Which Jesus Do You Believe In?
By E. L. Bynum
It is popular to say that you believe in Jesus, but it is quite another thing to live according to what Jesus Christ taught. In public places we see people wearing lapel pins or necklaces that read WWJD (What Would Jesus Do,) but the person may be dressed immodestly. WWJD is seldom lived out in conversation, dress, or neat appearance. The same can be said of many that wear little gold or silver crosses and other religious jewelry. People can be seen drinking beer, smoking, or even smoking pot and wearing this religious junk. It is clear that they do not know anything of the real Jesus of the Bible.
It is true that multitudes of people are deceived into believing in another Jesus. The Scripture is true, and we are clearly taught that there is another Jesus, and he is false and unrelated to a holy God. “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.” (2 Corinthians 11:4)
Why would anyone believe in another Jesus? That is like preferring counterfeit dollars rather than the official dollar bill. The answer to this question is found in the Bible. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3) Those who believe in another gospel have been deceived by Satan just as surely as Eve was in the Garden of Eden.
Read what Dr. Henry Morris said about another Jesus:
“Jesus” is quite popular among worldly people today, but not the true Jesus. The popular Jesus may be the baby Jesus in the manger at Christmastime, or the buddy Jesus of Nashville “gospel” music, or the success-counseling Jesus of the positive thinkers. He may be the romantic Jesus of the Christian crooners, the rhythmic Jesus of Christian rock, or the reforming Jesus of the liberals, but none of these is the Jesus preached by the apostle Paul, and therefore not the real Jesus who saves men and women from their sins.
We are warned in the above Scriptures that there are those who are preaching “another Jesus.” This is the popular Jesus, because he makes no commands to obey the true gospel. This Jesus endorses ungodly music that comes from rock & roll, rap music, or the worldly music of Nashville. This Jesus makes no demands for holy living, separation from sin, or any sacrificial living. He is the Jesus of bumper stickers, T-shirts, politicians, entertainers, and the ungodly of this world. He gives a wide road that is easy to follow and leads to the fires of hell. This is the Jesus that the devil loves and promotes; because he does no harm to Satan’s cause. He is the Jesus that a majority of the churches promote, and he is popular on radio and TV.
This same verse warns of “another spirit,”and he is not the Holy Spirit of the Bible. He does not convict of sin, and he is not judgmental. This false spirit will never convict a sinner of his need for the real Jesus. He will not convict a professing Christian’s sins. He promotes the easy-believism way of a false salvation where you only have to repeat a prayer, be baptized, or join a church to be saved. He promotes the modern charismatic movement. He is not against drinking, smoking, fornication, or adultery. He promotes easy divorce and easy remarriage. He does not care whether you speak the truth or whether you are honest. He will certainly lead you and your children to hell.
We are also warned of “another gospel,” which is a false gospel that leads souls to hell. It is the gospel of “another Jesus” and of “another spirit.” It is a gospel that demands no repentance toward God and faith toward Jesus Christ. It does not demand the atoning blood of the real Jesus. It is quick, easy, and demands no real change in ones conduct and lifestyle. Years ago, I heard the author of the once popular “Four Spiritual Laws” tell his students that all they had to do was read those four short spiritual laws to a man on the street and if he believed them, he would be saved. Then he sent the crowd in the street with no Bible, but with his tiny booklet. They were to report back in an hour, and report how many were saved during that hour. I did not stay to see, but got out the door and never went back.
A Fundamental preacher once told his students that any kind of a profession of faith was better than no profession. This fits in with the door step evangelism where people can be saved in the door step in five minutes or less. This fits the super-aggressive church and the mega-church movement. Of course when you win them this way, you have to entertain them and tickle their ears to get them in church, and then you have to do more man-pleasing methods to keep them there.
As for me, I will stick with the real Jesus, the real Holy Spirit, and the real gospel. If you accept the false Jesus, the false spirit, and the false gospel, you will have eternity to regret it, if you can even think in all of that fire in hell.
SHARING
The Church
I think that I shall never see
A church that’s all it ought to be:
A church whose members never stray
Beyond the strait and narrow way;
A church that has no empty pews,
Whose pastor never has the blues,
A church whose deacons always deak,
And none is proud, and all are meek;
Where gossips never peddle lies,
Or make complaints or criticize;
Where all are always sweet and kind,
And all to others’ faults are blind.
Such perfect churches there may be,
But none of them are known to me.
But still, we’ll work, and pray, and plan
To make our own the best we can.
Satan’s Power Of Transformation
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” 2 Corinthians 11:14
For the most part, people think of the Devil’s work as being something visibly horrifying. But this describes the end results, and misses the work itself.
Satan’s power of transformation is the ability to persuade man that that which is contrary to God’s Word is what is good, acceptable, and even perfect for him. This is what “deceit” is all about.
Because of this “power of transformation,” Satan succeeded in defeating Adam and Eve, thus overthrowing their power of dominion on earth and usurping his own, i.e., “the god of this world.” (2 Corinthians 4:4.)
We know Adam and Eve were not helpless victims. But Satan succeeded because they allowed him to convince them that they needed something else besides God’s way. After listening to Satan, Eve felt she had to partake of the forbidden fruit or she would lose out. At this point, God’s way seemed to be more “doctrinal dogma” and not enough of a ministry to her whole person, so she concluded that she must eat to be fulfilled. For Adam, since his wife ate, he felt like he just had to eat with her.
So, in their thinking, the pressure of their circumstances overrode God’s way. Although they knew very well what God’s Word said, under the pressure of their circumstances, their finite mind allowed them to take exception to God’s way. This proved to be the Devil’s work. His work was accomplished by getting Adam and Eve to think that they needed to go ahead and do that which God’s Word forbade. Everything that happened thereafter was just the result of the Devil’s work.
Never has there been a more perfect husband and wife, than was made in Adam and Eve. Adam was created in God’s image and Eve was Adam’s “prime rib.” But no matter how great a Christian one may be, the allowance for thinking that it is all right, better, and yea, even necessary that one must needs do differently than what God’s plan in His Word specifies, is giving the Devil all the room that he needs to do his work.
God’s Word reveals Satan’s transforming power to be the ability to convince man that it is good to be or do different than what God’s Word says. Once convinced, this allows God’s way to just slide to the level of insignificance in a person’s thinking. But when Satan achieves this, there is nothing to stand between man and utter ruin. Ask Adam and Eve. Ask the prophet of 1 Kings 13:14-32.
In answering the Devil’s work, Christ took the position, “…it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4. To not be deceived and avoid falling for the Devil’s work, we must stand with God’s Word.
SHARINGToo Close To The Edge
“Because I have called, and ye have refused…” Proverbs 1:24a. Many are hearing God’s Word and are not answering, not responding. This is too close to the edge of: “Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer.” Proverbs 1:28a.
Many say there are others ways, other truths, other lives that we should regard, rather than just believe in Jesus only. But this is too close to the edge of perishing because, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6.
Many religions deny that a believer now has eternal life. They say you can only have eternal life in prospect. But this is too close to the edge. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:10-12. To not believe God’s record is too close to the edge. To call God a liar, is too close to the edge. To not have eternal life, is too close to the edge.
There are some who say they do not believe that Jesus Christ is the Divine, only begotten Son of God. But this is too close to the edge. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3,14. “…they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:23b. “…for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” John 8:24. THIS IS TOO CLOSE TO THE EDGE!
There are some who say they do not believe that the Bible is God’s infallible, inspired Word. This is too close to the edge. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” 2 Peter 1:20-21. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matthew 24:35. The miraculous work of having God’s Word delivered and preserved in written form is the work of the Holy Ghost. Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is unpardonable–see Matthew 12:31. THIS IS TOO CLOSE TO THE EDGE! REPENT OR PERISH!
SHARINGA Poem By Judge Roy Moore
The following is a poem written by Judge Roy Moore from Alabama. Judge Moore was sued by the ACLU for displaying the Ten Commandments in his courtroom foyer. He has been stripped of his judgeship, and now they are trying to strip his right to practice law in Alabama! The judge’s poem sums it up quite well:
America the beautiful,
or so you used to be.
Land of the Pilgrims’ pride;
I’m glad they’ll never see.
Babies piled in dumpsters,
Abortion on demand,
Oh, sweet land of liberty;
your house is on the sand.
Our children wander aimlessly
poisoned by cocaine
choosing to indulge their lusts,
when God has said abstain.
From sea to shining sea,
our Nation turns away
From the teaching of God’s love
and a need to always pray.
We’ve kept God in our temples,
how callous we have grown.
When earth is but His footstool,
and Heaven is His throne.
We’ve voted in a government
that’s rotting at the core,
Appointing Godless Judges;
who throw reason out the door,
Too soft to place a killer
in a well deserved tomb,
But brave enough to kill a baby
before he leaves the womb.
You think that God’s not angry,
that our land’s a moral slum?
How much longer will He wait
before His judgment comes?
How are we to face our God,
from Whom we cannot hide?
What then is left for us to do,
but stem this evil tide?
If we who are His children,
will humbly turn and pray;
Seek His holy face
and mend our evil way:
Then God will hear from Heaven;
and forgive us of our sins,
He’ll heal our sickly land
and those who live within.
But, America the Beautiful,
If you don’t – then you will see,
A sad but Holy God
withdraw His hand from Thee.
–Judge Roy Moore
SHARING
