Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Counterfeit Christianity

Money has been counterfeited in countless ways over the years and across societies, but it isn’t just money that gets counterfeited. People counterfeit watches, handbags, sunglasses, clothes, and much more. I would argue that people have found ways to counterfeit almost anything truly unique or valuable in our world. And that includes Christianity.

There are those in our world today who would gladly shave the rough edges off of Christianity, who would punch the very heart out of our religion, who would copy the general outline but then fill in the particulars to their own liking. Then they do what all counterfeiters do…they try to pass their fake off as the real thing. As Christians we must make sure that we know the difference between the real deal and these counterfeits. 
So, I want to give you a kind of litmus test for evaluating various expressions of Christianity. And that is this: any version of Christianity that the world approves of is counterfeit. 

Allow me to give you just one reason why this is the case...one reason why seeking the world’s approval of your christian convictions is a fool’s errand...one reason why the world can never approve of true Christianity. Here it is. The world rejected Jesus, therefore it must hate and reject any religion that is true to who He was. ‌

In John 7:7, Jesus said this to his unbelieving brothers. “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.” You can’t get much clearer than that. Jesus says the world hates Him. Over and over again wicked men plotted to destroy Jesus until they eventually succeeded in doing so at the cross. Do you really believe the world has changed? It hasn’t. It still hates Jesus and it still hates anyone who testifies that its works are evil like He did. Those who reject Jesus can’t approve of the religion He established. And we should stop expecting them to!

Don’t expect people who reject Jesus to approve of your Christianity. Don’t allow people who hate Him tell you what to believe about Him or His Word!

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