It's As Simple As a 'Different Jesus'

I was listening to the “Way of the Master” radio show (something I do as often as my schedule permits). During the second hour of the show, host Todd Friel and Kirk Cameron had a phone conversation with a Mormon young man. The conversation went as many conversations do with Mormons who are educated regarding their chosen religious system.

To the discerning listener, it didn’t take long to pick up on the errant theology that puts Mormonism squarely in the category of the cults—doctrinal beliefs such as Jesus, the created being who is the spirit-brother of Lucifer, and a works-righteousness formula for salvation. Like so many conversations with cultists, regardless of their spiritual and ideological bent, the Mormon on the phone with Todd and Kirk tried to disguise his aberrant theology with a superficial and disingenuous agreement about salvation by grace through faith. In the end, the conversation deteriorated to the point that the Mormon was upset with Todd because Todd dared to ask direct questions about his religious beliefs—specifically, his beliefs about the person and deity of Jesus Christ.

Seeing that the conversation was starting to disintegrate (It always fascinates me when spiritual darkness cringes when exposed to the light of Christ, much the same way as the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz melted when she was doused with water.), Todd, before letting the Mormon off the phone, asked him to ponder the following thought. Todd said (and this is a paraphrase), “I want you to consider this. If you’re right, the consequence for me is that I will spend eternity in what you would call the ‘terrestrial kingdom’ (the placed reserved for non-Mormons and those who would be considered bad people). If I’m right, you’re going to spend eternity in hell. Thanks for talking to me.”

The point Todd was making was that the Mormon idea of Jesus and the Jesus of the Christian faith (the true Jesus) are not one in the same. The former leads only to death and eternity in hell. The latter is the only way to forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God, justification by God, and salvation. If the Mormon’s idea of who Jesus turns out to be right (and according to the truth of God’s Word, the Mormon can’t be right), the Christian is no worse off than he or she is in the present world. If the born again Christian’s understanding of the person and deity of Jesus Christ is correct (and it is), the Mormon will one-day face God’s wrath, righteous judgment, and eternity in hell.

Can it be that simple? Can evangelism with cultists, or any unbeliever, for that matter—regardless of his or her religious stripes, be as simple as pointing out the fallacy of the Jesus in whom they profess faith? The answer is a resounding, yes!

As I thought of the implications of what, for me, amounted to yet another evangelistic and philosophical epiphany, I shot Todd an e-mail thanking him for adding another effective and biblical tool to my evangelist’s “war bag.” What are the implications?

Those reading this article who are actively engaged in one-to-one evangelism with lost sinners (If you’re not, you should be!) have likely found themselves in situations where they have concisely shared the Law and the Gospel with someone only to have the person stubbornly (even passionately and sincerely) stick to their guns—holding on to a Jesus they’ve created in their imaginative religious system, or holding on to their outright denial of the truths about who Christ is.

The conversation reaches a point where, for the evangelist, to continue the conversation would be to move away from the Law and the Gospel, to a tit-for-tat argument over differing opinions about doctrine. When the conversation reaches such a point, more often than not, the conversation leaves the realm of the conscience to the quagmire of man’s fallible intellect. Not only has the unsaved person stopped listening at this point, but also the Christian runs the very real risk of continuing the conversation motivated by pride (I must win this fight!), instead of being motivated by love and compassion for the lost person and where he or she will spend eternity.

When one regularly shares the Law and the Gospel with people, whether friend or stranger, there are times during such conversations when the evangelist rightly discerns that it is time to end the conversation. A way to do that while maintaining the high ground in word and spirit, while just about assuring yourself of having the last word, and while leaving the unsaved listener with something honest, spiritually penetrating, and eternal to think about as they lay their head on their pillow at the end of the day, is to employ what I will from here-on-out refer to as the "Different Jesus" principle.

Just as Todd Friel strategically and effectively employed the principle with the Mormon caller, the principle can be employed to close conversations with closed-hearted Jehovah’s Witnesses, Buddhists, Muslims, unsaved Catholics, agnostics, atheists, and professing Christians who are not saved. I’ve already documented through Todd’s real-life example how the principle can be used when talking to Mormons. Let’s look at how the principle can be used with adherents to some of the other before-mentioned religious systems.

Ending of a conversation with a Jehovah’s Witness:

Jehovah’s witnesses deny the deity and bodily resurrection of Christ. They believe that Jesus Christ is a created being and the incarnation of Michael the Archangel. While they will refer to Jesus as the Son of God, they deny that He is God. They deny the doctrine of the Trinity—believing in one god in one person. Jehovah’s Witnesses also deny the doctrine of hell and believe that annihilation awaits those who are not remembered by God. Those who are remembered by God, if they are not numbered among the chosen 144,000, will repopulate the “new earth.” They believe that Satan was charged with the duty of overseeing the creation of the earth. Faith in Jehovah and obeying God’s commandments is how one earns the privilege of being among the “new earth” population, which is more desirable to the Jehovah’s Witness than going to heaven.

Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a Jehovah’s Witness might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. The Jesus in whom you believe is not the same Jesus in whom I have put my faith and trust. If you’re right about Jesus Christ and the way to eternal life, then I will either be annihilated or help in the re-population of the new earth. If what I believe about Jesus Christ and the way to eternal life is right, then you will spend eternity in hell. That should concern you. Thank you for talking to me.”

Ending a conversation with a Muslim:

Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims believe in one god in one person. They believe that Jesus was a great prophet, but not the Son of God. While there is no assurance of heaven, Muslims believe that if your good deeds outnumber your bad deeds, if you believe in Allah, and if you sincerely repent of your sins, you may go to heaven. They believe that the Holy Spirit is the angel Gabriel. Since Jesus was/is not God, Muslims deny the bodily resurrection of Christ. They believe that God allowed Judas to look like Jesus and take His place on the cross. Muslims believe that hell awaits those who are not Muslims.

Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a Muslim might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. You see Jesus as no more than a man who was a great prophet. I see Him as God in the flesh—the very Son of God. If you’re right about Jesus, then I am bound for hell because I am not a Muslim. If I’m right about Jesus Christ—that He is the way, and the truth, and the life, and that no one will receive the free gift of eternal life accept through faith in Him and Him alone, then it is not I, but you, who will spend eternity in hell. Your Jesus can do nothing to save you from the wrath of God and His righteous judgment. The Jesus I know—my Lord and Savior—has already done everything, through His death on the cross and His resurrection, to secure my place in heaven. Your god can offer neither of us any hope. In my God, I have eternal hope, through Jesus Christ the Lord. Thank you for talking to me.”

Ending a conversation with a person who professes to be a Christian, but is not saved:

I do not think it is hyperbole to say that there are likely more unsaved people than saved people in churches around America, on any given Sunday. They may have prayed a prayer, or raised a hand, or gave some level of intellectual agreement to the truths about Jesus Christ at some point in their life, but they never truly repented of their sin and put their trust in Christ alone for their salvation. Many people think attending a church or giving money to a church makes them right with God.

Those who claim to be Christians when they’re not will often see God as all benevolent, all forgiving, all forgetting, and non-judgmental. Only the worst of sinners (a group to which the professing believer would say he or she does not belong)—such as murderers, rapists, and child molesters—go to hell. That is, if they even believe in the existence of hell.

They are often pluralistic in their views of salvation; meaning they don’t see faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to heaven. After all (in their mind), a loving God would not send someone to hell just because they worship God in a different way. They may consider themselves to be a good person—relying on Jesus and their good works for their salvation. With no appreciable spiritual fruit in their lives, they may see their faith in Christ as little more than a “get out of jail free” card. They see Christ as their benefactor, not as their Lord.

Employing the “Different Jesus” principle with a false convert might sound something like this. “Let me leave you with this thought. If your understanding of Jesus Christ and salvation is true, then we are both going to heaven someday. But what if you’re wrong? What if your faith, up to this point, has been built on a false hope? What if one-day when you find yourself standing before the Lord, instead of welcoming you into heaven, He says, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’? If you’re wrong, you’re going to hell. Don’t go to sleep tonight without being sure that you know the true Jesus Christ, and not a false god you have created in your own imagination. Thank you for talking to me.”

Some of you reading this may have winced each time the principle was demonstrated. Maybe you are thinking, “Wow! That’s kind of abrupt. That doesn’t seem like a loving and caring way to end a conversation. You didn’t end the conversation on a very positive note.”

Yes, it’s an abrupt end to the conversation. Yes, the person on the receiving end of the conversation will likely not walk away with a “warm fuzzy.” They may walk away upset—even angry.

It’s okay.

If during a one-to-one, spiritual conversation the person with whom I’m speaking scoffs at the Law of God and rejects the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I don’t want them walking away feeling good about themselves and their unbelief. I don’t want to hurt their feelings (This principle should always be employed with a tone of voice and demeanor that reflects genuine care and concern for the unsaved person.); but I am more concerned about where they will spend eternity than how they feel in this present life. If during the conversation they are not drawn, by the power of the Holy Spirit (and not by me), to genuine repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, then my prayer for them is that they will not rest until they are brought into a right relationship with God.

While it may be easier to say than the principle I have tried to share in this article, I see ending a conversation with an unsaved person by telling them that “we will just have to agree to disagree” as being unloving. Are we really showing love and concern for people if we allow them to walk away from the conversation arrogantly feeling as though they have won a spiritual victory? Better that they walk away to wrestle (even war) in their heart and mind with their unbelief, with a terrifying expectation of judgment (Hebrews 10:26-31), and with the thought of spending eternity in hell.

There is only one Jesus Christ—the One revealed to us in the Scriptures. We must do whatever we can—with love, compassion, and honesty (even when it stings)—to warn people about the wrath of God and His future judgment and to point them to the only One who can save them.

Now go share your faith in Christ, with a lost and dying world.

(C) 2006