Recognizing A Counterfeit

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. (Matthew 23:1-3)

In the last public sermon that Jesus ever preached, He was calling out hypocritical holiness and counterfeit Christianity. Frankly, this is not a seeker-friendly topic. This is not a feel-good topic. This is not a “live your best life now” topic, but it is a topic that everyone and anyone who claims to be a follower of Jesus and every church needs to hear about, think about, and talk about.

Over the next couple of days, we’re going to look at three things that Jesus says we need to do as we call out counterfeits, including the times we may be counterfeit ourselves. We’ll look at the first thing today and cover the other two tomorrow.  

First, we must recognize the core of a counterfeit. There’s an old saying that goes, “even a broken clock is right twice a day.” That is why even though as Christians we believe that all other religions outside of Christianity are ultimately wrong, it doesn’t mean they are always wrong. There is truth that can be found in every religion and that is the core of a counterfeit. 

A counterfeit looks like the real thing, and sometimes it can even teach what is right. At the end of the day, what makes a counterfeit a counterfeit is not what it looks like on the outside, but the fact that what is on the outside doesn’t really match up with what is on the inside.

This is why Jesus said the problem was not so much what the pharisees were preaching, but what they were practicing. In essence, Jesus said, “Most of the time you can believe what they say, but don’t ever behave the way they act. Believe them when they teach truth, but don’t be like them in the way they live it out privately.”

With this in mind, I want to challenge you to, if you’re not already, begin praying for wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit. You are inevitable going to come across counterfeiters in the faith, also known as false teachers. So it’s important to be able to identify them when you do. Part of following Jesus is knowing the real thing from something that claims to be real that isn’t. May God grant us the wisdom we need to discern what is true. 

Dear Lord, I want to ask you to please give me wisdom and discernment as I navigate through life and listen to teachers of your Word. Help me to be able to identify what is fully consistent with your truth and what is not so that I might only align myself with what you have said to be true. In Jesus’ name, amen.