The Real Jesus vs. the Counterfeit
Grant that Jesus is truly God, and everything falls into place. Deny it, and you are left with a hollow form of Jesus and Christianity, both equally unaccountable. The ultimate proof of Christ's divinity lies in the genuine relationship between Jesus and Christianity. If He were not God, we would be left with a very different "Jesus" and a very different "Christianity."
Today, we face this very reality: a false Jesus, the "Babylonian Jesus," and "Babylonian Churchianity" are being presented as the genuine article. This counterfeit has arisen because modern man did not want the real, but the fake. As a result, the Church is now filled with fakes, snakes, and flakes—acting "Christian" without living out the true faith.
The Futile Effort to Destroy the True Christ
The ongoing effort to abolish the real, living Jesus, and to utterly destroy historical Christianity, is futile. The true Jesus and genuine Christianity will never be destroyed, only replaced and re-imaged by those who despise what they represent. Though many attempt to erase or distort them, the true Jesus and Christianity remain untouchable.
We need the Biblical Jesus of history to account for the Biblical Christianity of history. Both the Jesus of history and the Christianity of history must be preserved to explain the existence of the Ekklesia—the true Church. Despite countless attacks, the Ekklesia has endured, and so has the precise Christianity that stems from the genuine Jesus.
The Unchanging Truth
To eliminate this eternal Jesus, one must eliminate Biblical Christianity, and to do that, one would have to erase the history that has grown out of it. However, as long as the true Jesus of history and the Christianity of history persist, we will always have the divine, eternal Christ.
Why Has the Modern Church Rejected the Historical Jesus?
Why has the modern Church rejected the historical Jesus? Consider these key truths about Him:
- His perfect and sinless character (John 8:46; 1 Peter 2:22: "He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth.")
- His claim to divine authority over humankind
- His death as an atonement for our sin
- His resurrection as proof of His divine life
- The Gospels as faithful records of His earthly manifestations
- His Ekklesia as the perpetual testimony to His saving power
- His power over sickness, disease, and demons
- His grace, witnessed by His devoted followers
- His influence, acknowledged even by His enemies
So, why has today's modern Church discarded Him? The answer lies in pride and rebellion—people want to play God and keep control of their darkened hearts. But the supreme message of Biblical Christianity is not pride and rebellion but humility and submission.
Jesus' Union with God
The Jesus of the Bible desires for believers to be in union with God, just as He was with His Father. Consider John 14:9: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." Or Hebrews 1:3: "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."
The Biblical Jesus did not usurp His Father’s authority, yet this is precisely what the "Babylonian Jesus" and his followers are doing today.
The Unchangeable Message of Christ
The central message of genuine Christianity is: The Word was God, and the Word became flesh (John 1:1). Christianity is not merely a set of doctrines; Christ Himself—His person and life, in time and beyond—is the heart and central object of faith. This constitutes essential Biblical Christianity.
Christ’s Messiahship, His Teachings, and His Manhood are included in Christianity, but they do not exhaust it. Christianity, as Christ conceived it, transcends these aspects by accepting and embracing them in the supreme truth of His personal revelation of God. Jesus brings God to man in order to bring man to God.
A Disaster in the Church
To reject Christ and push Him out of the Church is to invite disaster. Today’s contemporary Church, which has done just that, is a disaster. Repent and return to the true, Biblical Jesus!
Conclusion
The modern Church’s rejection of the Biblical Jesus reflects a heart turned toward pride and rebellion. We must remember the central message of Christ and His union with the Father, and humbly submit to Him as our Savior. The true Church—the Ekklesia—can only thrive with Jesus as its center. Repent and embrace the Biblical Jesus once more.
Gen. Jim
