We will take yet another look at some of the objections offered by individuals who seek to avoid continuing religious discussions, remembering that we seek only to give a logical and reasonable answer to what are often unreasonable and illogical objections. It is our hope that if we expose and answer these excuses, honest hearts will respond positively to the will of God and some may actually obey.

    This week, we consider the following excuse and how we should answer: ''Well, the Jesus I know wouldn't!'' Usually, this is a response to hearing a passage from the Bible, a statement by one who is teaching something that is either unpopular or uncomfortable, or when someone hears Jesus actually condemned some sin. Often, this excuse is offered because the belief or practice that has been condemned is one the individual wants to believe or practice, and more and more it is a case of one trying to be 'politically correct' and appear 'open-minded' and 'tolerant' to the point they will scoff at the very idea that the Bible would condemn anyone. I have heard this objection regarding homosexuality, God's law on marriage, divorce, and remarriage, covetousness, among other topics. It's as if someone is saying, "I know what it says, but surely Jesus didn't mean that!"

    A few years ago, a well-known afternoon TV talk show hostess was interviewing a Hollywood actress who was known for 'coming out of the closet' and admitting her sinful lifestyle of lesbianism. During the course of the interview, the actress talked about her younger years and the 'persecution' she faced by others who correctly judged her to be what she was now admitting publicly. After a few minutes of describing the 'terrible' treatment by others who were so bold to call her a 'sinner,' the talk show hostess turned to the camera and arrogantly stated, "Well, the Jesus I know would never say that!" And the audience applauded heartily.

    It is not just homosexuality -- our society's 'favored' sinful practice -- to which this is applied, either. If you remember a few years ago when our President was known to be unfaithful to his wife on what appeared to be a regular basis, interviews with people on the street showed a disinterest in condemning the behavior because, well, that made him like 'one of the guys' and some even said then that even Jesus would not have condemned him. Apparently, people from all walks of society have this concept that Jesus would never condemn anyone, but this is simply an excuse used with the hope they won't have to answer what has been said, or the Scripture that has been cited.

Answer: The answer to this excuse is really going to depend on what Jesus supposedly "wouldn't" do. If we have simply read a Bible passage that clearly expressed God's will on the matter, maybe it should be read again with a follow_up question: "Do you believe this verse is true?" [If you have simply stated a Bible principle or teaching without a verse to back it up, now is the time to do so.] And if they do not accept the Bible teaching, do not simply thrown up your hands; get to the real heart of the objection: personal opinion. That, friends and brethren, is all it is!

    This may sound harsh and 'unloving,' but the fact is, most people who use this as an excuse do not know the Jesus of the Bible. The "Jesus" they know is found nowhere but in their own minds and is actually of their own contrivance. Most, if not all, who use this excuse couldn't actually tell what Jesus would do [or did do], but hold to their "Jesus" as if he was the one of the Bible when they have no information or revelation from the Bible by which this "Jesus" exists. They most likely have never studied the life of Jesus to honestly discover whether or not Jesus "would" or "wouldn't" do something or say something. Again, their "Jesus" is nothing but their own opinion -- not the Son of God. [Those who have written books asking 'What Would Jesus Eat?' or 'What Would Jesus Drive?' also fall into this same category of giving us nothing but opinions based on lack of evidence or facts.]

    The simple answer to this objection is to take them to the Bible and actually see if the Jesus of the Bible "would" or "wouldn't" do or say what they think. They need to see that it doesn't matter what we think Jesus would do or say; what matters is, What did Jesus do and what did Jesus say? Not until we answer that question will we be able to come to any kind of consensus and not until then will we discover truth. Until then, we are following the mere opinions of other men or ourselves which will not save us.

    This is reminiscent of the Israelites of whom, at certain times, it was said, "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). They did not actually care what God wanted them to do; they were all just doing what they wanted! Oh, yes, some were saying it was done with God's approval [or at least that He wouldn't condemn them], but it was all their own opinion and not anything based on what God had actually said. Even while they were following after other gods, they said to themselves, "The Lord will not do good, nor will He do evil" (Zeph. 1:12). In effect, they were saying, "The God I know wouldn't!" though they had no evidence that their concept was true. Need we be reminded what happened to them? Have we forgotten what God actually did?

    It is sad that the dictionary definition of faith is belief without evidence because the faith of the Bible is "the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). One is the 'faith' many people hold and one is the faith of the true believer; one allows men to hold to their own opinion while one demands we set aside personal opinion; one will get you nowhere with God and one will get you to heaven! Friends and brethren, we must have the faith of the Bible, based on the evidence God has given to us (cf. John 20:30, 31) or we do not have the faith that saves us. While we may believe in some "Jesus", it is only when we believe in the Jesus of the Bible, the Son of God and our Savior, that we can be saved.

    When others offer this objection, try to get them to see the Jesus of the Bible and simultaneously eliminate the "Jesus" of their own invention. We must see Jesus as not just the Babe in the manger, the One who called the little children to Him, and the One who commanded we love one another [though He did do all of these things]; we must also see Jesus as the One who told a sinner to sin no more (John 8:11), the One who fashioned a whip and drove out greedy moneychangers from the temple (John 2:15), and the One who will deny entry into heaven for those who would go so far as to call Him, "Lord, Lord" (Matt. 7:21-23). What we think Jesus would say or do doesn't hold any water, spiritually speaking. To be able to claim real faith we must be ones who believe in the real Jesus!

    It will be difficult to convince those who use this excuse that they need to do further study because they already believe they have enough "evidence" and they claim belief already. But this matter is too serious to let the objection slide without an answer. As it is, they are deceived, maybe self-deceived, and do not see the true path to heaven and eternal life. It is our duty to get them pointed in the right direction [toward heaven], though they think they are on the right road.

    As we answer this objection, let us ensure that we are not offering them just another opinion [our own]; let us always point them to Scripture for an answer and help them to see [along with self] the real Jesus so we may follow Him. It will be tragic to have followed "our" Jesus only to come face to face with the real Jesus on Judgment Day, wondering, "Who are You?"