The Authentic Christian LifeSample

Recognizing the real Jesus

Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared … I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies … So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. —1 John 2:18-27

Isn’t one surfboard as good as any other? So what if it’s made in a production line by someone who has never seen a beach? It’s still a surfboard… right?

I expect you gave a shudder even as you read that line. “Brett! Any surfer knows the difference between a decent board and second-rate piece of foam!”

Well, my point is this: Just as you learn to recognize a good board as a surfer, you learn to recognize the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, as His follower.

Because this is so important for you and me to avoid being led astray by fake Christs, or ‘anti-Christs’ (as John writes in 1 John 2:18-27) and instead hold on tight to the real Jesus.

And John gives us three steps to do this.

Step 1: Recognize and remember who Jesus Christ is. Remember, ‘Christ’ isn’t Jesus’ surname, it’s a divine title of the Messiah, hence His title, “Jesus the Christ”.

So when you hear someone or something proclaiming a new way of thinking or living, the factor that helps decide who is “real” and who is “anti” is this… does it point you to Jesus? Because the one who holds fast to “Jesus the Christ” – the man Jesus who is the divine Christ – is the real deal.

Step 2: Understand that evil will try to isolate you. John writes that many have been drawn away from the family of believers by the anti-Christ spirit. So if something is dragging you away from your brothers and sisters in Christ, warning signs should be flashing in your mind. It’s not from the real Jesus!

Step 3: Rely on the Holy Spirit. Staying close to Jesus is not a matter of clever theology or intellectual understanding. We’re given God’s Spirit to lead us and teach us and confirm to us the presence Jesus in us, to give us true experiential fellowship with Christ!

The bottom line is this: learn to recognize the real deal. And don’t ever settle for fake imitations.

Go deeper:

• Have you been tempted to just accept any talk of Jesus as being all the same Jesus? What are some of the ways that you recognize the real Jesus in your life?
• Why is it so vital for you to hold firm to this truth of ‘God come in the flesh’ (sometimes called the incarnation)?