Counterfeit Christianity

Posted on May 18, 2007 

Filed Under The Church, Weylan Deaver

by Weylan Deaver

What can counterfeiting do to a currency? According to the U.S. Secret Service, “During the American Revolution, the British counterfeited U.S. currency in such large amounts that the Continental currency soon became worthless. ‘Not worth a Continental’ became a popular expression that is still heard today. During the Civil War, one-third to one-half of the currency in circulation was counterfeit. At that time, approximately 1,600 state banks designed and printed their own bills” (http://www.secretservice.gov/counterfeit.shtml). To combat the counterfeiters, America adopted a national currency in 1862. Soon thereafter, it, too, was faked, leading to the establishment of the Secret Service on July 5, 1865 to suppress the burgeoning problem.

How do you recognize a counterfeit dollar bill? Do you have to learn every possible nuance of thousands of fake bills? No. Hear this advice from the Secret Service: “You can help guard against the threat from counterfeiters by becoming more familiar with United States currency. Look at the money you receive. Compare a suspect note with a genuine note of the same denomination and series, paying attention to the quality of printing and paper characteristics. Look for differences, not similarities” (http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml). Primarily, you learn to spot the fake by thoroughly learning the genuine.

What would happen if the devil could counterfeit the church? Would it not be one of his crowning achievements to the detriment of mankind? Most look for similarities among churches and assume they are close enough (after all, don’t the denominations carry the same Bible, believe in the same God, talk about the same Jesus, worship on Sunday, etc.?). On the contrary, the Secret Service says you detect counterfeits when you “Look for differences, not similarities”!

Under a section titled “How To Detect Counterfeit Money,” the Secret Service website lists five areas to look for differences (ibid.). Let us study each, in turn (all verses quoted are from the English Standard Version).

I. PORTRAIT

“The genuine portrait appears lifelike and stands out distinctly from the background. The counterfeit portrait is usually lifeless and flat. Details merge into the background which is often too dark or mottled.”

The Lord’s church is to make sure the portrait of Jesus stands out distinctly as the “pillar and buttress of truth” (1 Tim 3:15). If you are a genuine Christian, all should see “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27).

Far from being “lifeless and flat,” God’s word is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12). Denominationalism’s portrayal of Christ is watered down and indistinct. The sharp details that set Him apart are blunted to lessen the force. A portrait of Jesus that tolerates religious division is counterfeit (Jn 17:11). A portrait of Jesus that condones any sin (no matter its popularity) is counterfeit (Jn 5:14). A portrait of Jesus that molds the gospel to accommodate modern culture is counterfeit (Jn 12:48). A portrait of Jesus that changes His teaching on divorce is counterfeit (Mt 19:9). A portrait of Jesus that amends His plan of salvation is counterfeit (Mt 28:19,20). A portrait of Jesus that lets man set his own doctrine and practice is counterfeit (Mt 15:13). A portrait of Jesus that devalues His church is counterfeit (Ac 20:28). A portrait of Jesus that makes Him save other than His body (the church) is counterfeit (Eph 5:23). Paul could have changed his message to fit the wants of various audiences. Instead, he wrote, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor 1:22,23).

II. SEAL

“On a genuine bill, the saw-tooth points of the Federal Reserve and Treasury seals are clear, distinct, and sharp. The counterfeit seals may have uneven, blunt, or broken saw-tooth points.”

The Lord’s church bears an unmistakable seal. “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” (Eph 1:13). God has “put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts” (2 Cor 1:22). Who gets God’s seal? The Holy Spirit—the seal—is “given to those who obey him” (Ac 5:32). That means every alleged Christian who has never fully obeyed the Gospel (including immersion for the remission of sins [Ac 2:38]) wears a counterfeit seal. Though men may be, God is not fooled. “But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’” (2 Tim 2:19). As the Lord can recognize His own, so can His children recognize each other by their fruit (Mt 7:20).

III. BORDER

“The fine lines in the border of a genuine bill are clear and unbroken. On the counterfeit, the lines in the outer margin and scrollwork may be blurred and indistinct.”

The Lord’s church is surrounded by a distinct boundary, called “the light” (1 Jn 1:7). As long as we remain in the light of Scripture (cf. Ps 119:105), we maintain fellowship with God and fellow saints. This boundary is also called “the teaching of Christ” (2 Jn 9). All who get out-of-step with the teaching are out of favor with God and Christ. The problem is this. Denominationalism wants inside the Lord’s border while remaining outside the Lord’s teaching! Such is a formula destined for failure. Denominational folk claim they are on God’s side, while teaching what the Bible does not teach.

This blurs the distinction between the true and the counterfeit. This is why it is dangerous, as well as wrong, to say that those outside the Lord’s church can produce even some of the Holy Spirit’s fruit (as in Gal 5:22,23). Jesus said, in no uncertain terms, that a diseased tree cannot bear any good fruit (Mt 7:18) and that a branch unattached to the vine (Himself) cannot bear any fruit (Jn 15:4).

How, then, can you explain what looks like the Holy Spirit’s fruit in the lives of non-saints? It is counterfeit fruit. Read carefully what Paul wrote: “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (2 Cor 11:14,15). The phrase, “servants of righteousness,” is synonymous with “Christians.” More than anything, what would the devil want his servants to look like? He wants them to appear as devilishly similar to real Christians as possible. This is a crucial fact to know, and comforting when surrounded by sincere neighbors in religious error. It is tempting to blur the border of the church to include these people, but it would purchase eternal regret.

IV. SERIAL NUMBER

“Genuine serial numbers have a distinctive style and are evenly spaced. The serial numbers are printed in the same ink color as the Treasury Seal. On a counterfeit, the serial numbers may differ in color or shade of ink from the Treasury seal. The numbers may not be uniformly spaced or aligned.”

The Lord’s church is the same “color or shade” as the Lord’s teaching (Jn 14:15). Denominations “differ in color or shade” from the true teaching. Just compare any number of vital items between what the New Testament says and what a particular denomination says, and the differences stand out like a sunset over the Kalahari (e.g. organization of the church, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, music in the church, worship, religious titles, inherited sin, the work of the Spirit, falling from grace, etc., etc.).

Long ago, Paul said a divine curse rests on anyone—angel included—who would dare to “preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you” (Gal 1:8). And Jesus revealed that many at Judgment will be turned away, even though they make grand claims on Christian service. The one really saved will not be the one with a claim, but “the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Mt 7:21-23). If we are not striving to be the mirror image of what Christ was on earth, in teaching, belief, and practice, then we are counterfeiting His image and degrading it in the eyes of all who love truth (cf. Mt 5:16; 1 Cor 11:1).

V. PAPER

“Genuine currency paper has tiny red and blue fibers embedded throughout. Often counterfeiters try to simulate these fibers by printing tiny red and blue lines on their paper. Close inspection reveals, however, that on the counterfeit note the lines are printed on the surface, not embedded in the paper. It is illegal to reproduce the distinctive paper used in the manufacturing of United States currency.”

When it comes to a dollar bill, if the paper is not genuine, it does not matter what color the ink, how sharp the points on the seals, whether it bears the right face, is the proper size, and so on. To begin with counterfeit paper and end with genuine currency is a task impossible of accomplishment.

What about the “paper” (or, creeds) upon which various churches are built. My coat pocket New Testament comprises 315 pages of paper. Because of the words on those pages, it is the right paper (and the only one) on which to build a belief, a life, a church, an eternal destiny. The New Testament—God’s word—is the seed which, if planted in the honest heart, brings forth fruit to God (Lk 8:11,15). Everyone is expressly forbidden either to add to or subtract from the “paper” God wrote (Rev 22:18,19). Nor do we have a right to ignore it as is. The plea of the church of Christ has been and remains a call for all to rid themselves of humanly devised creeds and take the New Testament alone as their authority (cf. Mt 15:9,13). It is the only avenue to the unity for which Christ prayed (Jn 17:20,21).

Instead, a survey of the landscape reveals churches based on all kinds of “papers,” including: the Presbyterian Confession of Faith, Standard Manual for Baptist Churches, Methodist Book of Discipline, Catholic Catechism, Augsburg Confession of the Lutheran Church, Mennonite Confession of Faith, Articles of War for the Salvation Army, Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America, Statement of Fundamental Truths of the Assemblies of God, and the list grows.

In conclusion, you cannot begin with a counterfeit foundation and end up with the Lord’s church. Counterfeiting can destroy the dollar’s value, but it cannot destroy the value of the Lord’s church, which was bought at the price of divine blood (Ac 20:28). What it can do is keep countless souls from coming to the Lord’s church because the devil has so successfully blurred the borders of the church that people unwilling to study as though their souls depended on it (for they do) are unable to distinguish between what is real and what is not. The devil says, “Look at all the similarities between churches and take comfort in choosing the one you like.” The New Testament says, in effect, “Look at the differences.” Or, to be more precise, “test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thes 5:21). Are you willing to put your beliefs under the microscope of God’s word? Do not settle for a counterfeit Christianity. The Lord knows those who are his.

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