know the real Jesus?
Portrayals of Jesus
What is Paul talking about when he speaks of “another Jesus”? The Greek word translated “another” in this verse is allos, meaning “different.” We are considering a different Jesus—not the One of the Bible, notthe only begotten Son of God, but an impostor.
Many ideas and practices that have absolutely no scriptural basis have been accepted by mainstream Christianity. These practices, introduced gradually by false teachers, have been accepted through tradition. This was also foretold: “There shall be false teachers among you, who privily [secretly] shall bring in damnable heresies” (II Pet. 2:1).
For example, many Christians have grown up exposed to illustrations of what they believe to be the Son of God. Most artists’ renderings of Jesus picture him in a helpless state, at the beginning or end of his life—either as a newborn or hanging on a cross.
During the Christmas season, Christianity venerates “little Lord Jesus,” portraying him as an infant in a manger, “tender and mild.”
Often found behind the pulpit in churches, many paintings or statues of Jesus display a gaunt, forlorn, longhaired man who often has his hands clasped in a prayerful position, gazing upward. Even Jesus’ death has been trivialized, depicting him with a slight trickle of blood oozing from the crown of thorns piercing his head, and another from wounds in each of his hands. Some artists even insert a “sacred heart” with a crack running through the center, depicting Jesus as having died of a “broken heart.”
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