Your Own Personal Jesus. A different Jesus, a different Spirit, a different gospel.
The Real Jesus vs. The Imitation
1. Seduced by Another Jesus
But the false apostles were teaching a “Jesus other than the Jesus we preached” (
He has caused many people to believe that Jesus is a good man—but not God. That Jesus is a mere teacher, but not the only perfect teacher. That Jesus is a good social reformer. That Jesus is Lord, but not Lord of all. That Jesus may bring salvation, but He is not the only way to salvation. However, there is no “other” Jesus. Jesus is unique. Jesus is “one of a kind.”
2. Swayed by Another Spirit
Another Jesus, even slightly different from the Jesus of the Gospels, produces a different spirit. New Testament Christianity is the Christianity of the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. The word for a different spirit is the word that means a spirit of an entirely different kind. There is absolutely no similarity between a false spirit and the Holy Spirit. Even a slightly different Jesus produces an entirely different spirit. The differences in a different spirit are seen in the different manifestations of that spirit, the different characteristics of that spirit, and the different destiny of that spirit. The manifestations are counterfeit, the character is less than Christlike, and the destiny is Hell.
If the Lord Jesus Christ of the Gospels is not our Lord, we can house a spirit of materialism rather than the spirit of the Master, a spirit of self and Satan rather than a spirit of the Savior, a spirit of defeatism rather than a spirit of divinity and positiveness, a spirit of the devil rather than a spirit of God.
3. Subverted by Another Gospel
A different spirit will always produce a different gospel. And again, the word for a different gospel means one of an entirely different kind from the good news of God. How is it entirely different? It is not good news of unity with God. It is not good news of unity with man. It is not good news that we become joint heirs with God and Christ. It is not good news of our future in Heaven. It is not good news that in Christ, there is no condemnation. It is not good news that God answers prayer. It is not good news that Jesus Christ is the problem solver. It is not good news that in Christ, there is forgiveness of sins now and forever.
The problem with the Corinthians was that when someone came preaching this other gospel and sounded expert at it, they put up with it and began to cave in to it. So, in a sense, they began to follow a different apostle. So Paul made it clear that he was not inferior to those who claim to be “super-apostles.”
Every congregation must take seriously the responsibility to endure sound doctrine and to reject false teaching, even though that false teaching comes from A+ speakers. We cannot permit anyone to teach anything in the name of intellectual freedom because of the power of preaching. Preaching can cause people to follow the preacher.
It is always dangerous for immature Christians to evaluate true doctrine by the speaking skills of the leaders. Paul admitted that he was not a “trained speaker”. The word for trained is a word that means having received formal training. This was the same kind of charge given against the apostles in. A “trained speaker” can lead a lot of people down a dangerous path. It is extremely dangerous to say nothing or to say falsehood, but to say it well. It is equally dangerous to listen to someone who is saying nothing or saying falsehood, but saying it well.
Paul openly admitted to some oratorical weakness . But men are not saved by the homiletical style of humans, but by the Holy Spirit. Men are not saved by the power of persuasive speech, but rather by the truth. The Holy Spirit blesses truth, not necessarily speaking style.
