Greg Morse, writer at Desiring God, gave a helpful list of “Counterfeit Christs” that we can sometimes unwittingly begin to believe in. He argues that these fake and flimsy versions of Jesus can creep in when we have too low a view of our own sinfulness. Just take a look at these false saviors:
Life-Coach Jesus. When we see sin as a nonstarter and humans as inherently good, we move away from talk of death, judgment, and hell, and focus instead on a Christ who can help us towards our improbable goals and wildest dreams. He helps good people become great. He died so we can reach our full potential.
Housekeeper Jesus. When we see sin as inevitable, as “just being human,” as something ordinary and trivial, rather than lamentable, we mistake sin as mere slipups. We’re not perfect, we confess that much, but we’re not “evil.” Jesus, then, follows us around with a mop and bucket, tidying up after our little messes. He died to pay the cleaning fee.
Humanitarian Jesus. When we see sin as mainly between one man and another (and not one man before a holy God), we make good causes into ultimate ones. We fit Jesus neatly into our movement and usually define sin in terms of the haves and the have-nots. Jesus, then, is the one who came to right the very injustice we’re most passionate about.
Kumbaya Jesus. When we see sin as something much less serious than our suffering, we might only know Jesus as the bearer of good vibes. He hears our problems and stressors, teaches us about the birds and flowers, and leads us into green pastures, beside still waters. Because we all suffer in a fallen world, he doesn’t ever say or do anything that would hurt our feelings or cause psychological distress. He died to help us feel better, no matter what.
I would add one more:
Political Partisan Jesus. When we let one political party own Jesus and be the standard-bearer for who belongs to Jesus, we can confuse the Kingdom of God with the kingdom of our preferred political party. We only consider the sins of the other political party and leverage every scripture passage we can to support our political viewpoints. Jesus died for more than your political party’s success at the polls or in the legislature.
Let these false versions of Jesus challenge you! Are you believing in one of these counterfeit Christs? You can read the whole article by Greg Morse on Desiring God’s website.