It has been a week since Super Bowl LVIII aired, which means yet another football season has come to an end. While most people were enthralled with supporting either the Chiefs or 49ers (or possibly Taylor Swift), a good majority of us were neutral in our viewing of the championship game. That is until the ads started playing. In the last week, an uproar of controversy has developed in the evangelical world regarding the "He Gets Us" campaign, which aired two advertisements during the Super Bowl. There are those who are arguing in favor of the ads while others, including myself, see much to be concerned about. The most common arguments I have seen on social media in support of the campaign are, "Well, at least Jesus is being displayed," or "What is so bad about a commercial that talks about how Jesus is loving?" We will discuss why the Jesus that was displayed in those ads was not the true, biblical Messiah, but first, I want to share a verse from Scripture to keep in mind as you read this article, "For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many" (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Matthew 24:5, 2001). This verse is a response from Jesus to his disciples regarding their concern about the destruction of the temple as well as the judgment of Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1-2). They have inquired about the signs they should expect when Christ returns at the end of the age, so Jesus takes the opportunity to warn them about a time when He will be absent, and they will need to remain vigilant of false Messiahs (BibleRef.com, 2016). Now, he does not mean they will pretend to be him but rather that these false Christs will claim he was not, in fact, the one true Messiah. These ads, in particular, display a false example of the biblical Jesus and mislead both believers and non-believers in their perceptions of him.
Furthermore, it is important to remember that Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy, and he does so masquerading as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 states, “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So, it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds” (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 2001). Therefore, we must be diligent in our discernment of any spirit that claims to be of Christ, but, in fact, distorts the Jesus of the Holy Bible.
There were many ways in which I debated writing this article; however, I feel the two key points to address are as follows based on what was represented in the first ad played by "He Gets Us": (1) the scenarios that were depicted portrayed unrepentant non-believers as the "heroes" and, what we assume to be, Bible-believing Christians, as the "villains, (2) Jesus came to serve, not to be served, but He only ever washed the feet of His disciples.
Before I explain more, please take a moment to watch the ad I am referencing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94BqlDQ-Ppo.
Depiction of Scenarios
I want to start by addressing the second main point taken from this advertisement. There is a scenario in which a young woman is sitting on a stool outside a "Family Planning Clinic," which should instead be named, "Abortion Clinic" because that is what they mean. Like many "arguments" for abortion, these individuals used a euphemism to get people to sympathize with the young woman who likely either had an abortion or intends to. In the background, you see a group of "pro-life" individuals, holding protest signs in front of the building, seemingly ignoring the young woman. At first glance, you might not see anything wrong with this depiction; however, you have to understand the underlying agenda this campaign is pushing. They are purposely depicting the "pro-life" activists in how we are always depicted: unloving, unempathetic, and uneducated. The reason pro-lifers and abolitionists stand outside of abortion clinics, like Planned Parenthood, is because they love and care for the women, and unborn children, who are going into them. The media as well as certain politicians might not have you believe that, but they are liars. Christians have been at the forefront of the pro-life movement for decades, and we are the ones who have developed pregnancy centers, ministries, etc to care for both the mother and baby who need help. The bottom line is abortion is murder. It is the intentional killing of an innocent human life, and there is absolutely no biblical foundation a Christian can stand on when claiming to be "pro-choice." This article is not the place to discuss all the nuanced arguments that people try to use to justify abortion; that may happen at a later time. Let me be very clear, I am not arguing that women who have had abortions are undeserving or unworthy of the unconditional grace and forgiveness of God. Romans 3:22-24 reads, “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Romans 3:22-24, 2001) Salvation, however, is received when a man or a woman recognizes how deep and perverse his or her sin is, realizes his or her need to repent and accept Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior. This leads me to the next scenario.
Later in the video, we see a priest washing the feet, of what looks like, an openly homosexual man. Now, I realize this topic will probably enrage more individuals than the abortion one, but I also recognize it is because we (myself included) do not like to hear that we are desperately wicked and deeply depraved. Scripture is abundantly clear that there is only male and female, and marriage is between a man and a woman. You need not look any further than the very first chapter of the entire Bible, which reads, "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Genesis 1:27, 2001). Furthermore, Genesis 2:24 reads, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Genesis 1:27, 2001). If these two verses were not enough, Jesus, himself, reiterates this in Matthew 19:4-5, "He answered, 'Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?' So, they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate" (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Matthew 19:4-5, 2001).
Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 6:9 serves as a stark warning to us all, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 2001). If we believe the Word of God is wholly inerrant, true, and trustworthy, then we must take these verses seriously. A man or a woman who openly practices homosexuality or transgenderism will not inherit the kingdom of God. Here is another hot take: An unrepentant heterosexual man or woman who has sexual relations before marriage will also fail to enter the Lord's kingdom. In this instance, I am speaking directly to individuals who profess to be Christians but continue to engage in immoral sex like the rest of the world. Before I was washed clean, I was included in this group, and I was on the road to Hell if not for Jesus. I am well aware that many in the church will argue that homosexuality or transgenderism are greater sins than heterosexual sexual sins, but that is a lie. They are all grave, dire sins that will send you to Hell if you do not repent and turn to Christ. Furthermore, sexual sin is significant for many reasons, but 1 Corinthians 6:13-19 emphasizes why it is, "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food - and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two will become one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body" (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, 1 Corinthians 6:13-19, 2001).
The point I want to make about this scenario, as well as the others shown in this advertisement, is that Bible-believing Christians are not hateful or legalistic ("Pharisaical" is another term often lodged at us) for affirming what God says is true and rejecting what the world says is. There is no objective standard without the Word of God, so there is no reason a Christian should affirm or advocate for the subjective "truths" set forth by society. However, the He Gets Us campaign and others like it would have us think otherwise. They would have you think that Jesus “gets you” and does not expect you to repent and ask for forgiveness because He gets you. But, the truth is…Satan. He gets us.
The scenarios in these advertisements depict exactly that. Their message is to come as you are but stay as you are, which is where the devil wants you to remain. They preach a false Gospel that says you are perfect as is. Well, if that were true, why would we need Jesus? Why did we ever need Jesus if God was fine with us continuing to live the way all our sinful hearts desired to live? Nowadays, people want to make God in their own image rather than be made in His, which is self-idolatry at its finest. Romans 1 speaks directly to this idolatry, so I highly encourage you to pause and read the full chapter before continuing: https://www.esv.org/Romans+1/. To counteract this innate, sinful tendency, Jesus speaks in John 3 about the idea of us needing to be born again. In his discussion with Nicodemus, the Pharisee, Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit" (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, John 3:3-8, 2001). He (Satan) is the ruler of this world, and his mission is to keep as many people from having eternal life in Christ as possible, so why is it surprising that he is distorting biblical truths in the name of love, acceptance, affirmation, and inclusion?
I will conclude this section by presenting a theme that was severely lacking in these advertisements: repentance. According to the Lexham Bible Dictionary, "Repentance refers to an event in which an individual attains a divinely provided new understanding of their behavior and feels compelled to change that behavior and begin a new relationship with God (Jahnke, 2024). There is no Hebrew word that is the exact equivalent of the English term, "repentance;" however, in the Bible, it was expressed by various actions which showed a change in thought toward God and sin. They included the following: (1) making restitution for wrongs committed (1 Chronicles 21:22-26), (2) a public display of mourning over sin, such as weeping (Ezra 10:1), wearing sackcloth (Joel 1:13), and tearing garments and/or hair (Ezra 9:3), and (3) abasing oneself before the wronged party (Genesis 33:3). The final passage of Scripture that speaks directly to our need to repent is Luke 5:32, which states, "And Jesus answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance" (Holy Bible: English Standard Version, Luke 5:32, 2001).
Biblical Meaning of Foot Washing
The second main issue with the "He Gets Us" ads was the inaccurate, antibiblical depiction of feet-washing. Yes, Jesus came to serve, not to be served, but He only ever washed the feet of His disciples. Allow that to sink in for a moment. This act of service occurred in the upper room during the Last Supper between Jesus and the disciples, and it is significant in three ways. For Christ, it was a representation of His servanthood and humility in forgiving sinners by the giving of his life as a sacrifice (Jesus Washing the Disciples Feet, 2011). For the disciples, it revealed the necessity to be washed clean of their sins and to acknowledge that Christ was the only one who could forgive them. For us, it is symbolic of the need for our hearts to be cleansed and purified, for our pride to be killed, and for our minds to be renewed. Thus, the act of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples illustrates a spiritual cleansing since Christ is the only one who can forgive sins. In the spiritual sense, none of the disciples needed to be bathed again because they had already experienced a full cleansing of salvation. Salvation is a one-time act of justification by grace through faith alone accomplished through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; however, once a man or woman confesses Christ as Lord, he or she will begin the lifelong journey of sanctification, which requires one to surrender daily to the ways of the Lord.
Now, I am sure one contention people will raise against this argument is that Jesus told his followers to emulate him and to wash the feet of others. I am not arguing that followers of Christ should not humbly serve both believers and non-believers; however, I am opposing the portrayal of foot-washing put forth by the "He Gets Us" campaign because it presents the idea that we are to accept and affirm people as they are. This is not biblical, and, as stated above, there is a sheer lack of repentance displayed in these advertisements, and the act of foot-washing is meant to be a symbolic portrayal of the spiritual cleansing we undergo when we confess our sins and profess Christ as Lord and Savior. The concern of many of us who disagree with the He Gets Us ads is that they are denying sinners the opportunity to repent and find complete freedom from sin and death in Christ.
Conclusion
While I understand there may be points made in this article you vehemently disagree with, I want to reiterate the fact that, in my very first post, I stated I would never falter on my biblical convictions. I fear God, not man. With that said, I welcome disagreement, and I am open to discussing it with you should you choose to contact me; however, I want to leave you with one final thought. All the issues identified with the "He Gets Us" advertisements, and the perverse self-idolatry that our society is wrought with, can be tied back to the very first words ever whispered by the serpent, "Did God actually say...?"
References
Crossway Bibles. (2001). Holy Bible: English Standard Version.
GotQuestions.org. (2011). Jesus Washing the Disciples' Feet. https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-washing-feet.html
Jahnke, M. (2024). Scriptures on repentance (something we’re all called to). Word by Word. https://www.logos.com/grow/nook-scriptures-on-repentance/
Matthew 24:5. BibleRef.com. (2016). https://www.bibleref.com/Matthew/24/Matthew-24-5.html
Washing of feet - Bible definition and scripture references. Bible Study Tools. (n.d.). https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/washing-of-feet/