When we hear the word counterfeit, we usually think of money. It is money that looks real to most of us. It may have all the markings of a genuine dollar bill, but the person who made it was making a copy of the real thing. When a person identifies as a Christian yet, they do not possess Jesus as their Savior and Lord, they too are counterfeits. So, what is the big deal with counterfeits?
First, when counterfeit money is made it floods the market with nothing to back it up. Because there is no gold to back it up it reduces the value of real money by increasing the prices of real goods. It causes people to lose confidence in real money. This also applies to Christianity. When people profess to be Christians, yet they live like the world they devalue the effect of Christianity. They are selling a false religion. Christ tells us to be holy, to not be conformed to the world, and we are to be different in beliefs, actions, and attitudes. Our allegiance is to God, not to things or people on this earth. God must come first. He will not share our allegiance with anyone else. Being holy is not a suggestion, it is a command if we are His children.
I Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
Ephesians 1:4 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”
Counterfeit money also has an effect on society. When counterfeit money is used to pay for goods and the company deposits the money in the bank it is tested and identified as a counterfeit. The business that deposited the money is not reimbursed for the fake money and it can lead to the closing of the business. If not closing it causes them to lose buying power. The business is no longer valued as a trusted business. The same is true for the church which is filled with counterfeit Christians. The church loses its effectiveness in society. No longer is it seen as set apart and different from the world. When the church allows the world to dictate how it will function and what it will accept as right and wrong it becomes nothing more than a social club. There are many things dangerous about the counterfeit church. The greatest danger is making people believe they are right with God when they have not met the biblical standard that God has set. These people are on their way to eternal damnation in Hell and they don’t even know it!
God has one plan for people to make it to Heaven. We know from Ephesians 2:8-9 that it is not through good works as many religions teach. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” No works we can do will extend to us the righteousness needed for Heaven. Isaiah 64:6 teaches us that we have no righteousness of our own. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags.” We must have the righteousness of Jesus applied to our lives for God to accept us into Heaven. We must become real, not counterfeit. We do that by repenting of our sins, asking Jesus to forgive us, and allowing Him to become our Lord and Savior. Notice He is not just our Savior, but He must be our Lord. This is a title that means He is our Master. Our lives are to be lived to please Him. A real Christian will want to obey His commands. He loves Jesus because of the sacrifice He made so that he can be reconciled to God. John 14:15 makes it clear when Jesus said “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” This is the only way to Heaven. It is not through church membership, baptism, giving money, or doing good deeds. Those things are all good, but they are acts of obedience because He is our Lord. Our salvation comes first then our works show we love Him. Anyone who does not turn away from their sins and turn to Jesus is a counterfeit.
Unfortunately, there are many people attending churches today that have sold them a counterfeit religion. Just like the business that took counterfeit money and tried to deposit it into their account at the bank, it was rejected. Their money was judged as worthless! One day each of us will stand before the righteous Judge. God himself will judge if we are real or counterfeit. This Judge cannot be fooled by a fake. He knows everything about us. He knows what we have done and the motives behind our works. He knows if we bought a lie that made religion what pleased us, or if it was all about Him. Federal law in the United States makes counterfeiting a felony. The punishment is 20 years in Federal prison. If you are a counterfeit Christian, your punishment will be for all eternity in Hell. Each of us needs to examine our lives to make sure we are genuine Christians. It will be a horrible day when you stand before God if you have spent your life here passing off counterfeit Christianity thinking it was real. We need to measure our lives by what the Word of God says, not what we think is ok or what some church says is ok. Don’t take a chance with your eternal soul or you will be like the man in Matthew 7:22-23 that Jesus rejected.
Matthew 7:22-23 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
