In Part XII of our series on the Snares of the Modern Church, we dismantle yet another beguiling but perilous slogan: the “Jesus Over Everything” mantra. On the surface, this catchphrase seems innocuous, even laudable. After all, shouldn’t Jesus be our primary focus? But look closer, and you’ll discover an overtly feminized theology that has been meticulously crafted to appeal to our self-absorbed, me-first culture—a theology that paints us not as culprits but as victims in need of a cosmic comforter.

This mindset often takes center stage in Evangelical circles dominated by lady preachers like Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer, and the entire gaggle of LifeWay’s distaff divines. These spiritual influencers, not just women, mind you, use their platforms to paint us not as perpetrators accountable to a Holy God, but as victims deserving of a celestial therapist. This pandering perspective couldn’t be further from the biblical truth, which is unyielding in its entire theme of grace that we are not merely damaged goods in need of emotional repair but rebels in dire need of salvation.

The “Jesus Over Everything” theology preys upon the emotional and sentimental tendencies of its audience, effectively neutering the potent, convicting message of the Gospel. It often employs effete language that blurs the harsh reality of sin and judgment, trading them for soothing words that merely tickle the ears but never reach the heart with power and conviction. And while the Apostle Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would not put up with sound doctrine, but instead heap up for themselves teachers to suit their own desires (2 Timothy 4:3), it’s alarming to see this prophecy being fulfilled even more subtly and craftily in our day under the guise of Christian teaching. Now, let’s dive deeper into how this misleading mantra contrasts starkly with the biblical reality of our human condition.

The “Jesus Over Everything” mindset typically suggests that the most pressing issue we face is how we’ve been wronged by others or how life’s circumstances have dealt us an unfair hand. The central message becomes: “Come to Jesus, and He will help you forgive, heal your emotional wounds, and turn your life around.” This foolhardy perspective implies that our primary problem is that we’ve been shortchanged by life or other people and that God’s chief concern is to help us navigate these grievances.

Compare this to the biblical account: Scripture teaches that we are not victims but villains, rebels against a Holy God. Our biggest problem isn’t that we’re harboring resentment against our earthly offenders—it’s that we stand guilty before a Righteous Judge. Our foremost issue is not that we are wounded but that we are sinful, deserving of eternal separation from God.

Consider the words of the Apostle Paul, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). There’s no room for ambiguity here. Paul doesn’t say some have sinned or that we sin because we’ve been sinned against. No, he declares unequivocally that each one of us is a sinner, not by circumstance but by choice. The Apostle John takes it a step further, stating, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

So, where does this leave us? Far from presenting Jesus as a mere fixer-upper for our emotional ailments, the Bible portrays Him as the Savior of our souls, the only One who can bridge the chasm of sin that separates us from God. When Jesus died on the cross, He didn’t merely aim to help us sort out our earthly grievances, stop our wounds from hemorrhaging, or dry up our tears from life’s hard times. He came to save us from eternal damnation. This is not a self-help Gospel, this is a salvation Gospel.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. A diluted gospel that reduces Jesus to a spiritual therapist does us no favors, it presents a false hope that leaves us precariously hanging over the abyss of eternal separation from God. We’d be far better off to drop the platitudes and confront the full weight of our sinfulness, turning to the only One who can truly save us. Far from being a benign motto, “Jesus Over Everything” distorts the Gospel, and that is a risk we cannot afford to take. We are not mere victims in need of therapy, we are sinners—perpetrating high crime against the Most High God, King of Heaven—in desperate need of a Savior. And the sooner we grasp this reality, the sooner we can experience the true life-saving heart-changing power of God’s redemptive grace.