Beware of the Pseudo-Christian (1)
Who is a Pseudo-Christian, and how can we know them?
Introduction
There is a saying, 'If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is a duck!' This saying derives from the Duck Test, which states: 'If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.' The Duck Test suggests that you can identify something based on its observable characteristics and behaviours rather than relying on a formal definition or classification. Based on the Duck Test, if someone looks, talks, and acts like a Christian, they are probably Christian. But nothing can be further from the truth.
Who is a Christian?
Christianity involves the inward acknowledgement and conviction of sin in one’s life and acceptance of Jesus as the Saviour from sin. This is followed by the outward acts of repenting of sin, confessing Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and living righteously as a result. Christianity is the inward working of the Holy Spirit in the Christian, which manifests outwardly as the fruit of the Spirit. A Christian is someone who has repented of sin, confessed Jesus Christ to be Saviour and Lord, and is being sanctified and led by the Holy Spirit. A Christian who lives according to the word of God, is thus led by the Holy Spirit. Without the indwelling Holy Spirit, a person is not a Christian (Romans 8:9-15)! The Duck Test does not, and should never, apply in Christianity.
The Infiltration of Christianity
Jude, a lesser-known apostle, and half-brother of Jesus, wrote to Christians, reminding them to defend their shared faith. He spoke about certain people who had crept into the fold without suspicion and described them as ungodly men with destructive doctrine (Jude 1:4). Jude's warning speaks of the use of subterfuge and deception by such individuals to destroy the faith of Christians.
Let me give two instances of such tactics in other spheres to help us appreciate the gravity of my concern.
The caterpillar that destroyed a whole ant colony
I once watched a documentary by the legendary David Attenborough about a caterpillar that mimics the queen ant. I reproduce the transcript of the short but intriguing documentary below. You can view the video below.
Ants eat caterpillars, but this caterpillar is a master trickster. First, she releases a droplet of honeydew from a gland on her back, encouraging the worker ant to tend to her. Next, she does something even more remarkable. She takes in air, inflating her body, and then she releases it, making a sound that resembles the distress call of a queen ant, while bathing the worker in intoxicating pheromones. In response, the worker ant picks up the caterpillar and takes it back to the nest, as if rescuing it. But will the other ants accept the caterpillar as a queen?
She continues her royal squeaking, and amazingly, they do! Once inside the nest, the caterpillar can go wherever she likes. Surrounded by thousands of ants that could easily kill her, she finally gets the reward for her trickery. This caterpillar is one of the very few in the world that becomes carnivorous.
Over the next six months, this fake queen eats the defenceless ant larvae until she is 100 times her original size. Then, having consumed almost the entire ant colony, she prepares and becomes a prisoner. Nearly a year later, on one warm spring day, she performs her final trick: she emerges from the shroud of her chrysalis as an adult large blue butterfly.
Forty years ago, the large blue butterfly was extinct in Britain, but once its extraordinary life cycle was understood, it was reintroduced from Europe to restore meadows here, and now we have one of the densest populations to be found anywhere.
The Trojan Horse
Like a caterpillar infiltrating an ant colony, the Trojan Horse strategy led to the destruction of Troy by the Greeks. Troy was impervious to Greek attacks, so the Greeks devised a plan to enter the city using a wooden horse. They left the horse at Troy's gate, in plain sight, and left in their ships. The Trojans believed they had gotten rid of the Greeks, so, they brought the wooden horse into the city, believing it to be an offering to the Trojan god.
The Trojans celebrated their win. Unbeknownst to the Trojans, elite Greek soldiers were hiding inside the wooden horse. Alas! they had inadvertently brought in the enemy! Meanwhile, the Greek army that had ostensibly departed in full view of the Trojans, had returned under the cover of night. At night, while the Trojans were celebrating their victory, the soldiers hiding inside the wooden horse emerged and let in the Greek army. They flooded into Troy, catching the Trojans off guard, and sacked the city. Thus, Troy finally fell after ten years of Greek attempts to penetrate Troy.
Who is a Pseudo-Christian?
Hidden among genuine Christians in the church today are a group of people I call, “Pseudo-Christians”. They are agents of darkness, sent to undermine, weaken, and destroy the Christian faith. Genuine Christians stay true to Christ's teachings, but these individuals claiming to follow Him are deceptive and have hidden motives. Pseudo-Christians identify as Christians and take part in religious activities, including attending church meetings and even holding leadership roles in the church. The apostle Paul warns of supposed preachers and leaders who were, in fact, Satan's agents:
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, NKJV)
The intentions and actions of Pseudo-Christians mask a sinister and devious plot against unsuspecting Christians. Much like the caterpillar that mimics the distress call of a queen ant to deceive the worker ants, Pseudo-Christians engage in behaviours that appear to align with Christianity, which is but a ploy to mislead and destroy the faith of standing Christians.
Pseudo-Christians mimic the genuine believer's spiritual life, emitting 'pheromones' of religiosity and giving the appearance of devotion. Like the deceived worker ant in Attenborough's documentary, rescuing the caterpillar, thinking it to be one of their own, the Pseudo-Christian gains authenticity from the leaders of the Christian community. With such authentication, the outward display of faith by Pseudo-Christians deceives and misleads genuine believers who mostly depend on what their leaders say, rather than God's word.
The Pseudo-Christian is thus, someone who walks, talks, and acts like a Christian, but is not a Christian! They have never repented of sin and do not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord, even though they may address Him as such. They are neither sanctified nor are they subject to the Holy Spirit. The Pseudo-Christian is anything but a Christian!
Identifying Pseudo-Christians
These agents of deception were never Christians. They may have deceived some Christians, but they can never deceive God! It is written,
"… the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and, 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.'" (2 Timothy 2:19, NKJV)
Just like the concern about ants accepting the caterpillar as a queen, there is doubt about genuine Christians recognising the true nature of Pseudo-Christians.
The parable of the wheat and tares told by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 13:24-30 and explained in Matthew 13:36-43 comes to mind. The Lord spoke of how, while men slept, the enemy of the farmer who had planted wheat on his land, sowed tares therein. Tares look exactly like wheat but are dangerous for consumption.
When the farmer was informed of the appearance of tares, he observed that it was the work of his enemy. But what did he then do? He told his workers not to uproot the tares. Why? Because wheat and tares are indistinguishable until they mature. So, some of the workers can unwittingly uproot the wheat thinking that they are tares. Also, the roots of the wheat and tares might have been intertwined. So, uprooting the tares will inadvertently result in uprooting some wheat along with it.
Hence, the farmer instructed his farmhands to wait until harvest time. Why? Though indistinguishable when immature, wheat and tares can be differentiated at harvest time. By then, the wheat heads are bowed, but the heads of the tares remain upstanding. Also, at maturity, the wind sways the wheat heads, but the heads of the tares resist the wind. Thus, during harvesting, the farmer harvests the bowed wheat heads into the barn and uproots the tares for incineration.
There is spiritual insight and significance regarding the identifiers of wheat and tares. The bowed head of wheat can be likened to humility in a Christian. The effect of the wind on the wheat head in which they are swayed can be likened to the yieldedness of the Christian to the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the upstanding tare heads and their resistance to the wind are typical of Pseudo-Christians who are proud and impervious to the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Pseudo-Christians are not Christians, as Stephen said of the Jews,
"You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you." (Acts 7:51, NKJV)
The Lord Jesus said that at the end of the age, God, who knows those who are His, will gather into His kingdom, all the humble and Holy Spirit-led individuals. Everyone else will be hurled into hell.
The Pseudo-Christian is not a Christian and cannot live the Christian life, which can only be lived in the Holy Spirit. The Pseudo-Christian is proud and unyielding to the Holy Spirit. They are very much in love with the world and cannot but live as the people of the world live. Thus, the Pseudo-Christian cannot be distinguished from the world. Over time, their Christian façade falls off, exposing and revealing their true ungodly nature.
The church of God has been asleep and, sadly, is still slumbering. Today, anything can pass as a doctrine from the Lord, and anyone can be classified as a Christian by the church. Fundamental doctrines are no longer taught in our churches and basic themes like justification, sanctification, consecration, holy living, etc., are scarcely heard from pulpits. Rather, what we hear are teachings about money, success, greatness, miracles, etc., and how these can make one prosperous and famous. Living above sin is no longer a topic for discussion among so-called Christians; rather, the testimonies are of acquisitions of the latest worldly products.
Unfortunately, less discerning Christians are quick to condemn the few who try to question the strange path church leaders are leading the churches through. Genuine Christians worldwide should be concerned about Jude's warning, coupled with the above narrative. Indeed, the church is under attack, and she is hosting her attackers!