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By Scott Tibbs, July 9, 2009
A letter to the editor on July 7 displayed a common error about Jesus, or more specifically the effeminate wimp so many people believe "Jesus" to be. The writer claimed that "Jesus condemned no one. His ministry was one of compassion for all, not just those of His own faith." This simply is not true, as Jesus condemned people on many occasions throughout His ministry. Three specific examples follow:
- But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? -- Matthew 3:7
- O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. -- Matthew 12:34
- And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. -- Matthew 21:12-13
It is true Christ's ministry is one of compassion for all, but the focus is always to have those following false religions convert to Christianity. He commanded His followers in Matthew 28:19-20 to go to all nations and teach them "to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Jesus made it very clear in John 14:6 that "no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." Acts 4:12 teaches that "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
There is a great deal of ignorance about what Jesus actually said and what he actually taught. The popular view of Jesus was that He was an effeminate wimp who tolerated everything, never advanced doctrine and abolished the law. (Matthew 5:18 is a strong refutation of this heresy.) Some claims are ignorant, while others are intentionally deceitful. It is critical for believers to have our view of Jesus shaped by Scripture, not by the heresies this culture has created about a false "Jesus" that in no way resembles the Jesus of the Bible.
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