Was Jesus Christian? And Did Bishops and Kings Invent the Bible?”

A Comprehensive Biblical, Historical, and Pastoral Response

In the age of TikTok theology and Instagram spirituality, short videos often make bold claims that sound profound but contain little substance. One of the clips spreading rapidly right now declares that “Jesus wasn’t a Christian,” that the Bible was created hundreds of years later by bishops and kings for political control, that Scripture was written by fallible humans and therefore cannot be trusted, and that Jesus never told anyone to “go read my book.” These statements are designed to be provocative, and they captivate listeners who have grown weary of institutional distrust, religious confusion, and the modern fear of authority. But while these claims sound liberating, their real effect is to undermine confidence in Scripture, disconnect believers from their spiritual foundation, and reshape Jesus into someone unrecognizable from the one revealed in the Gospels.

To answer these claims, we need clarity—not defensiveness, not outrage, but clarity grounded in the life of Christ, the testimony of Scripture, the witness of history, and the needs of a generation searching for authenticity. This article exists to provide that clarity in a way that is biblical, historically accurate, pastorally sensitive, and deeply Christ-centered.

One of the most appealing claims in the video is the statement that “Jesus wasn’t Christian.” At a superficial level, this is technically true. Jesus did not come to join a religion; He came to establish the Kingdom of God. But this statement becomes misleading when it is used to imply that Christianity is a later invention unrelated to the person and mission of Jesus. Christianity is the name history has given to the movement that Jesus Himself began. He declared the arrival of the Kingdom of God, taught with divine authority, called disciples to follow Him, revealed Himself as the Messiah, established the New Covenant through His blood, and rose from the dead as Lord. When Jesus said in Matthew 28 that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him and that His followers were to make disciples of all nations and teach them everything He commanded, He was not passing on Judaism as it existed but inaugurating something new. The book of Acts shows the church forming around His resurrection and teachings. The believers were called Christians in Antioch because they patterned their lives after Christ, not Moses. Christianity, then, is not a man-made label imposed later but the natural outgrowth of Jesus’ identity, mission, and redemptive work.

Another claim in the video asserts that the Bible was assembled hundreds of years later by bishops and kings for political purposes. This idea is popular because it gives people a sense of rebellion, as though they are uncovering a hidden conspiracy. But history rejects this narrative. The Old Testament had already been well established long before Jesus’ birth. Jesus affirmed its authority, speaking of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings as Scripture that testified about Him. After His resurrection, He opened the disciples’ minds so they could understand how everything written about Him had been fulfilled.

The New Testament did not appear centuries later out of political maneuvering. Its writings emerged within the lifetime of eyewitnesses: Matthew, John, Peter, James, Paul, and the close companions who recorded apostolic testimony such as Mark and Luke. These were not distant figures removed from the events; they lived through them, saw them, and wrote about them. The early church received their writings immediately, reading them in worship, copying them, sharing them, and treating them as authoritative because they came from those who had encountered the risen Christ. The process that later councils participated in was not inventing Scripture but recognizing what the church had already been using for generations. The idea that a king manipulated the canon for political benefit has no historical support. It persists only because it sounds daring and fits modern suspicion about institutions.

Another argument from the video suggests that because the Bible was written by “fallible humans,” it cannot be trusted. This line of thinking assumes that human involvement equals corruption, but Scripture offers a different picture. Second Peter says that men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. Second Timothy explains that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. Inspiration does not erase humanity; it elevates it. God works through human personalities, experiences, and writing styles to communicate His perfect message. The alternative view would require us to distrust every piece of knowledge ever written because humans wrote it. Instead, the remarkable unity of Scripture across centuries, continents, languages, and cultures shows divine orchestration impossible for a human conspiracy to achieve.

The video also mocks Christians by saying, “Jesus never told anyone to go read my book.” Of course He didn’t. The New Covenant writings had not yet been produced. But Jesus repeatedly pointed people to Scripture, grounding His teaching in what was written. He told the Pharisees that the Scriptures testified about Him, yet they refused to come to Him. He resisted temptation by declaring, “It is written.” After His resurrection, He showed the disciples that everything in the Scriptures pointed to Him. He also promised that the Holy Spirit would bring to the disciples’ remembrance everything He had taught them. This divine guidance is the foundation for why apostolic writings carry authority. Jesus did not leave His church without a record. He laid the foundation for the New Testament through His life, teachings, promises, and the Spirit’s work in the apostles.

Many of these claims gain traction because they tap into psychological struggles common today. People long for spirituality but fear authority. They crave meaning but distrust institutions. They admire Jesus but resist His commands. Generationally, this is not new. Israel rejected prophetic voices because they confronted sin and called for repentance. The early church battled false teachings because some preferred a more comfortable message. Today’s digital skepticism is simply another expression of the human desire to accept Jesus’ compassion without submitting to His lordship. To dismiss Scripture is to protect ourselves from its uncomfortable demands.

Understanding the Hebrew background enhances this discussion even further. The word torah does not primarily mean law but instruction. It is God’s revelation of His character and His covenant relationship with His people. The prophets anticipated a Messiah who would fulfill the torah, establish a new covenant, and write God’s instruction on human hearts. When Jesus fulfilled righteousness, He completed what the Hebrew Scriptures pointed toward. The New Covenant is not a rejection of the Old but its fulfillment. The Hebrew concept of berit, meaning covenant, is essential here. Covenants shaped identity, belonging, and mission. When Jesus established the New Covenant, He did not create a new religion in the modern sense. He fulfilled Israel’s story and opened the covenant to the nations.

Christologically, the most profound misunderstanding in the video is the attempt to separate Jesus from Scripture. Jesus is not merely a teacher but the Word made flesh. The Scriptures testify about Him because He is their center. To reject Scripture is ultimately to reject the Christ revealed through it. The apostles did not invent Christianity; they encountered the risen Jesus. The early church did not invent the Bible; they received the writings of those who walked with Him. Councils did not create the faith; they affirmed what God had already done. Christianity is not the result of politics but the result of resurrection.

A brief illustration shows how easily modern believers can become unsettled by these claims. Imagine a young Christian scrolling through social media late at night. She watches the video saying Jesus wasn’t Christian, that the Bible was created for control, that Scripture cannot be trusted, and that Jesus never pointed to any book. She feels confused because she knows Jesus, but she doesn’t know how to refute what sounds like historical expertise. Her confidence wavers. But then she opens the Gospels again. She sees Jesus grounding His teaching in Scripture, declaring that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, promising the Spirit would guide the apostles, and commanding His followers to make disciples of all nations. She reads Acts and sees the church forming around the resurrection. She reads Paul explaining the New Covenant. Slowly, clarity replaces confusion. She realizes that the video was confident but not truthful. Her faith is strengthened, not shaken.

As we close, the path forward for believers in a digital world is not fear but clarity. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Scriptures are God’s trustworthy revelation. The church is the community He formed. Christianity is not a human invention; it is the Kingdom of God breaking into history through the death and resurrection of the Messiah. When online voices attempt to detach Jesus from Scripture, the wise response is not to panic but to return to the One who said that heaven and earth will pass away, but His words will not pass away. His Word is trustworthy. His revelation is sure. And His church, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Himself as the cornerstone, remains secure against every passing trend.