The REAL Jesus is better than the False Jesus of the ‘Spiritual but not Religious’
I know its offensive to claim to that some views about God are wrong and others right, but that really is the way of reality. And I want to contend that REAL Jesus—revealed in Christianity and presented in the Bible—is BETTER than the false Jesus offered to us by the spiritualist (spiritual but not religious).
The Jesus of the Spiritualist.
Although there is no authoritative definition or description of Jesus in a spiritualist worldview, my spiritualist friends assure me that Christians have it wrong about Jesus. Jesus, I am told, was just a man who was more in touch with God. He never claimed to be the Creator God who existed before there was a universe. He is God, but just as much as we are all “God” along with the rest of the universe (pantheism or panentheism). Jesus will not one judge the world, and he certainly is not the only way to God.
I am afraid that I would have to contend that such a Jesus, the Jesus of the spiritualist, is not the real Jesus of history and reality, but a false portrait of Jesus—just as the Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses present a false image of Jesus. And the real Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible and Christianity, is FAR BETTER. Here are just a few reasons why:
The real Jesus tells me about the real God who is there.
Jesus makes God known (John 1:18). He reveals the absolute truth about God and ultimate reality. Through Him we can know who God is, what He is like, and how we walk in His ways.
The real Jesus is not a part of God, but is the eternal God, separate from His Creation.
Jesus is God the Son, who was with the Father and the Spirit before there was a universe (John 1:1-3; 17:5). To know Him is eternal life (John 17:3). The universe was made through Him (John 1:3) and exists for him (Col 1:16).
The real Jesus can save me from the real problems of life.
We all face a myriad of problems and challenges in this world. But Jesus can deal with humanity’s great problem: sin. Jesus died for our sins, securing our right standing with God, if we come to him in faith (Matt 20:28; Gal 2:16).
The real Jesus can hear and answer my prayers.
Jesus can hear our prayers, because He is God (1 Thess 3:12). In addition to this, he prays to the Father for us, as our high priest in heaven (Hebrews).
The real Jesus has a personal love for his people.
The real Jesus has a real love for his people (John 3:16; Gal 2:20). This is far better than a merely human Jesus, who could not possibly love all those he died to save.
