When "God is Love" Gets Hijacked: Discerning Truth from Counterfeits

Have you ever bought something you thought was genuine, only to discover it was a counterfeit? I remember trying to sell my Land Rover on Craigslist years ago. A buyer immediately offered full price and said they'd pay to ship it. They sent what looked like a legitimate cashier's check, which my wife deposited. Two days later, our bank account was frozen. What appeared to be the real thing was, upon closer examination by people who know what the real thing looks like, a counterfeit.

This experience mirrors what's happening in Christian circles today. Many teachings look like the real gospel, sound like Christianity, but underneath lies a foundation of deception. And nowhere is this more evident than in how the phrase "God is love" gets misused.

The Hijacked Definition of Love
"God is love" appears on children's church signs, at sporting events, and even at pride parades. More times than not, it's wielded as a deflection: "If you're a Christian, you wouldn't feel that way, because God is love and God loves everybody."

Let me be clear: those are two absolutely true statements. God IS love, and God DOES love everyone. The problem lies in how we define love.

The word "love" gets thrown around in many different contexts. "I love Mexican food. I love the Tennessee Vols. I love shopping. I love sleeping in." But when I say "I love my wife," that better have a different meaning! The same word carries vastly different weight depending on the context.

I personally think the word "love" has been hijacked to mean something completely different than what John meant when he said "God is love."

The Full Context of "God is Love"
The scripture that "God is love" comes from is 1 John 4:8. Here it is in its entirety: "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

But when this verse gets used as a deflection mechanism, the verses that follow never get referenced. Look what comes next in verses 9-10:
"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin."

John says, yes, God is love. But then he immediately follows it up by defining what that love actually is: God loved you enough—even while you were still a sinner—to send his Son to take your place and die on a cross for you.

Here's how it normally gets used though: "You can't disagree with me or my choices if you're a Christian, because God is love. And God wouldn't say those things. God wouldn't believe that way. You're not a Christian."

Let's be honest—the church hasn't done a really good job at proclaiming truth mixed with love. We've been a whole lot of truth and very little love. In fact, when we tell people the truth, it's almost like we're angry with them.

I heard a story about a woman whose husband never went to church. She finally gets him to go. The pastor preaches on hell with such anger and condemnation that the husband leaves upset. The next week, she can't believe it when he says, "I'll go with you to another church." At that church, the pastor also preaches on hell, but this time the husband walks forward and gives his life to Jesus. She asks, "What's the difference?" He says, "That first pastor preached like he wanted me to go to hell, and the second one preached like he wanted to keep me from it."

While we need to get better at giving truth WITH love, we also can't let the pendulum swing too far the other way. Paul says in Ephesians 4:15, "We are to speak the truth, but we are to speak the truth in love."

Testing the Spirits: Recognizing Counterfeits
If we back up to 1 John 4:1, we find the context for John's entire discussion:
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

• The Spirit of Antichrist is Already Here

John continues in verses 2-6:
"This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."

As a Christian growing up in church, I would look for THE Antichrist. But according to John, there is a spirit of antichrist that is already living in our world. The problem is we're looking for one person and missing the spirit of antichrist—anything that goes against what Christ says.

John is writing to churches around Ephesus about traveling teachers preaching things that don't align with the true gospel. They were charismatic, had energy, and said things people wanted to believe.

Isn't that what the health and weight loss industry is built on? Selling us things we want to believe are true? "Lose 30 pounds in a week!" Deep down, I know that's not true. But maybe this time it is...

We'd rather believe something we know isn't true than do the hard work actually required. In church, our ears get tickled. We hear something that sounds easier than what the Bible requires, and even though deep down we know it's not true, we desperately want to believe it.

• The Spread of Deception Then and Now

Now think about this: If false teaching was spreading to the extent that Paul felt the need to address it back then—when there were no apps, no social media platforms, nothing like that—how much more is it being spread today?

All you have to do is open your phone and it's filled with information, whether false or true. With the way algorithms work, if you watch one teaching that's interesting (doesn't matter if it has false teaching underneath), you start getting flooded with more of the same. If it was running rampant back then, how much more so today?

That's why John says, "Test the spirits." Even as believers, we can be swayed to believe what somebody else is saying because we'd rather hear that than what the Bible actually requires of us.

The Devil's Ancient Strategy
We shouldn't be surprised—this is what the devil has been doing from the beginning. Spreading lies wrapped in enough truth to make them seem real, even when we really know they're not. From Genesis 3 through Revelation, the devil constantly tries to duplicate or counterfeit what God has to make us want his counterfeit more than the real deal.

When the serpent approached Eve in the garden, he didn't say, "Disregard everything God told you." He started a conversation: "Looks good, doesn't it? You ever had one? Why would God put this in the garden if he didn't want you to at least try it?"

Eve tells the serpent what God said. The enemy doesn't outright tell her not to believe God, but he sprinkles in some spiritual insinuations. Somehow, he convinces Eve to trade the genuine word of God—that she got from God himself—for a counterfeit word because her fleshly appetite wanted it.

If Eve was able to be swayed and she walked with God daily, we've got to be alert and test the spirits.

• The Devil's Four-Layer Plan

When I think about the devil's plan and how he works, I believe there are four layers to it:

1. Distraction - He caught Eve off guard (a talking snake would distract anyone!)
2. Deception - The serpent begins to deceive her
3. Distortion - He distorts the word of God to her
4. Denial - "Did He really say that?"

This pattern continues throughout Scripture. Moses dealt with it when he told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 13:4: "It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him." Moses took this so seriously that he said if someone comes along—even if they can do miracles and signs and wonders—but they try to get you to worship another god, you were to put them to death. Why? Because they were trying to incite rebellion against God's true word.

Jesus addressed it too. In Matthew 7:15-16, He said: "Beware of false teachers who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves who will tear you apart. You can identify them by their fruit, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit."

The devil doesn't come at us with horns showing and tail waving. He's the master deceiver who comes with something appealing. He slips in saying, "Oh, you love Jesus? I love Him too! You listen to Christian radio? I do too!" Then comes: "But did Jesus really mean that? I know the Bible says that, but does it really mean that?"

What he does is dress it up and use enough truth, use enough scripture to cover up the lie hidden beneath. And even though something is telling us this isn't right, we want to believe it so badly that we're willing to give up the real thing for a genuine counterfeit.

• This Continues Throughout Scripture

Second Peter 2:1-3 describes what's happening in our world today:
"Just as there were false prophets in the past among God's people, so there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them... Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered. In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money."

Tell me that's not happening today.

Paul encountered this in the church he planted in Corinth. In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, he wrote: "These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness."

How to Test the Spirits
I'm not talking about developing a cynical attitude toward everything. But John gives us wisdom: examine and scrutinize teachings to determine their genuineness. The Greek word for "test" (dokimazo) was used like a goldsmith testing coins with a touchstone to ensure they weren't counterfeit.

So when you hear a clip, a social media personality, or a podcast teaching, how do you test it? Ask these three questions:

1. What Does God's Word Say About It?
As a follower of Jesus, this should be the first place I go. When it comes to issues like sex, marriage, gender, abortion, stealing, politics, or honor—what does God's Word say?

It doesn't matter what my opinion is. Even as a pastor, my opinion doesn't matter. What matters is what His Word says. I can have lots of opinions, but they could be wrong. (Don't believe me? Ask my wife. Ask my staff. I've had to back up and say, "You know what, that was stupid. You're right, I was wrong.")

If I can just pick and choose what verses suit me, what does that say about my relationship with Jesus? Either I believe it or I don't.

2. Can I Build My Life On It?
Jesus said in Matthew 7:24-27:
"Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash."

Notice Jesus doesn't just say "anybody who hears these words of mine"—He says "and puts them into practice." Many people hear His words but don't put them into practice.

When storms come (and Jesus doesn't say IF storms come, He says WHEN), your foundation determines whether you stand or fall.

When you hear some teaching or opinion, ask: Is this really a firm foundation, or will it turn out to be sand?

3. Who Do They Say Jesus Is?
This is the most important question in the world we're living in. The popular ideology today is "all roads lead to God." So ask: Who are you telling me Jesus is?

This was happening in the first century. A man named Cerinthus taught a blend of Christianity and Gnostic beliefs. He said Jesus and Christ were two separate things—Jesus was the man, but Christ was just a spirit that temporarily came down and indwelt him. He denied that Jesus was fully God and fully man.

If you read 1 John, you'll notice John never separates "Jesus" and "Christ." It's always "Jesus Christ." He's emphasizing what theologians call the hypostatic union—Jesus Christ is one person with two distinct natures, fully divine and fully human.

That's why 1 John opens with: "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands." John is making the claim: He is man, but He is divine.

Listen carefully: If you deny this aspect of Jesus, you deny everything about Him.

When you look at belief systems like Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, or Scientology, the question can never be "Does it sound good?" or "Does it make me feel good?" or "Does it make sense to me?"

The question must be: Who do they say Jesus is?

The Bottom Line
If you get Jesus wrong, it doesn't matter what you get right.
It doesn't matter if it brings you momentary peace. It doesn't matter if it brings you temporary happiness. It doesn't matter if it gives you comfort. If you get Jesus wrong, it doesn't matter what you get right.

Only Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.
Only Jesus Christ died on a cross, paid for our sins, and rose again three days later.
Only Jesus Christ ascended to heaven.
Only Jesus Christ is coming back to judge us and the world.

What Are You Building Your Life On?
As the old hymn says: "On Christ, the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand."

So what are you building your life on? Are you mingling teachings and religions? Do you think, "I like the way this one believes. I agree with this teaching over here. I like the way they do this over there"?

The saying "all religions lead to the same God" is partly true—most religions DO lead to the same destination and deity. The problem is it's not the deity they think.

The deity behind false claims and teachings is what Paul calls in 2 Corinthians "the angel of light" and the "god of this world." Jesus calls him "the father of lies," and Revelation says he is "the deceiver of the whole world."

Satan hates you. He won't come right out and say it, but he likes to sprinkle in a little truth. He even used scripture when tempting Jesus! If he thought he could use scripture to make Jesus stumble, are we better than Jesus? We better watch out.

What he wants is to get you to buy into something, and before you know it, it has its grip on you and you can't tell what's truth and what's lies.

Don't Settle for Counterfeits
Don't settle for a counterfeit gospel that sounds good but lacks the power to save. Don't settle for teachings that make you feel comfortable but don't align with God's Word. Don't settle for a version of Jesus that fits your preferences but isn't the Jesus of Scripture.

Test everything against God's Word. Build your life on the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Understand who Jesus truly is—fully God and fully man, the only way to salvation.

Remember: It appeared to be the real thing, but upon examination by those who know what the real thing looks like, it was revealed to be counterfeit.

Be someone who knows the real thing so well that counterfeits are immediately recognizable.