5 Warning Signs That You’re Worshipping Your Own Version of Jesus

What does it look like for a Christian to begin to create an idolized version of the Lord? It can take several forms.

1. They create a specific visual of what Jesus looks like, and dislike visuals that disagree with their idea.

Some people see Jesus as a race other than as a Semitic Jew, while others are emotionally attached to the idea that He had rough hands or soft hands. They’ve created a visual so distinct in their imagination they get offended when someone says their image of Jesus may be wrong.

It is okay, even natural to picture what Jesus looks like. But when that image becomes an idol, and an obstacle to relationships with other believers or with the Lord Himself, that is a false image of Christ.

2. They attribute too much of only one or two characteristics of God to Jesus.

Two of the most common ways this can happen is someone putting emphasis on Jesus being their friend, to the reduction of His holiness and His role as the Judge, or by emphasizing the latter to the extent they ignore His kindness and compassion. Whenever someone becomes too attached to one attribute of the Lord and minimizes other aspects of Him that are clearly outlined in Scripture, they are not trying to get to know the real Jesus.

3. They attribute ideas and words to Jesus that aren’t recorded in the Bible.

When a false prophet does it, they usually overtly contradict the Bible, but sometimes Christians will put words in Jesus’ mouth too. This can manifest with generic sayings that aren’t found in the gospels, or sometimes even in the Bible. When this happens, they are becoming attached to a false image of the Lord. Taken to an extreme conclusion, if the person concocting the false ideas and quotes is not a believer, then a cult can be created.

4. They conflate their calling with God’s priorities.

This creation of a false Jesus is perhaps the hardest to identify because it comes from having the best intentions. If someone is called to evangelism, they may decide that God’s highest priority is evangelism. If someone has a gift toward worship, they may decide Jesus’ primary concern on a Sunday morning is the worship.

This tendency can lead us to attribute an agenda to God that may not be His, or devaluing the contributions and callings of other believers. Ultimately, God’s ways are not our ways, and He equips many people to many purposes. Most of these remain a mystery to human understanding, and someone’s calling for their life should not be mistaken as the Lord’s highest priority.

5. They need Jesus to look like them.

This happens when Jesus needs to have a personality like that person. If the individual is an athlete, then Jesus probably would have loved the same sports they do. If they are an activist, then Jesus would support their same causes. They may believe in Jesus, they may agree with the Biblical account of Him, but as they try to get to know Him personally, they project their own personality, likes, and dislikes onto Him.

While Jesus certainly does have likes and dislikes, the Bible is silent on many of them. Christians will have eternity to get to know their Lord and Savior, yet they should be careful to evaluate if a characteristic or preference is just projection.

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One of the difficulties in describing Jesus’ character is that He is one of the Godhead. He is infinite in ways that we cannot comprehend this side of Heaven. Believers know Him, He walks beside the Christian, and yet there is so much to learn about Him that it’s something people will be doing for all eternity.

Even trying to get a visual into His mind can be problematic. Isaiah predicted that in His first coming He would look plain, “For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him” (Isaiah 53:2).

When looking toward His return though, when John saw Him on Patmos he recorded, “and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.  In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength” (Revelation 1:13-16). These two images run in direct contrast to one another. 

As for His character, the Bible frequently describes God and Jesus as someone who is holy and just, loving and tender but mighty and righteously wrathful when appropriate. He had the power and authority to create all things, but the loving patience to stand at the door of someone’s heart and knock over and over again. He lived without sin but can still understand the humans He created and lived among. He is many things, and above all He is perfect.

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Some verses that reveal the character of Jesus, helping us get to know Him better, include but are not limited to:

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35).

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16).

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11).

Prayer to Better Know Jesus for Who He Really Is

Holy Father,

Thank you so much for wanting to have a relationship with me, despite my sin and the times when I have ignored or dishonored You. You are holy, good, righteous, loving, and you made yourself accessible by sending Your Son to be my substitutionary atonement and then the Holy Spirit to sanctify me. Lord, I don’t want to fall into the trap of worshipping my version of You, rather than who You really are. Help me to see who You are in Your Word. Teach me more about Your character and Your nature. I want to know my Savior and my Lord deeply and truly. Show me more about You! In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen.

Sources

Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith Christian Truth and Apologetics. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008.

Strobel, Lee. In Defense of Jesus Investigating Attacks on the Identity of Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007. 

Taylor, Joan. What Did Jesus Look Like? News York: Bloomsbury, 2018.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben White