Preaching 'Another Jesus'

Writing to the Corinthians, Paul expressed fear that they might be taken in by false teachers. “For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted — you may well put up with it!” (2 Co­rinthians 11:4, NKJV).

Paul’s concern wasn’t just hypothetical. The letter of 2 Corinthians reveals that false teachers were already at work in Corinth, and some of the disciples were al­ready putting up with them. In reality, Paul said, these men were proclaiming another Jesus. That is, they were paint­ing a distorted picture of Christ and the gospel.

That problem has not lessened with the passing of time. Through the centuries, people have preached “another Jesus” by preaching…

• A Jesus who did not come in the flesh. This view began to emerge in the late first century, even­tually becoming a basic part of a doctrine called Gnos­ticism. Its adherents taught that Christ did not actually come in the flesh and live as a man.

Contrast that with the apostles’ preaching. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory…” (John 1:14; cf. 1 John 1:1-3; Philippians 2:6-8). They not only taught Christ’s incar­nation as a fact; they denounced those who taught oth­erwise. “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that con­fesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:2-3, NKJV). John was clear: anyone who denied Christ’s incarnation was not speaking from God. Such tampering with Jesus’ identity was serious; those who did so were deceivers and anti­christs (2 John 7).

• A Jesus who was not sinless. In one survey by Barna Research, only 62% of those claiming to be Christians said they “strongly believe” that Jesus was sinless. That is, more than one-third of professed Chris­tians in that survey either doubt or deny that Christ committed no sin.

Contrast that with the apostles’ preaching. “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sym­pathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (He­brews 4:15; cf. 1 Peter 2:21-22). Jesus’ sinlessness is fundamental to the gospel. It is only because of His sinless perfection that He could be an adequate sacri­fice for our sins. “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our be­half, so that we might become the righ­teousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21; cf. He­brews 9:13-14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 John 3:5). To deny this is to deny the real Jesus and undermine the very basis of man’s re­demption.

• A Jesus who is not the Messiah. Unbelieving Jews, of course, have always argued that Jesus is not the Mes­siah. But at least one popular TV evangelist has also made the claim that Jesus “refused by word and deed and claim to be the Messiah.”

Contrast that with the record of the gospels. When a Samaritan woman was talking to Jesus about the Mes­siah, He told her, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:25-26). When Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ (the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew “Mes­siah”), He blessed him for it (Matthew 16:15-17). And John explained that his whole reason for writing his gospel was “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ [Mes­siah], the Son of God” (John 20:30-31). To assert that Jesus never claimed to be the Messiah is to reject His own testimony about Himself.

• A Jesus who is not God. Many in the world’s various religions acknowledge that Jesus was a real person, but they deny that He was God in the flesh. The same is true of many liberal “Christian” scholars. In addition, groups like the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Christ is a created being who is inferior to Jehovah.

Contrast that with the apostles’ preaching. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). Jesus Himself claimed equality with God. “I and the Father are One” (John 10:30). “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also…He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:7,9). Furthermore, Jesus proved His claim by His resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). Proclaiming a Jesus who is less than Divine is not preaching the real Jesus.

• A Jesus who is not the mediator of a new cove­nant. Some who acknowledge Jesus as God in the flesh, the sinless Messiah, still pervert His identity by denying that He came to establish a new covenant between God and man. Various religious groups do this by teaching that parts of the Mosaic Law are still in ef­fect (even if they disagree as to which parts).

Contrast that with the message of the inspired writers. They taught that God long ago promised to estab­lish a new covenant (Hebrews 8:8-13), and that Jesus is the mediator of that new covenant, which He inaugu­rated by His death (Hebrews 9:15; 12:24; Luke 22:20). He “abolished in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances” (Ephesians 2:15). He established a covenant that is not just new, but superior (Hebrews 7:22; 8:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6-11). Paul wrote that those who sought to bind Moses’ Law on Christians distorted the gospel and were accursed (Galatians 1:6-9).

These are just a few of the ways some have preached “another Jesus.” It happens any time men teach less than the truth about His nature, His identity, or His mission. But the truth is in the New Testament for all to see. Do you believe?

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