And why is Christ Hard to Believe In?
People are often not rejecting Christ Himself; they reject a distorted image of Him created by human failure, cultural noise, and personal wounds. Most reasons are relational and experiential, grounded in distrust, pain, disappointment, or fear rather than in logic alone.
The most significant cause of atheism today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips but deny Him by their actions. That’s what an unbelieving world can’t believe.” – Brennan Manning.
The Distorted Image of Christ
If people are rejecting a distorted image of Christ instead of Christ Himself, then the conversation is no longer about winning arguments. It becomes about clearing away the fog that hides who He really is.
Most people have never met the Christ of the Gospels.
They have met:
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- the Christ of politics
- the Christ of shame
- the Christ of control
- the Christ of hypocrisy
- the Christ of cultural religion
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But those are not Him. Those are human projections laid on top of Him.
The Real Christ
Jesus did not reject broken people; He rejected the self-righteous. He did not crush doubt; He welcomed it closer. Christ did not use power; He emptied Himself of it.
When someone says they reject Christ, they usually mean: “I reject what I’ve seen done in His name,” “I reject the version of God that was used to wound me,” and “I reject a God who looks nothing like love.”
And honestly… they should.
Because a Christ who is petty, manipulative, tribal, or cruel isn’t truly Christ at all.
It shifts responsibility to where it truly belongs. Not onto unbelievers for “not seeing,” but onto believers for “not revealing.”
We are not called to defend Christ as if He were fragile; we are called to reflect Him as if He were alive.
And when He is seen clearly, without fear, power, and ego clouding the view, He becomes surprisingly hard to reject. The most vivid image of Christ most people will ever see isn’t a sermon or a verse. It is a life quietly reflecting His character.
How to Change the World View
Be a person who:
⇒ Is safe to be around.
Christ was safe to be around. The broken were not afraid of Him. Children ran toward Him. Sinners stayed in His presence.
Psalm 46:1, “God is our place of safety. He gives us strength. He is always there to help us in times of trouble.”
⇒ Listens more than they speak.
Jesus asked questions that let people reveal themselves. Listening is not passive; it is a form of love. When someone feels heard, defenses soften.
1 John 5:14, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
⇒ Refuse to weaponize truth.
Truth without grace feels like condemnation. Grace without truth feels like indifference. Christ carried both without crushing either.
John 8:32, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
⇒ Let repentance be visible.
Nothing dismantles a distorted image of Christ faster than a believer who can say, “I was wrong.” Pride hardens. Humility disarms.
Matthew 3:8, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”
⇒ Loves without an agenda.
Christ loved first and let transformation follow. Love that expects nothing in return looks divine.
Lamentations 3:22-23, “The Lord loves us very much. So we haven’t been destroyed. His loving concern never fails. His great love is new every morning. Lord, how faithful you are!”
⇒ Lives mercifully in small places.
Kindness in traffic. Patience in frustration. Integrity when no one sees. These are the pixels that form the picture of Christ.
Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”
Conclusion
You don’t “fix” the world’s image of Christ. You become one clear window.
One honest reflection. One life that quietly says, “He is better than what you were shown.”
James 3:17, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is pure. That’s the most important thing about it. And that’s not all. It also loves peace, considers others, obeys, and is full of mercy and good fruit. It is fair, not pretending to be what it is not.”