In a world where every sacred text and tradition is up for grabs, it comes as no surprise that leftists, especially those of the “progressive Christianity” ilk, have found a new frontier for their artistic interpretations—the very sinlessness of Jesus Christ Himself. Because nothing says progress like accusing the Savior of the world of sin to justify our own moral failings. You see, for these theological contortionists, the Bible is not the authoritative, inerrant Word of God, the revelation of God to His Creation—it’s more like a Swiss Army knife, a weapon to be wielded against anyone who actually believes and obeys it. Let’s look at some of the ways leftists try to claim that Jesus “sinned.”

One of the most insidious ways that leftists now accuse Jesus of “sin” in our modern culture is the accusation that Jesus uttered a “racial slur” when he referred to the Syro-Phoenician woman as a “dog.” It’s quite literally insane how desperate some folks are to cast Jesus in the role of a bigot. The context, which somehow always gets conveniently omitted, reveals a different story. The term “dog” was a common Jewish metaphor used to contrast those inside and outside of the Covenant. Jesus is essentially saying, “I’ve come primarily for Israel, for whom the Covenant was intended.”

Yet, in the same encounter, He goes on to heal the woman’s daughter, shattering those very cultural boundaries that He was supposedly endorsing. If this is bigotry, then it’s the strangest kind, where the supposed “bigot” goes out of His way to include the marginalized and outcast. If anything, the episode with the Syro-Phoenician woman shows us a Jesus who challenges societal prejudices by actually granting the very request that He initially seems to dismiss. Far from a snapshot of bigotry, this account provides us with a window into a divine agenda that transcends the limitations of human reasoning.

Next on the chopping block is the claim that Jesus displayed sinful wrath and anger when He overturned the tables in the Temple. I’m sorry, were we reading the same Bible? Because mine calls that righteous indignation. Jesus was upholding the sanctity of a space designated for worship, which had been turned into a marketplace. If cleansing a house of God from blasphemous activities is a sin, then, by all means, book me a one-way ticket to Hades.

Next up is the allegedly irrational cursing of the barren fig tree. Really? Are we so desperate to besmirch Jesus that we’re now holding him accountable for horticultural issues? Let’s not forget that the cursed fig tree was a living parable of Israel’s spiritual barrenness at the time. It’s not a case of divine temper tantrums—it was a teaching moment, for crying out loud.

And then leftists like to say that Jesus showed partiality through selective healing. Oh, the audacity of the Son of God to have mercy on whom He has mercy, to heal who He wills. Do we also accuse doctors of malpractice for not rushing to every ailing person on the planet at the same time? Actually, yes, they do. But Jesus’ miracles were purposeful signs pointing to His divinity and the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God. They were not an open buffet of supernatural favors.

Then, of course, there’s the criticism that Jesus’ teachings were too hard or lacked compassion. Well, clearly, we’ve moved past the era of “tough love” into the epoch of “soft indifference.” If your version of compassion involves compromising on truth, you might want to redefine your moral dictionary.

Then we come to the “breaking social norms” category. Oh, how terribly sinful of Jesus to heal on the Sabbath, a day meant to honor God, by—wait for it—honoring God through acts of compassion and healing. Clearly, we’ve misunderstood the whole point of the Sabbath, and indeed of all religious norms, if we think they take precedence over doing good.

And who could forget the charming episode of young Jesus supposedly disobeying his parents by being in the Temple? An adolescent decides to sit with the teachers of the law, astonishing them with His understanding and wisdom. I suppose we’d prefer if He’d played hooky in a Jerusalem back alley instead. This wasn’t rebellion—this was divine calling in action.

Undermining the religious authorities, the Pharisees? Oh yes, because taking false teachers to task for their false teaching is the true sin, not the false teaching itself. When Jesus challenges authority, it’s not rebellion—it’s a reclamation of what true, godly authority should look like. After all, Jesus is the authority.

And lastly, we have the scandalous charge of Jesus associating with sinners. Brace yourselves—the Messiah came to save the lost. It’s almost as if He declared it multiple times and made it His life’s mission or something.

The entire purpose of twisting the Bible to try to make it as though Jesus sinned is a leftist conundrum. They believe that if they can prove Jesus sinned, then that makes it okay for them to sin. They can be homosexuals, have abortions, and hate Bible-believing conservative Christians. After all, if Jesus sinned and went to Heaven, so can they.

But the reality is, if Jesus sinned, then we’re all going to Hell and there is no hope. Only a sinless savior could bear the wrath of God and take the punishment for our sin. And only by faith and repentance are we able to partake in the salvation that comes through Jesus Christ.

If you find yourself contorting Scripture to paint Jesus as a sinner, you might want to check if it’s not your own moral framework that’s out of whack. Because the Jesus of the Bible is the “lamb without blemish,” fully divine and fully human, tempted in every way yet without sin. And thank God for that, for it’s on this truth that our entire hope of salvation rests.