Today we have an amalgamation of all -and more-of these Jesuses running rampant in the world and in the church. These versions of Jesus confuse the former and misrepresent the latter. In much of the church today we worship a convenient Jesus. We designate Him our "Lord and Savior," but this phrase tends to serve as merely a label that, in our superficially spiritual lives, belies his real function --our Great Example. He's there when we need to lean on Him, but a bit out of mind when we feel more self-confident. He's Role Model Jesus. He's Therapeutic Jesus. We know a bit about what He said and did in these Gospels of ours, but not enough to be dangerous with it. And the stuff we do know, we frequently misunderstand or take out of context to suit our agendas. How often do you hear "Judge not lest ye be judged, " or "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone"? These are probably the two most often quoted of Jesus' many sayings, but not because we face a constant threat of legalistic judgment. Instead, it's because we want to justify how we live, without the pesky burden of what Jesus requires of us.
- Jared C. Wilson, Your Jesus is Too Safe, p.14