FALSE IDEAS ABOUT JESUS

Uncovering and Refuting Untruths About Our Lord

by Todd Mikula

Introduction

Just doing a cursory search will validate the numerous false concepts about Christ that exist in the world today. The early church was not immune from the true doctrine’s dilution and/or legalistic tendencies, either. No wonder Christ, Paul, and so many of the other New Testament writers warned and rebuked those who wished to either pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ or accept its perversion. Galatians 1:6f (New King James Version) states: “I marvel that you are turning so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel unto you than what you have received, let him be accursed.”

I cannot emphasize how important the warning is in this passage! Consider the historical rendering and interpretation of the Greek word accursed (or anathema): “in the Septuagint, is generally translated a thing devoted to God without hope of being redeemed, and, if an animal, to be slain . . . therefore a person or thing doomed to destruction . . . a man accursed, devoted to the direst woes (the latter being the literal interpretation of Gal. 1:8,9).¹

Paul is talking about “a different gospel, which is not another.” He is not wrangling over, given examples of today, Buddhism and Christianity—two religions so obviously different that even the most liberal Christian would at least question a supposed correlation between the two. Paul is talking about MINOR differences with respect to, or MINUTE variations of, Christ’s pure and holy gospel! And the word “accursed” is not referring to a slap on the hands or some temporary punishment with the result being a grand reunion with all your buddies in heaven! Read the passage carefully and it’s just the opposite!

The point of this sober introduction is to baseline the attitude and approach we must have when we place God’s Word in our hands and proceed to read and study it. Its commands, teachings, feedback, instruction, encouragement, and peace-giving insights must be handled both carefully, just like someone calling 911 and grasping onto life-saving information, and with conviction as we take that instruction and apply it to a helpless victim. If we do not interpret the instructions or apply them correctly, can we truly expect to save someone’s life? Of course we can’t! Frankly, we are dealing with a topic much more important than physical life or death.

I assure you that the topics covered below are not exhaustive. I will predict that additional ideas will come to mind as you read through the following false ideas about Christ. Nevertheless, the topics are as important as ever and, as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 advocates, will equip (or re-equip) you.

Jesus Was a god

Jehovah Witnesses, for example, believe this false doctrine. Their version of the Bible, called the New World Translation, even mistranslates John 1:1 “the Word was a god” to supposedly “prove” their case. The original Greek text doesn’t even include the article in the phrase under discussion. Fortunately, we do not have to rely on only one scripture to conclude Jesus is God.² One final note: We cannot dismiss a thing simply because it is hard to understand or comprehend. Events (i.e., diseases, natural disasters, etc.) occur whether or not we understand how these situations occur.

Jesus Never Died

Was there a George Washington? How do you know? Then why do you believe he once lived? Is it because the historical evidence is credible? Muslims claim Jesus did not die.³ Of course, it is in their vested interest to do so. But what are we to believe? 1 Thessalonians 5:21 states: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” Evidence for Christ’s death goes beyond statements recorded in the Bible. Historically, no one can question the claims and details surrounding Jesus’ crucifixion. Both secular and Biblical recordings collaborate on the crucifixion of Christ. Evidence within the text confirms Christ’s death (e.g., scourging would have left Jesus on the brink of death, soldiers pronounced his death before piercing His side, piercing resulting in flow of blood and water is a strong indication death had already occurred, Romans were not known to bury live people, etc.).⁴

Jesus Didn’t Resurrect from the Dead

The Bible does not hedge on the fact that Jesus rose from the dead. The sealed tomb, the placement of the guards who would have received the death sentence if the governor’s seal was broken, the hundreds of witnesses who saw him, and secular writings (e.g., The Works of Flavius Josephus), all validate Christ’s resurrection! The Bible “goes out on a limb” when it interjects the supernatural but are miracles believable? I suggest we are asking the wrong question. Could you possibly believe in anyone who claims to be God and not possess the characteristics consistent with an all-powerful and all-knowing being?

In general, they [the miracles] are ‘in character’—that is to say, they are the kind of works that might be expected from such a Person as the Gospels represent Jesus to be.⁵

Don’t be ashamed to acknowledge the association of miracles with God. After all, they were used to prove who He was!

Jesus Never Existed

A quick search will expose you to quite a number of ideas purporting Jesus’ non-existence. For example, the “historical” argument claims that because no one bothered to write down anything about this most extraordinary person it is evident He did not exist. The “comparative religion” argument basically says that because other religions already told the story of Jesus before the Christ of the Bible was born, Jesus never existed. “Solar Mythology” claims the story of Jesus is an allegory for the sun passing through the Zodiac and the passage of the seasons of the year. It’s here that we have the origin of the Jesus story and it’s this common origin that explains why all the stories of crucified saviors are essentially the same (ties in with the “comparative religion” theory). Then there’s the “negative evidence principle.” It represents the idea that absence of evidence is evidence of absence. I could go on and on.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take a scholar to adequately challenge the arguments above. The historical argument ignores the fact that the Bible is comprised of about 40 different authors, most of which write about Jesus. Flavius Josephus writes about Jesus and he was a Jew. Other writers include Pliny the Younger, Cornelius Tacitus, and Lucian of Samosata. Some might argue that there are no manuscripts or writings that date to the time of Christ’s life. We know that some of the authors lived while Christ was alive. But, since when does a historical document have to be found and penned during the life of the subject to be considered valid?

The comparative argument ignores that the Bible had been around quite a long time and the so-called stories recorded before Christ’s birth could have actually been derived from the Old Testament manuscripts.

Solar Mythology? By definition it is a myth invalidating its own credibility. The argument against its claim is similar to the comparative argument.

And, what about the logically-challenged response: absence of evidence is evidence of absence? Quite a myopic view if you are an investigator! This would mean that North America didn’t exist until Columbus found it. Did Quaorar, the newest planetary body discovered only this century, exist before we found it? But wait! There was no evidence it existed before we found it. So, according to the negative evidence principle “absence of evidence is evidence of absence.”

Jesus Was Just a Man

Every cult without exception subtracts from the nature of Jesus in one way or another. Many New Age groups claim Jesus was a very good man but not God. The rebuttal is identical to the one used against the argument that states Jesus is not God (see above).

Jesus Got Married

There simply is no credible evidence in scripture (or anywhere for that matter) that Jesus was married. It is clear He had brothers, sisters, and a mother. Why not mention a wife if in fact Jesus had one? Additionally, the Bible doesn’t seem to hide the fact that others were married (e.g., Peter) and even recommends marriage for a number of reasons (marry rather than burn with passion – 1 Cor. 7:9, required for Elders and Deacons – 1 Tim. 3, etc.). Additionally, why would a spouse not be mentioned during some of the most significant events in Jesus life if in fact He really was married?

Jesus Was Created

Some believe Jesus was created. Passages used to support this argument include He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation (Col. 1:15) and…Before me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, and beside me there is no savior (Isa. 43:10-11).

The reference to “firstborn” is incorrectly interpreted to mean Jesus was born, or created, by God. Ignoring the concept of the Godhead then allows for the exclusion of Jesus in the Isaiah passage.

The issue with respect to “firstborn” really boils down to whether or not the interpretation should be literal or figurative. How do we know when to take a passage of scripture literally? Depends on the context! Sometimes the context of the word or phrase in question can be gathered by reading passages in close proximity to that word or phrase. In other cases, the context is gathered from other parts of the Bible.

With respect to Colossians 1:15, if we can find a scripture elsewhere that shows firstborn being used figuratively, we can reasonably conclude that it could be figurative elsewhere, too. Psalm 89:27 is a good example of a figurative use of firstborn. The context is referring to David. First of all, David was not the firstborn of Jesse. In fact, David was the last-born! Secondly, since God is speaking of David, could anyone truly conclude that David was God’s literal son! Of course not! In the context of Isaiah, God is speaking of David’s elevated rank, or preeminence. Now turn back to the Colossians passage. Verse 18 describes the significance of being firstborn in the eyes of God: that in all things He may have the preeminence. Then read chapter 2:9: For in Him (Christ) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. How could all the fullness of the Godhead bodily dwell in Jesus if He didn’t have the power to exist along with His Father? Fullness means Jesus had all the traits of God, not all minus one!

As far as Jesus eternal nature is concerned, please refer to the following passages: Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:2, Isaiah 41:4, and Revelation 1:17.