The Dangers of Following a False Jesus

By Doreen Virtue, author of “From Counterfeit to Christ” at the Kindle Unlimited store for free at
https://a.co/d/bzlSCin

“For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:4)

The most dangerous deception is the one that looks the most like truth, as Satan mixes in some accuracy with lies designed to point you away from the real Jesus. After all, Satan is the father of lies, a counterfeiter, and he masquerades as an angel of light. Just as he did in the Garden of Eden, the devil seems to offer hidden secret knowledge and the opportunity to be “like god.” He points people to a softer, more appealing version of Jesus that fits human desires. 

The counterfeit Jesus comes in many forms, yet the common denominator in the false Christ is that he promises peace without repentance, freedom without holiness, and love without truth. The false Christ never mentions sin, hell, the devil, or repentance because he’s here to seduce people, not to lead them to the Gospel. The false Jesus can’t save anyone’s soul. Only the real Jesus saves. 

In fact, those who follow the false Jesus are in grave danger of hearing the most terrifying words from the real Jesus: 

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Those who thought they were following Christ will discover that they weren’t and will pay for this mistake with eternal torment. Please don’t let this happen to you! Make sure that you’re following the real Jesus, because He’s the only one who can save your soul, restore your relationship with our Heavenly Father, forgive your sins, clothe you in His righteousness, and shepherd you along the straight and narrow path to Heaven for eternity. 

The enemy has created endless counterfeits of Jesus to lead people away from the real Savior. These false versions may seem compassionate and relatable, yet they deny Jesus’ deity, downplay His authority, and distort His Gospel. Behind each counterfeit Jesus is the same ancient serpent who whispered to Eve, “Did God actually say?” 

The enemy tries to dazzle, entertain, and soothe people into following the false Christ so that they’ll be lured into the devil’s lair of hell for eternity. 

There are many versions of the false Jesus, as we’ll discuss in this new weekly series of articles for Contending for the Word. They’re all spiritually dangerous when people follow them instead of the real Jesus, who’s the only one who can save souls. 

The popular false Jesus appears as a feel-good teacher who never convicts, never judges, and never mentions sin. He’s portrayed as wanting to make people happy rather than holy. He tells them to follow their heart, live their truth, and focus on positive energy. He’s tolerant of everything except biblical authority.

This counterfeit version of Jesus is the mascot for a world that says, “I’m spiritual, not religious.” The false Jesus appeals to the rebellious person who doesn’t want anyone – including God – to tell them how to live their lives. 

Yet the real Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). The cross doesn’t fit into the message of the modern false Jesus, because the cross confronts human pride and exposes sin.

• The false Jesus tells you to look within yourself for answers. 
• The real Jesus tells you to look to Him alone for salvation. 
• The false Jesus says you’re already divine. 
• The real Jesus says you must be born again. 
• The false Jesus says all paths lead to God. 
• The real Jesus says, “No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

My Testimony: Following a False Jesus

I know firsthand how damaging the false Jesus can be, because I grew up in the Christian Science church, which claimed to follow Jesus while denying everything essential about Him. Christian Science blasphemously teaches that Jesus was merely a created mortal man who perfectly understood his divine potential, and that we could achieve the same potential. The church taught that sin and sickness weren’t real, that evil was only an illusion, and that healing came through right thinking.

As a child, I didn’t realize how dangerous these teachings were. The name “Christian” made them sound safe. I thought I was following Jesus, yet it was a Jesus who couldn’t save. I read Bible verses daily, but the verses were interpreted through the lens of false prophetess Mary Baker Eddy’s metaphysical philosophy, and stripped of their true meaning. The cross was never mentioned and the resurrection was seen as symbolic. Heaven and hell were believed to be states of mind, not eternal realities.

When I grew older, I drifted into the New Age movement, where I encountered another version of the false Jesus. The New Age Jesus is marketed as an “ascended master” who teaches only about love, peace, and self-realization. The New Age version of Jesus is believed to be one among many enlightened beings, alongside Buddha, Krishna, and other so-called masters. The New Age Jesus says that we can create our own reality through our thoughts. He encourages New Age meditation, visualization, and energy work. He never convicts anyone of sin, but instead flatters with the idea that we’re all divine.

For years I followed that Jesus. I wrote books about him, taught about him, and believed I was helping people spiritually. I thought I was serving God, but I was serving a deception. I was hellbound and didn’t know that I wasn’t saved. The New Age and New Thought movements never talk about salvation nor warn about hell. Those teachings say that sin is a fear-based belief, and that repentance isn’t necessary since everyone is already perfect in spiritual essence.

I see now that this false Jesus was the same serpent from the garden whispering that I could be like God. It was a repackaged version of the oldest lie in history. The more I followed that path, the more spiritually blind I became. I was searching for light but walking in darkness.

The Absence of Sin and Repentance

All counterfeit versions of Jesus deny that sin is real. Without knowing the reality of sin, there’s no need for repentance. Without repentance, there’s no need for the cross. And without the cross, there’s no salvation.

I’d heard the Gospel most of my life, yet my New Thought / New Age beliefs prevented me from understanding that I was a sinner in need of the Savior, Jesus. It was only when I read a list of my New Age practices in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 that I realized I’d sinned against our holy God. Before reading that Bible passage, I sincerely believed that God was pleased with my New Age work, since people said that my work comforted them. Then God opened my eyes when I read that my New Age practices made me an abomination in God’s eyes. That’s when I repented and gave my life to Jesus as my Lord and Savior. 

The real Jesus didn’t come to make people feel good about themselves; He came to save them from their sins. “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). If sin isn’t real, then Jesus’ death was unnecessary. False religions and false teachers downplay sin because they want to remove the offense of the cross.

The Gospel of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is the power of God for salvation to those who believe (Romans 1:16). Sharing the Gospel with someone is planting a seed that God can nurture and point that person to salvation. 

The Gospel is offensive to human pride because it says we can’t save ourselves. It tells us we’re lost apart from Christ. It declares that the only way to be reconciled to God is through the blood of His Son. False teachers hate that message because it removes all boasting. It strips away self-help and self-glorification.

The danger of following a false Jesus isn’t limited to obvious cults or New Age spirituality. The enemy counterfeits truth wherever there’s a hunger for meaning. He can infiltrate Christian language, music, and art. He can use emotional experiences, false visions, or misleading dreams to draw people away from the Word of God.

The Apostle John warned, “Every spirit that does not confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not from God” (1 John 4:3). False spirits redefine and sugar-coat Jesus, while true faith worships Him as Lord and God.

Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many” (Matthew 7:13). The false Jesus always stands at the wide gate, pointing people to his smooth path with no conviction and no repentance. He’s the Jesus of comfort, not of the cross.

The real Jesus calls you to die to your self, to follow Him in humility and obedience. His way is narrow because truth is exclusive. The world calls that being narrow-minded and intolerant, yet it’s the only path that leads to eternal life.

Each false version of Jesus offers a unique and unbiblical way. Some say you must achieve “Christ consciousness.” Others say you must perform religious rituals or earn your worth. Yet the true Jesus finished His work on the cross. “It is finished” (John 19:30) means that nothing more can be added. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Why False Jesuses Are So Convincing

False Jesuses promise empowerment, healing, or success. They appeal to human pride and seem to blend in with worldly ideas about inclusiveness. False Jesuses deceptively tell people that they can have heaven without denying the world.

Satan’s counterfeits often use Scripture out of context. He did it in the wilderness when he tempted Jesus by quoting verses while twisting their meaning. False teachers do the same today when they use Bible words to sell deception. 

False Jesuses also thrive where discernment is weak. When people don’t read the Bible, they become vulnerable to anyone who “sounds spiritual” or positive. That’s why biblical literacy is one of the greatest protections against deception.

Following a false Jesus is spiritual warfare where the devil works through deception to keep souls blinded. The Bible says that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The lower-case g in god that verse refers to the devil who is temporarily affecting our world until Jesus’ return. 

Spiritual blindness isn’t physical; it’s spiritual. People following a false Jesus often feel enlightened, yet they’re in darkness.

When I look back, I see how spiritual forces reinforced the deception I was under. In the New Age, I experienced what I thought were visions, angelic encounters, and spiritual energy. These were demonic imitations meant to keep me from the Gospel truth. When I repented and turned to the real Jesus, all of that stopped. The counterfeit light vanished the moment the true Light entered.

The Real Jesus is the Way, Truth, and Life 

Truth is revealed in God’s Word which is why the real Jesus always points us back to Scripture.

The true Jesus can’t be known apart from the Bible. Those who claim they had an “encounter” with Jesus rarely if ever describe experiences that align with the Bible. I thought I had a Jesus encounter before I was saved, but it didn’t measure up to the Bible so I dismissed it. 

Jesus is God. He is the living Word who fulfills the written Word. 

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible reveals Jesus’ identity, mission, and authority:

• In Genesis, He’s the promised Seed who will crush the serpent. 
• In Exodus, He’s the Passover Lamb. 
• In the Psalms, He’s the Shepherd and King. 
• In Isaiah, He’s the Suffering Servant. 
• Every page of the Bible points to Him.

False Christs try to tempt unsuspecting people with promises of secret knowledge, channeled messages, or mystical insight. The real Jesus in contrast points to the Bible because His Word is complete. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

The Cost of Following the Real Jesus

Following the real Jesus means surrendering your choices and actions to Him. It’s not about manifesting your dreams or claiming your destiny; it’s about denying yourself, taking up your cross, and walking in obedience. Jesus promised that His followers would be rejected by the world, like He was. As Christians, we may find that friends distance themselves, or false teachers accuse you of being judgmental. Yet, the real Jesus is worth everything you’re afraid of losing. 

When I left the New Age, I lost my career, my income, and many relationships. Yet I gained the truth. I gained forgiveness, peace, and eternal life. The false Jesus offers temporary affirmation while the real Jesus offers salvation.

Jesus said, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25). That verse became real to me. I had to lose the life I built in deception to gain the life He gives in truth.

Many claim to follow Jesus, yet few test what they believe against Scripture. Many also reject the Bible, so they’re spiritually blind to the fact that they’re on the broad road to destruction. 

False teachers fill bookstores and social media feeds with emotional messages that sound inspiring, yet they contradict the Gospel. The tragic result is a generation of women who think they’re following Jesus when in reality they’re following a counterfeit.

This article is written for you, dear sister, if you’ve ever wondered which Jesus you’re following. It’s written for those who’ve been deceived by spiritual experiences or false teachings and now hunger for truth. It’s written for those who grew up in distorted versions of Christianity and now are searching for the truth. 

My prayer is that you’ll see the real Jesus in the pages of Scripture and fall in love with Him instead of with the shallow caricatures the world presents.

The Bible warns that deception will increase before Christ returns. “Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Timothy 3:13). The world will continue inventing new Jesuses to fit modern tastes, yet the truth remains unchanged because Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). 

Jesus is the eternal Son of God, the second Person of the Trinity, fully God and fully man, who lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death, and rose bodily from the grave. He will return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

Any teaching that denies those truths is not Christian, no matter how spiritual it sounds.

If you’re reading this and realizing that the Jesus you’ve followed doesn’t match the One revealed in Scripture, that conviction is God’s kindness, grace, and mercy. Repent and call upon the name of Jesus Christ. He is the real Savior, who forgives every sin and delivers believers from every deception.

Salvation is found in Christ alone. “There is salvation in no one else, for there’s no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

More from Contending for the Word

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For more from Doreen please visit her page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.