There are an estimated $70 million worth of counterfeit bills circulating in the world today. They come in a variety of forms, some of them quite convincing, others not so much. Governments fight against this fraud in a variety of ways. One way is to train people to recognize a fake when they see it.
The problem is, there are so many different ways counterfeiters disguise their worthless pieces of paper from the genuine article, no one could possibly recognize them all. New variations arrive every day. So how do the people trained to spot a fake keep up?
They don't have to.
All they have to do is know what the real thing looks and feels like. They study real money so thoroughly, know it so intimately, that anything else stands out like a sore thumb. If you know the real thing, you don't have to know what a fake looks like. Anything that isn't real is fake.
God knows what's real.
God knows when a person is really His follower. He knows who's genuine, and who's counterfeit. No matter how good a fake may look, God is never fooled.
You see, God knows people so well--not just what is on the outside, but what is inside--that He never falls for a ruse. Even if people do such a good job at pretending to follow God that they believe it themselves, He knows the difference. You can't fool God. Ever.
You might fool me.
I bet some people have. I bet--in fact, I'm quite confident--there are people out there whom I've met that have convinced me they are Christians when in fact they are not. They are imposters. Fakes. Counterfeits. They're no more Christian than my dog is human. Sometimes I'm pretty sure my dog thinks he's human, but he's not. He's not even a very good pretender.
Some people are. Some people are really, really good at pretending to be something they're not. So good, in fact, that they fool me and everyone around them. Maybe even a wife, a pastor, their best friend. Maybe even themselves.
But they'll never fool God.
What happens to the fakes?
Fake money, once identified, is destroyed. It's collected, shredded, and repurposed. Some is used as compost, some becomes insulation for houses, some becomes potting soil, and some get turned into fuel pellets and thrown in the fire.
What happens when God identifies a faker? Our merciful God, patient and loving, doesn't immediately remove a counterfeit. He calls them to Himself, giving them a chance to truly accept Jesus Christ as their Savior and become the real thing. He doesn't want any to perish. He desires for all to be His real and genuine sons and daughters.
Those who don't, who resist His call and go on pretending? Their time is limited. One day we all die. Maybe tomorrow, maybe 50 years from now, but it's going to happen. We either cross that threshold bearing the seal of God, or we don't. We're real, or we're fake. We're worthy of eternal life with God, or worthless and fit only for the fire. Not based on what we pretended to be, but based on what we truly are, what God knows to be true. We're saved, or we're damned.
It's that simple.
You can't fool God.
Your good deeds, your shiny exterior, your polished words don't mean squat to God. You can even call out His name every day, pretending to be something you're not. He's not fooled. Matthew 7:21 records these words of Jesus: Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only He who does the will of my Father. Many will appeal to Him, and claim all the good deeds they did in His name. His response? Then I will tell them plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers."
You can't fool God. You either know Him, and He knows you, or you don't. You do His will--what He wants, when He wants, and most importantly why He wants--or you're faking it. You're a pretender. A fake. Counterfeit.
He knows the difference.
So here's the question: Which one are you?
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