Why People Love a False Jesus

By Melissa Dougherty

You know something I never see? I never see the average person say that Buddha was made up from stories of ancient pagan gods. Or that Gandhi was actually a Jewish mystic who was misunderstood. Or that Mohammad was an atheist. There’s usually only one historical figure that is distorted more than any other to fit whatever modern agenda they need at the moment: Jesus Christ.

You can get the identity of Buddha, Gandhi, Mohammad, and even other historical figures such as Alexander the Great or Abraham Lincoln wrong, and it does not have any bearing on what that means to you spiritually. In a manner of speaking, who they are is meaningless in this regard. But people would correct you in a hot second if you made a false claim about who they are historically. This is because it’s verifiable to see who these people were, what they did, and what they stood for.

So why do people not hold this same standard to Jesus, the one Person who can affect their spiritual standing before God? I believe there are a few reasons.

1. People Don’t Want Jesus to Be What the Bible Says.

If Jesus is who He says He is, and the Bible is true, then this has consequences. Does it really matter if Buddha wasn’t who He claimed to be? Not really. People might feel a little jaded, but they would believe that their spirituality wouldn’t be in limbo. However, Christianity is different. Jesus’s claim to divinity and the exclusive way to be saved has consequences for humanity. And, quite simply, humans love to run after other gods. They have to turn away from idols and self-worship to turn to the One True God who has the power to save. But that means giving up certain aspects of their lifestyle that are sinful they have grown accustomed to. It brings them death and destruction and they are blinded by it. Jesus says in John 3:19-20 that “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of the light because their deeds are evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”

So people make another Jesus that likes what they like, believes what they believe, and approves of what they do.

2. Spiritual Warfare

I don’t find it to be any coincidence at all that it’s specifically Jesus who has all the attention when it comes to the variety of identities. Satan doesn’t care if you say you believe in God. Even he believes that. He doesn’t even care if you believe in Jesus. As long as it’s a false Jesus, one that has no power to save you. This is one of the oldest rules in the devil’s playbook: distort Jesus. His energy goes into fighting truth, not lies. Jesus says Satan is the Father of Lies and that it would be foolish for Satan to cast himself out because then his kingdom wouldn’t stand. He perpetuates the lies and does what he can to distort the truth.

Who cares about the other spiritual figures because they aren’t really his target. If anything, they’re his allies.

3. People See Truth as Hate

We live in an odd time. People don’t want truth. They want affirmation. This is true even outside of religious circles but also exists in casual friendships, families, and work acquaintances. I’m sure people have witnessed other people’s complete lack of humility and perhaps even a complete disconnect from reality, all in the name of “their truth.” They want their voice to be heard. And they make it heard by shutting everyone else up. It’s a grand level of entitlement that is sweeping our nation with a vengeance. So, when you speak up about Jesus and who He really is, as described in the Bible, if it hurts them emotionally or is seen as unloving, then they discard it because it’s hateful. Our culture has a strong view of truth: if it’s not loving, then it’s not true. This is how the average postmodern New Ager sees truth, too, by the way.

So, their guard goes up if they perceive anything that you’re saying as hurtful to them. Ironically, what informs this way of thinking usually comes from a place of hurt. But instead of looking at it as an obstacle to overcome and grow from, people now expect others to cater to their emotional needs with no expectation of themselves to take any responsibility to grow.

False Christ, False Gospel

Ultimately, when people deny truth and who Jesus is, they are embracing a false version of Him who isn’t going to save anybody. They might have some comfort in their denial, but it’s only a comfort that leads to destruction. Stop running from Jesus. Run to Him. Go to the Scriptures and read about who Jesus is. Let the Holy Spirit guide and convict you and lead you to the Living Waters, the Bread of Life, who will give you what you’ve been yearning for.

Recommended resources related to the topic:

Was Jesus Intolerant? by Frank Turek ( DVD and Mp4 )

How Can Jesus be the Only Way? Mp4 , Mp3 , and DVD by Frank Turek

Cold Case Resurrection Set by J. Warner Wallace (books)

Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible by J. Warner Wallace ( Paperback ), ( Investigator’s Guide ).

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