Counterfeits

Would you know a counterfeit if you saw one? Many do not.

Counterfeit money is a real problem. A bogus bill looks like real cash but it isn’t. It seems valuable, but when you need it most, it lets you down.

Counterfeit religion is just like that, only worse. It’s an eternal let down.

Well hold on just a minute. What’s counterfeit religion?

The purpose of a counterfeit is to deceive—to make you think you have the real thing when, in fact, you have a worthless substitute. Counterfeit religion looks good but it’s a sham.

The Bible says true religion is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. True religion transforms your heart, not just your behavior. It changes your will from a “have to” faith to a “want to” faith. Your obedience to God springs from desire rather than duty.

A good example is the difference between living under Old Testament Law and living under New Testament Grace. Under the Law people trusted religious rule-keeping to save them. But they had to obey every rule. To fail in even one command was to be a complete failure. Law-keeping led to legalism and that led to worry and fear. Law breaking brought punishment.

It’s humanly impossible to obey God’s Laws perfectly. Plus keeping the Old Testament Law never made anyone righteous. God declared Abraham (revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims) righteous because of his faith in God, not because of his moral behavior.

Living under Grace is completely different than living under Law. A good way to understand Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Jesus alone kept God’s Law perfectly. He paid the penalty for our sin through his death on the cross. So salvation is now a free gift.

Through Grace, we can become children of God by trusting in Jesus Christ—by believing the Bible when it says his death provides forgiveness for all our sins. As his children, God declares us righteous. We enjoy the full benefits of God’s promises, protection and provision.

Want to know how to identify a counterfeit religion? Remember the four math processes.

Counterfeit religion MULTIPLIES law-keeping. It says faith is good but you must also keep that religion’s laws, ordinances and sacraments--or you lose. It’s faith plus works.

Counterfeit religion DIVIDES your loyalties. You must be loyal to God AND absolutely loyal to the religion’s leaders—no questioning allowed. The Bible says our loyalty is to be to God alone. It warns of false teachers who seek to build a following for themselves.

Counterfeit religion ADDS to the Bible. Its leaders may say the Bible is good but they add that their special book, teaching or revelation is absolutely necessary for your salvation. God warns anyone who would change the Bible, add to it or take away from it. He will judge them.

Counterfeit religion SUBTRACTS from the person of Jesus Christ. It says Jesus was not God but was merely a prophet or a man who became a god. However the Bible clearly declares Jesus Christ to be fully God and fully man. That he is our only hope of forgiveness and salvation.

Counterfeit religion always leaves out Grace—that salvation is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ. True Biblical faith depends completely on Grace. Without it we’re lost.

God warns us through the Apostle Paul, “I am astonished that you are so quickly… turning to different gospel—which is really no gospel at all…. Evidently some people are… trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.” Enough said.

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!