Counterfeits

By Dan Flournoy

Counterfeiting is one of the most profitable and wide spread forms of lawlessness. Those who engage in this practice know that if a bill does not closely resemble the genuine it will not be accepted by many. A counterfeit is not a duplicate but actually an inferior product. Only things of value are counterfeited. One does not usually hear of a counterfeit penny!

In the realm of relgion we note that there are many counterfeits. Thus Scripture warns us to be on guard: Personally: "Try your own selves, whether you are in the faith: prove your own selves" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Doctrinally: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of God..." (I John 4:1). Morally: "Prove all things, hold fast that which is good; abstain from every form of evil" (I Thessalonians 5:21-22). Consider these religious counterfeits:

1. COUNTERFEIT GODS. One of ancient Israel's most frequent sins was idolatry. Time and again, Israel left the worship of Jehovah and bowed down to pagan gods of the peoples round about them. Today, as in days of old, people are found worshipping at the altar of counterfeit gods such as power, pride, prestige, pleasure, and prosperity. While these are temporarily satisfying they cannot provide eternal salvation (Colossians 3:5).

2. COUNTERFEIT CHRISTS. Jesus warned of counterfeit Christs when he said, For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets..." (Matthew 24:24). Today, there are a number of false Christs. For example, the Modernist has a Christ without miracles, denying the virgin birth, atoning death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Several Eastern Gurus such as Sun Myung Moon and Maharaja ji have claimed to be the new Messiah. The Millenarian presents a counterfeit Christ who could not fulfill God's purpose to establish His kingdom in the first century (Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 2:2-4) but must return a second time to accomplish this task.

3. COUNTERFEIT GOSPELS. Paul warns of a "perverted" gospel (Galatians 1:6-8). In reality this is not "another" gospel but a counterfeit. By binding certain aspects of the Law of Moses and the doctrines of men, the gospel of Christ is changed to a counterfeit gospel. In this way, worship is rendered "vain" (Matthew 15:9). The gospel Paul preached was "pure" having been received by "revelation of Jesus Christ" (Galatians 1:7-12). This is the gospel we must preach today.

We are today that the Secret Service, charged with the responsibility of investigating counterfeits, trains agents to detect false money by knowing the genuine. Christians must become thoroughly familiar with the genuine articel in order to know that which is false. Therefore, let us bring eveything to the test of the scriptures.