Theology has consequences.
What we believe about Jesus will always show up in how we live. Our theology shapes our anxiety, our purpose, our priorities, our relationships, and our mission. That is why studying Scripture is never just an intellectual exercise. After we study a passage and understand what it meant to the original audience, we ask a simple question: So what? Because theology has consequences.
Years ago, Build-A-Bear was a big deal. You could customize everything about the bear—its fur color, voice, clothes, softness, accessories, even the heart inside it. You built the version you wanted.
Left on our own, that is exactly what we do with Jesus.
As authors Kyle Idleman and Mark Moore put it, we create a “Build-A-Jesus.”[1] We customize him into someone who looks like us, thinks like us, votes like us, approves of what we approve of, and never says anything uncomfortable. We put the voice box in him so he only speaks the words we want to hear that make us feel good.
And then we wonder why we feel spiritually weak, anxious, purposeless, and exhausted.
Good theology has good consequences. Bad theology has bad consequences.
The reason we so easily drift toward a false Jesus is because of sin. Ever since Eden, humanity drifts toward remaking God in its own image (maybe that’s why it’s at the top of the Ten Commandments). That is why we desperately need Scripture. The Bible—and especially Paul’s letter to the Colossians—exposes the Jesus we want and confronts us with the Jesus we need.
“The Bible—and especially Paul’s letter to the Colossians—exposes the Jesus we want and confronts us with the Jesus we need.”
The Jesus of Colossians is not a customizable life coach. He is the reigning King of the universe. Consider the following verses:
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17, NIV)
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” (Colossians 2:9-10, NIV)
“…having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:14-15, NIV)
Notice a theme that stresses Jesus’ authority?
This should not surprise us. After his resurrection, Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).
All authority. Not some authority. Not spiritual authority only. All authority. The visible world and the unseen realm are under his rule. He is not simply Savior; he is King. And though he may not always be the Messiah we would have designed for ourselves, he is the Messiah we desperately need.
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.”
Theology has consequences. Think about anxiety for a moment. If Jesus truly holds all things together, then nothing in your life exists outside of his authority. That does not mean life will be easy. It does not mean storms won’t come. The presence of Jesus does not prevent storms—it changes how we face them.
Peace is not found in controlling the storm. Peace comes from knowing who has authority over the storm.
Think of the last time you were in an airplane and it hit turbulence. It feels like you are about to meet Jesus face to face. The anxiety is thick in the plane until the captain comes over the intercom and reassures everyone. Then everyone relaxes. Why? Because they have been reminded that there is someone with authority and in control that understands the situation.
Many of us are drowning in anxiety because we have functionally removed Jesus from the throne and placed ourselves there instead. We are trying to carry burdens we were never designed to carry. We were not built to hold the universe together. Jesus already does that.
Maybe that is why so many of us spend hours scrolling our phones while our souls starve. We are listening constantly to voices of outrage, fear, comparison, and distraction while neglecting the voice of the Prince of Peace. The best thing we could do is turn our phones off so our souls can turn on.
But even that application, as important as it is, can still become self-centered if we are not careful. Jesus is not merely a solution for our anxiety. He is the King reclaiming his world.
“Peace is not found in controlling the storm. Peace comes from knowing who has authority over the storm.”
To understand this fully, we have to go back to Genesis. Humanity was originally created to multiply and rule under God’s authority. Adam and Eve were called to fill the earth with God’s image and extend his rule throughout creation. Humanity was designed to partner with God in bringing his order, goodness, and reign into the world.
But sin shattered that calling. Instead of building God’s kingdom, humanity began building its own kingdoms. Babel became the symbol of human rebellion and self-rule. Yet God did not abandon his mission. He chose Abraham and formed Israel to be a people who represented him to the nations. Israel failed too.
Then came Jesus.
Jesus is fully God and fully man. He came proclaiming the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15). Through his death and bodily resurrection, he defeated sin, disarmed the powers of darkness, and established his authority forever.
Right now, Jesus reigns as the resurrected God-man. With Jesus being fully man and fully God, it means the original mandate has been and is being accomplished:
“After that the end will come, when he will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having destroyed every ruler and authority and power. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, ‘God has put all things under his authority.’ (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28, NLT)
“Through his death and bodily resurrection, he defeated sin, disarmed the powers of darkness, and established his authority forever.”
Don’t miss this: Jesus succeeded where Adam failed. He succeeded where ancient Israel failed. And now he invites his people back into the original mission: to represent God and bring his rule into every corner of life. 
The plan has always been that we would partner with God in bringing His rule everywhere. That’s always been the mission from Genesis to now. Jesus has simply made it possible to accomplish.
Keep the Genesis mandate to multiply and rule in mind as you re-read the Great Commission from Jesus to His disciples:
Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (Multiply)
“Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Rule/Dominion)
Being a disciple—and making disciples—is learning to bring every part of life under his rule: our thoughts, desires, relationships, sexuality, money, time, words, ambitions, and future. Then we help others do the same. This is not merely about going to heaven someday. It is about bringing every area of life under the rule of Jesus right now. Theology has consequences.
The modern church often wants Jesus as Savior without Jesus as King. We want comfort without surrender. Forgiveness without obedience. Inspiration without submission. But the Jesus of Scripture refuses to stay inside the small categories we create for him. He is the King of Kings.
And the world desperately needs Christians who actually believe that.
“The world desperately needs Christians who actually believe that.”
The nations do not need a watered-down, customizable Jesus. They need the risen Christ who calls people out of darkness and into his Kingdom. They need disciples willing to carry the gospel into hard places, difficult conversations, broken neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and unreached nations. That’s where our King commands us to go.
“You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9, NLT)
We need to be reminded and to remind each other that we are made for more than making money and paying bills. Are we courageously calling our people out to go into vocational ministry or missions on behalf of our King? I know we are to pray for workers, but we should also be raising the bar and calling them out. Our King is worthy and the need is great.
Missionaries in the early twentieth century understood this. Some packed their belongings in coffins instead of suitcases because they knew they would likely never return home. One missionary, A. W. Milne, spent decades serving a tribe of headhunters after previous missionaries had been killed. When he died, the tribe wrote these words on his grave: “When he came, there was no light. When he left, there was no darkness.”
That is what happens when people truly believe Jesus is King. There is nothing off the table.
“When he came, there was no light. When he left, there was no darkness.”
Jesus made it clear: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24, NLT). Notice he doesn’t say ‘you may’ or ‘if you want to’ or ‘if it doesn’t hurt your career.’ No, he says we MUST give up our own way. In other words, give God a blank check. Your life. Your future. Your plans.
Signed. And you let Him fill in the amount. He has that right because He is God. He has complete authority.
Theology has consequences.
So here is a question every believer must answer: Who is actually sitting on the throne of your life? Is it the Jesus you have customized in your own image? Or is it the Jesus revealed in Scripture—the crucified and risen King who possesses all authority? The Jesus we would naturally build for ourselves cannot save us. But the Jesus of Scripture can. And He is worthy of everything.
[1] I appreciate this illustration from the book The Missing Messiah by Kyle Idleman and Mark Moore. I highly recommend everyone read it today.
