Chapter 5
BEWARE OF DIFFERENT JESUS' AND SPIRITS
(Galatians 1:6-9)
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Holy Father, please bless our time in this study of Your Word. Please grant us the spiritual wisdom and understanding to better understand what You are teaching us. And Father, please grant us the discernment and conviction to heed you warnings.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
In our previous study we read about some of the different gospels that were and are creeping into the church. In addition, we also saw that those who taught or preached a gospel other than the one given by Jesus Christ were to be eternally condemned. To refresh our memories let us read from the theme of this study,
Galatians 1:6-9
"[6] I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel-- [7] which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. [8] But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! [9] As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"
Since it is imperative for our eternal well being that we remain steadfast in our faith in the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, we also discovered that the Scripture exhorted us to stay away from and avoid all false prophets and teachers.
Romans 16:17
"[17] I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them."
However, the Bible does not stop here. There is more, much, much more. To see this let us now read from a similar warning that was given to the body of Christ that was in Corinth.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4
"[3] But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. [4] For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough."
Notice that in the above Scriptures we are warned about being led astray to follow:
a. Different Jesus'
b. Different Spirits
c. Different Gospels
Since in our last study we covered the issue with respect to different gospels, this study will focus on the following two topics: (1) Different Jesus’ and (2) Different spirits.
For the first topic we will,
1. Review the characteristics and/or attributes of the true Jesus Christ of the Bible.
2. Review the characteristics of some of the different Jesus’.
In the second topic we will,
3. Review the characteristics and/or attributes of the Holy Spirit.
Given this introduction and outline, let us begin our study of,
DIFFERENT JESUS'
Before we look at some different Jesus', let us first refresh our memory with respect to exactly who is,
THE REAL JESUS, THE JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE
To do this we will briefly review five main characteristics and/or attributes of Jesus Christ.
Before we do this it will be helpful for us to recognize that the term “Christ” means “Messiah” or “Anointed One” or “The Lord’s Anointed One”. Thus, when we say the Name Jesus Christ what we are saying is: “Jesus, the Anointed One.”
With this background let us now review the first critical attribute of Jesus Christ which is that,
JESUS CHRIST IS GOD WHO TOOK ON HUMAN FLESH
To see this let us read about His birth as recorded in,
John 1:1-4
"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men."
Let us notice the following verses,
1 … The Word is another name to for Jesus Christ. To see this let us read an excerpt from a description of Jesus that is recorded in,
[13] He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Let us also note that in the last portion of verse one, “The Word” or Jesus was and is God.
2 … Through Jesus Christ all things were made.
3 … In Jesus is life.
And now let us read from,
John 1:14
"[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
The second attribute of Jesus is that to become a man, the Bible teaches us that He,
JESUS CHRIST WAS BORN BY A VIRGIN
To see this let us read about the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in,
Luke 1:26-35
"[26] In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, [27] to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. [28] The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." [29] Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. [30] But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. [31] You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." [34] "How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" [35] The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."
Let us notice the following verses,
31 … His name is to be Jesus.
32 … He will also be called the Son of the Most High.
33 … His Kingdom will have no end.
34 …Mary told the angel Gabriel that she was a virgin.
35a … Gabriel told Mary that her Child will ne conceived by the Holy Spirit. Thus, Jesus will be and was true God and true man.
35b … Consequently, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that is He is Lord and God (see Chapter 5, Volume I).
This brings us to the third attribute which is that Jesus Christ is
THE ONE AND ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD
We discover this by reading why Jesus came into the world. As we read this passage let us remember that the key words are "one" and "only."
John 3:16
""[16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
The fourth attribute of the true Jesus Christ is that,
ONLY THE JESUS CHRIST OF THE BIBLE CAN SAVES US FROM OUR SINS
To verify this let us read an excerpt from what the Apostle Peter while bearing witness of Jesus Christ. To do this we go to,
Acts 4:12
"[12] Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.""
Consequently, those who are not true born again believers in Jesus Christ remain in their sins. Hence, they are still under God's wrath and under the penalty for their disobedience to God's Laws.
The Bible teaches us that to save us from our sins and extend to us eternal life, Jesus Christ was crucified, died and was buried. However, in reading the New Testament we also discover that Jesus did not stay in the tomb. The Jesus Christ of the Bible physically rose from the dead, ascended into Heaven and is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father.
Thus, the fifth attribute of the true Jesus Christ is that,
HE IS ALIVE AND LORD OVER ALL THINGS
To see this let us read Paul’s prayer for the church in Ephesus. To do this we go to,
Ephesians 1:15-23
[15] Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, [16] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: [17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, [18] the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, [19] and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power [20] which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, [21] far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. [22] And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, [23] which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
As another side note, the above prayer is a good model for us when we pray for one another.
Unfortunately, not everyone nor every religious organization recognize or accept or even teach these truths about the Jesus Christ of the Bible. In fact we find there are many different Jesus' that are preached and/or worshipped. So that we are not deceived and led astray to a Jesus who cannot save us from our sins, let us look at some examples of,
SOME DIFFERENT JESUS'
It must be noted that even though the following organizations teach or preach a different Jesus than the one of the Bible does not mean every person within these organizations either believe or are even aware of their organization’s heresy. Only each individual person and God knows their true beliefs.
With this in mind, let us now read some of the organizations who claim to be Christian but preach a different Jesus.
1. JEHOVAH WITNESS - Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel.
2. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE – Jesus is a man; Christ is an ideal.
3. LATTER DAY SAINTS - Jesus is the first of many spirit children of Elohim.
4. HEALTH AND WEALTH MINISTRIES - Jesus is like Santa Claus who, on demand, provides His people with health and financial prosperity.
5. THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH – Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was not sufficient to save us from all our sins. Consequently, a person who died with an un-confessed, small or venial, sin is required to go to purgatory to make atonement for them and cleanse their soul (RCC 1030-1031).
We also find there are religious organizations that do not claim to be Christian but do teach about a different Jesus. For example,
1. JUDAISM - This religious organization believes that Jesus is a dead prophet.
2. EASTERN MYSTICISM (TM, BUDDHISM, KRISHNA, ETC.) - These organizations believe and teach that Jesus is a dead teacher or master.
3. ISLAM – He was a prophet called Isa. He did not die on the cross or was physically resurrected from the dead.
This brings us to,
THE POINT OR MESSAGE FOR THIS PORTION OF OUR STUDY
As we did with our study of different gospels, let us now find out what the Bible has to say about those who come and preach a different Jesus. To do this let us read from,
2 John 7-11
"[7] Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. [8] Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. [9] Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. [10] If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. [11] Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work."
Let us notice the following verses,
7 … The person who teaches or preaches about a Jesus, other than the one who is revealed to us in the Bible is a deceiver and an antichrist.
8 … We must be diligent to not be deceived and led astray.
9 … Those who do not continue in the Biblical teaching of Jesus Christ do not have God. However, those who continue in the true Biblical Gospel teaching have both the Father and Jesus Christ.
10-11… Do not welcome, that is accept the teaching or beliefs of those who teach or preach a different Jesus. Notice, if we do welcome or accept them and their beliefs we are really sharing in their work. This does not mean that we are not to pray for or share with them about our Lord Jesus Christ and His saving work on the cross. We must always remember that Jesus came to save all of us.
Let us now proceed in our study to explore in a bit more depth the issue of,
DIFFERENT SPIRITS
For us to discern a spirit other than the Holy Spirit, we must first recognize and believe that,
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD, THAT IS THE TRINITY
As we study the New Testament we find that Jesus Christ never referred to the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force. Jesus always referred to the Holy Spirit as a person. For example, let us read what Jesus said to His disciples to prepare them for the arrival of the Holy Spirit,
John 16:13
"[13] But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
In addition to being a person we also find that the Bible teaches us that the Holy Spirit is also God Himself. To see this let us read what the Apostle Peter said to Ananias when Ananias lied about an offering he (Ananias) made to the church. We find this conversation recorded for us in,
Acts 5:1-4
"[1] Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. [2] With his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet. [3] Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? [4] Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.""
Let us notice the following verses,
3 … Peter accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Spirit. Notice Peter did not treat the Holy Spirit as an impersonal force but as a person, that is someone who can be lied to.
4 … Peter identified the Holy Spirit as God.
Consequently, any person or organization that does not believe or teach this doctrine is not from God. Some examples of organizations that claim to be Christian but do not teach that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Godhead are,
1. JEHOVAH WITNESS - This organization teaches that the Holy Spirit is the invisible force of Almighty God which moves his servants to do his will.
2. CHRISTIAN SCIENCE - This religious system teaches that the Holy Spirit is Divine Science; the development of eternal life.
3. LATTER DAY SAINTS - This religious organization teaches that He is the influence of deity, the light of Christ, or of truth.
In addition to being the third Person of the Godhead we find that,
THE HOLY SPIRIT ALWAYS BEARS WITNESS TO JESUS CHRIST
To see this let us read another passage of what Jesus said to prepare His disciples for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. This time we will read from,
John 15:26
""[26] When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me."
With this background let us read a word of exhortation that is written in,
1 John 4:1-3
"[1] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
Let us notice the following verses,
1 … We are encouraged to test the spirits. In other words, just because someone or some organization say they are from God we are to test the spirit to be sure they are from God.
2 … As we saw above, the Holy Spirit will always bear witness to the Jesus Christ of the Bible.
3 … Any spirit that does not bear witness of Jesus Christ as revealed in the Bible is from the evil one.
The above observations or doctrines are what could be called objective facts or truths that may be easily recognized. However, since we are dealing in spiritual matters we must also learn to discern or hear the spirit. To do this let us begin by recognizing that,
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS "HOLY"
Therefore to determine whether or not a teacher or preacher has been sent by God and the Holy Spirit is speaking through them, the fruits of the Holy Spirit should be manifested and growing in their lives (2 Peter 1:1-11). The fruits of the Holy Spirit are listed in,
Galatians 5:22-23
"[22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
In fact, it is the Holy Spirit’s fruit of love that fulfills the Law for us. To see this let us read what Jesus once said to a lawyer. To do this we go to,
Matthew 22:35-40
[35] Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, [36] “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” [37] Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and great commandment. [39] And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
In contrast to these fruits we find that the spirit of the world or our sinful nature is far from holy. To see this let us read from,
Galatians 5:19-21
"[19] The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
In addition, let us read what Jesus has to say about those who teach, preach or operate in spiritual gifts and yet continue to live their life in accordance with the spirit of the world or their sinful nature. His warning to these false prophets and teachers is recorded for us in,
Matthew 7:15-23
""[15] Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. [16] By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? [17] Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. [21] "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' [23] Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
Let us notice the following verses,
15 … On the outside the false prophets or teachers appear to be righteous and holy. However, on the inside they are still full of the spirit of the world.
16-20 … It is by the fruits of one's life we can determine whether or not they are from God. In other words, if the fruits of the Holy Spirit are present and growing in a person's life then they are filled with the Holy Spirit and are from God. On the other hand if the fruits of their life are still the fruits from their sinful nature, then we should not accept them as a teacher or preacher sent from God.
21 … If we profess that Jesus Christ is our Lord and do not do what He says then is He really our Lord?
22-23 … It is not the spiritual gifts or wonders that we may perform in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ that makes us a disciple of Him. No, our discipleship is based upon whether or not we are yielded to the Holy Spirit and His fruits are being manifest and growing in our daily walk (2 Peter 1:1-11).
Not only does Jesus say that He never knew these false prophets or teachers, but the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul tells us to stay away from them. To read His instruction we go to,
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"[1] But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."
What is the point of this study? How can it be summarized? First of all,
WE, THE BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN ARE A CHOSEN PEOPLE, SET APART FOR GOD
To see this, let us read from where the Apostle Peter reminds us of our exalted position. We find this truth recorded in,
1 Peter 2:9-10
"[9] But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. [10] Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
Secondly, we are encouraged to,
STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH
To see this let us read from Paul’s encouraging words and exhortation he gave to the Thessalonians and now to us as it is recorded in,
2 Thessalonians 2:13-15
[13] But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, [14] to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. [15] Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.
CLOSING
We now close this study by reading from,
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, [17] comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.
Amen