Fake jesus Cannot Save

Evangelism is hard, fake jesus makes it harder. Talking with someone ignorant of Jesus gives you somewhat of a blank slate upon which to sketch an understanding of the person and work of Christ: His love, justice, compassion, holiness, His call to repentance and promise of forgiveness. On the other hand, someone who’s already BFFs with fake jesus is a tougher case. Introducing them to Real Jesus requires exposing the counterfeit as an obsequious pretender. This is challenging when the ear-tickling message of a synthetic savior carries no whiff of judgment, no call to obedience, no demand for worship. This manufactured messiah, so eager to accommodate, stops just short of begging people to sin just so he can forgive them. Perhaps I sound overdramatic.

A True Story

An email conversation I recently had with a “Christian” woman who was planning to murder her unborn child by abortion is a vivid illustration:

Me: God commands us in His word, “You shall not murder.” What do you think of this command?

Her: This might be a question of how many times will God forgive it. Not if it is morally wrong or not. I know it’s wrong, but I had fun [fornicating].

Me: You know murder is wrong, yet you plan to do it anyway. If you are doing so relying on God to forgive your sin, you can have no assurance that you will be forgiven.

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment.”—Hebrews 10:26

Her: I don’t want to be driven to feel bad. I know what abortion does and will do if I decide to still [do] it.

Me: Your flippant attitude toward murdering your own child when you know exactly what you are doing puts you in a very fearful place. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. “Murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8). This is what you are storing up for yourself right now. You may think you are getting a better life for yourself by doing this, but your “fun” on earth will end one day and you will have to stand before God for judgment…I urge you to STOP what you’re doing, repent of your attempt to murder your child, and have mercy on your baby.

Her:  I have been to many church services. Jesus died because He loves us and wants us in Heaven. I would have never accepted Him if it was all about how wicked we are.

Me: Your actions right now and your attitude toward God’s commands suggest that you did not accept Him like you think you did. The Bible doesn’t teach that everyone gets forgiveness from God; it teaches that God forgives those who repent and turn away from their sin and call on Him for His mercy.

Her: All sins can be forgiven. That’s what love is all about. If you ask and believe you will be given mercy. Why accept Jesus? To go to heaven after your sins are forgiven. God is not strict or hateful to keep me away if I want to ask forgiveness later [after I abort]…I have enjoyed myself [while sinning].

Me: God absolutely does forgive sinners. But the Bible is clear that forgiveness is given to repentant sinners who know they have broken God’s commands and sorrow over what they have done because their sinful actions offend God. We should never treat Jesus like He is a ticket out of hell so we can keep enjoying our sin. He is LORD. He calls us to honor, worship, and obey Him. I’m NOT saying you can’t ever be forgiven, but you can have no assurance that you will be unless you repent of your sin.

Her: Yeah well, whatever…I tried God. I would still try God if I wasn’t so into my own life. I can’t lose my salvation. I can walk away [from God] but I can’t lose it.

Me: It is true that God’s people cannot lose their salvation. You tell me you have accepted Christ, but your words and actions say that you have not. You reject His laws and commands. You reject His call to obedience. You reject His rule in your life. You refuse to give Him honor, praise, or worship. You hate His words in the Bible. Saying you have accepted Him is a lie. What, exactly, have you accepted? God doesn’t ask us to try Him. He tells us to repent and believe and follow Him.

Her: I accepted Jesus to go to heaven and I believed it. I accepted Jesus because of love. What kid doesn’t?

Me: You say you have accepted Jesus and these are the things Jesus says.

“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”—Luke 13:5

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”—John 14:15

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.”—Matthew 7:21-23

This is the Jesus you will meet on judgment day. You should think about what this Jesus (the real Jesus) will say to you when you stand before Him. I know these things seem harsh to you, but I tell you about who God is and what Jesus said because it is true. You are a person worth telling the truth to.

Her: I would be more entertained if we could talk about how not to be zombie bait. Or how not to be sick when the apocalypse hits…you talk about Jesus too much.

Me: Funny.

Her: I believe in God and can ask forgiveness any time I want to…do you know how people are drawn to God? His love! It is not conditional and grace and mercy are always available. I want to miscarry. No more abortions with a miscarriage and no more baby. [Problem] Solved.

I’m gonna get another ultrasound. If something is wrong with the baby at all I’m aborting…I will keep the [ultrasound] pictures as a memento. I don’t care it is murder. I don’t have malice in my heart.

Me: The dictionary defines malice as “a desire to cause harm to another person.” That definition is a perfect description of what is in your heart. You have murder in your heart toward your child. So, yes, you do have malice in your heart that you need to repent of.

Her: I don’t want to say I’m sorry when I’m not sorry at all.

This conversation was startlingly real, and carried on for several months. You will be relieved to know, this woman’s baby lives (no thanks to fake jesus for helping her feel safe in her sin). Conflict was brought into this woman’s life when she heard God’s perfect law. Though she felt no motherly affection for her babe, she let him live and be cared for by others. An introduction to the real Jesus put restraint on her hand of harm against her own child.

As far as I know she still hasn’t bowed her knee to honor the King, her jesus is not LORD. The rotten fruit she bares makes this frighteningly obvious. She dishonors the almighty risen King with her empty acceptance. This woman is not alone in her religiosity. She is one among thousands who believe themselves to be saved while living the life of the damned.

Speak the Whole Truth

Friends, please voice the whole truth of the gospel, though it may not be accepted. Demonstrate how to bow before the King, though many stiffen their necks in rebellion. We cannot understand God’s astonishing forgiveness until we get a whiff of the putrid stench of our sin in His nostrils. We will not smuggle sinners into heaven by enticing them to accept an unholy jesus who winks at sin and washes no one clean. Practicing a slight-of-hand that makes the call to repentance less offensive by shuffling it away for later, merely makes us shysters hawking tin fiddles to tone deaf people. We congratulate ourselves on our sales and plug our ears when they start to play.

Take the trouble to introduce fellow sinners to the King of kings while there is yet time to repent and believe. No matter how sweet his hissing sounds, fake jesus cannot save. God’s grace is glorious because His judgment is real, and trembling before His holiness tunes us perfectly to sing His praise. The Message is not ours to alter, and why would we want to?

Jesus reigns, He always has! The psalmist is not speaking in jest when he says, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way.”