Jesus+ The Great Deception

By Dr. Spencer R. Fusselman

In our modern age of aggressive curation, we manage our lives like algorithmic playlists. We are the sovereign users, and the world is merely a vendor vying for our monthly fee. We subscribe to Disney+ for nostalgia, Spotify for ambiance, and Amazon Prime for convenience. We have been conditioned to view every aspect of existence—entertainment, sustenance, comfort—as a service provider that exists solely to be summoned on demand and dismissed when it bores us. Tragically, this consumerist mindset has breached the sanctuary doors, birthing a heresy that mirrors an ancient danger faced by the church at Colossae: the "Jesus Plus" syndrome.

The "Jesus Plus" mentality treats the Savior of the world not as the Lord of All, but as one tile in a vast application grid of life enhancements. The false teachers in Colossae admitted Jesus was important, yet they claimed He was insufficient. To truly reach spiritual "fullness," they argued one needed Jesus plus secret knowledge, plus angel worship, plus rigorous ascetic rules. Today, we have simply updated the terms of service. We attempt to secure our lives with Jesus plus political affiliation, Jesus plus career ambition, or Jesus plus therapeutic self-help strategies. We want the "Jesus Premium" bundle—a customized spirituality that fits neatly alongside our other subscriptions, something we can binge-watch on Sundays and pause when it demands too much of our Monday.

Paul’s response in Colossians 1 is a nuclear strike against this commodification of Christ. He dismantles the notion that Jesus is a mere spiritual teacher or a lifestyle add-on by unveiling Him as the Architect, Sustainer, and Goal of the cosmos.

Our modern subscription services offer escapism—a temporary reprieve from the boredom or pain of existence. But the Gospel does not offer escapism; it offers a rescue mission. Paul writes in Colossians 1:13 that the Father "has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love". The Greek word for "delivered," rhuomai, implies a desperate rescue from a danger we could not escape on our own. We were not merely aimless; we were captives under the tyranny of darkness.

Furthermore, Paul uses the word methistemi for "conveyed" or "transplanted". In the ancient world, when a conquering king seized a land, he would deport the population to new territory to ensure their loyalty. God has effectively deported us from the realm of sin and replanted us in the Kingdom of the Son. As John Piper profoundly notes: "To be saved is to be transferred... The 'domain of darkness' is the realm where truth is obscured, and sin reigns. Believers have been uprooted from the soil of sin and replanted in the Kingdom of Christ". This was not a migration we undertook for better spiritual weather; we were rescued from behind enemy lines.

The cost of this subscription was not a monthly fee, but the very life of the Provider. The Gnostics and philosophical elites of Paul’s day detested the idea of a "bloody" salvation, viewing the physical body as evil. Yet Paul argues that without the physical blood of Jesus, there is no exit from the darkness. "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Colossians 1:14).


To combat the idea that Jesus is merely a created being or a subordinate spirit, Paul moves from the work of Jesus to the person of Jesus. He declares: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation" (Colossians 1:15). The term "image" (eikon) suggests an exact reproduction; to see the Son is to see the Father. "Firstborn" (prototokos) here does not refer to birth order, but to rank and authority, much like King David was the youngest son yet named "firstborn" (Psalm 89:27) because of his sovereign status.

Consider the absurdity of treating the Sustainer of the universe as a weekend hobby. The text declares that "in Him all things consist" (Colossians 1:17). He is the principle of cohesion for the universe. Science tells us of laminin, a cross-shaped protein molecule that acts as the structural scaffolding for our cells, literally holding our tissue together. Without such adhesion, our bodies would dissolve. In a cosmic sense, Christ performs this function for all reality.

As John MacArthur states: "Jesus Christ is the 'nuclear glue.' He actively sustains the atomic structure of the universe... If He were to withdraw His sustaining power for even a microsecond, the universe would essentially 'unstick' and dissolve". The hands that were nailed to the cross are the same hands that hold the atoms of your body together right now. One does not "subscribe' to the force that prevents their atomic disintegration; one submits to it.

This Jesus did not begin His existence at Bethlehem. To view the Old Testament as "God the Father’s time" and the New Testament as "Jesus’ time" is a fundamental error. If He is "before all things," then He was active, visible, and working throughout history. He appeared in Christophanies—pre-incarnate visible appearances—to lead and defend His people long before the Incarnation.

He was the "God-Who-Sees" (El Roi) comforting Hagar in the desert, proving He has always been the companion to the outcast. He was the mysterious Man who wrestled Jacob, dislocating his hip to break his self-reliance and change his name to Israel. Jesus does not just comfort; He confronts. He was the Commander of the Lord’s Army who stood before Joshua with a drawn sword, demanding worship—something no mere angel would accept. He is not just the Lamb; He is the Lion leading the battle.

Most poignantly, He was the Fourth Man in the fire (Daniel 3). When the Hebrew boys were thrown into the furnace, the king saw a fourth figure who looked "like the Son of God". This is Immanuel—God With Us. He did not offer a subscription plan to bypass suffering; He stepped into the fire with them.

If He controls the galaxies and history, He certainly has the right to control the church. "And He is the head of the body, the church... that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18). In a physical body, the head is the source of life and direction; a body without a head is a corpse. As Warren Wiersbe reminds us: "If Christ is the Head, then the Church is a theocracy, not a democracy. We do not vote on truth; we submit to the Head's direction revealed in His Word". Jesus is not looking for a place in your life; He demands the first place.

The "Jesus Plus" heresy ultimately fails because it seeks "fullness" in empty cisterns. The ancient heretics sought Pleroma(fullness) in mysticism. But Paul declares: "For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell" (Colossians 1:19). You cannot add to fullness. You cannot upgrade perfection. As Voddie Baucham argues, "In a postmodern world... if the Fullness is in Christ, then looking elsewhere (other religions, philosophies, self-help) is to look into emptiness". To look for "more" of God outside of Jesus is to stare into a void, because all of God is inside of Jesus.

Why does the Deity of Christ matter when the bills are due, and health is failing?. Because if we minimize Christ, we reduce hope. If Jesus were merely a man or a moral teacher, He could sympathize with you, but He could not help you. But Paul has demonstrated that the One who loves you is the Commander of the Lord's Army. He is the Firstborn over all Creation. He is the Nuclear Glue holding your reality together.
He is bigger than your financial crisis. He is bigger than your past mistakes. He is bigger than the "powers of darkness". We do not need to look for secret knowledge or new strategies. We are "complete in Him". Cancel the subscription to the world's escapism and submit to the Lord of All, for He is the all-encompassing solution to life's greatest problems.

So, how do we learn to take ourselves out of the role of the "sovereign user" and put Christ on the throne?

1. Audit Your Spiritual Subscriptions

We are diligent about auditing our financial statements to cancel unused streaming services, yet we rarely audit the "add-ons" clogging our spiritual arteries. You must ruthlessly identify where you have succumbed to the "Jesus Plus" heresy. Take a hard look at your anxieties. If you feel that Jesus is necessary for your salvation but insufficient for your security, what have you added to Him? Is it Jesus plus a specific political outcome? Jesus plus the approval of a spouse? Jesus plus a certain figure in your bank account? Identify the "Plus." Acknowledge that these are not supplements to your faith; they are idols competing for the throne. You cannot experience the "Fullness" of Christ until you admit that these add-ons are actually empty cisterns.

2. Abdicate the Throne of the "User"

In the digital age, the user is king. We customize, we skip, and we control the interface. But the Church is a theocracy, not a democracy, and certainly not a user-controlled platform. The practical move here is a daily, conscious abdication of your autonomy. If Christ is the Head, He functions as the brain and nervous system of the Body; a body that does not obey the head is not free—it is having a seizure. Look at your calendar and your budget—the two most honest documents in your life. Do they reflect a user trying to fit Jesus into a busy schedule, or a servant whose entire existence is ordered by the Preeminent One? Stop trying to "fit God in." Surrender the password to your life and let Him rewrite the code.

3. Anchor in the "Nuclear Glue" When Reality Unravels

When the diagnosis comes, or the marriage fractures, or the layoff happens, the temptation is to scramble for a new strategy—a new "Plus" to fix the pain. Instead, practice the discipline of remembrance. Remind yourself that the Christ who saved you is the same "Nuclear Glue" currently holding your atoms together. If He sustains the physical universe by the word of His power, He is not overwhelmed by your crisis. Do not look for a way out of the furnace; look for the Fourth Man in the fire. When you feel your life unraveling, do not reach for a self-help book; lean entirely into the Sustainer who holds all things—visible and invisible—in His grip.