Anders Behring Breivik killed at least 76 campers on an island off the coast of Oslo, Norway. He says in his online manifesto, “As for the Church and science, it is essential that science takes an undisputed precedence over biblical teachings....Regarding my personal relationship with God, I guess I'm not an excessively religious man. I am first and foremost a man of logic. However, I am a supporter of a monocultural Christian Europe.”
Obviously Breivik was not a true Christian, yet he craved the cultural benefits of Christianity. This murderer’s misguidings are an exceptionally extreme example of a belief system which plagues many who name the name of Christ. They don’t truly love Jesus, but they are quite fond of their idea of Jesus. However, the idea of Jesus they are in love with doesn't accurately represent the Christ who actually existed.
Michael Horton points out how even the 19th century philosopher and atheist Friedrich Nietzsche saw in his day the tendency of professing Christians to desire “the fruit of Christianity (i.e., moral culture) without the tree itself (i.e., the actual doctrine and practice).”
The Jesus of history as recorded in the gospels brought a specific plan of salvation (doctrine), which resulted in the formation of a true disciple (practice). The Jesus of scripture spent three years calling his followers to embrace the doctrines of the gospel, and how that gospel would transform them into men and women with a growing, Christ-like compassion for people.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:24 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” The benefits of Christianity come not by embracing an idea of Jesus, but by becoming a follower of the one true living Savior, Christ the Lord.
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