A preliminary analysis of the “Christian” TV series ‘The Chosen’

Recently on Facebook, a page called “The Chosen” kept popping up on my newsfeed. I then noticed that a large percentage of my Facebook friends ‘liked’ this page. But when I saw this page was a television series about Jesus, I decided to investigate a little further.

According to this first post I saw on their Facebook page, this TV series is described as the following.

“The Chosen is the first-ever-multi-season TV show about the life of Jesus. Created outside of the Hollywood system, The Chosen allows us to see Him through the eyes of those who knew him. No matter where you are in your journey with Jesus Christ, this TV show is for you.”

Further research reveals that the Director and Co-Writer of this series is Dallas Jenkins. According to Wikipedia Jenkins has been a large part of the Harvest Bible Chapel formally pastored by disgraced millionaire pastor James MacDonald. Jenkins is also the son of Jerry Bruce Jenkins, who is the co-author of the Left Behind series (co-written by Tim LaHaye). The Left Behind Series made millions of dollars fictionizing Gods inerrant, infallible, immutable, sufficient Scriptures.  

I viewed only one of their videos on their YouTube channel, and by their own admission the music is geared so “that they [the audience] would find some of those emotional spaces.” In other words, the music is to emotionalize and sensationalize their audience. But to add insult to injury, look at some of their musical entertainers.

In the description field of their video Christmas With The Chosen, they use many entertainers that are contemporary, worldly or sensual. Hillsong United is heretical and pro-homosexual.  

I didn’t scroll through the 521 comments under the first screenshot above. But the first “most relevant” comment inputted was by a Bonnie Simmons. Simmon’s comment is forensic evidence that this movie is exactly what the Scriptures warn against.

In this Facebook image you can even choose which Jesus you want.

Enough of my preliminary analysis of this TV series, let’s examine what the Word of God says about this idolatry that makes viewers “imagine Him” through their images of Him.

Admittedly for a large portion of my Christian life, I had a piece of artwork in my office. It was well-framed pricey portrait of Jesus sitting down with Winston Churchill. The portrait depicted Churchill gleaming council from the Lord Jesus, and underneath the portrait was a brass place with an inscription of Psalm 1:1.

Though my intent of that portrait was sincere, but years later I realized that portrait was in violation of the second commandment.

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” – Exodus 20:4-6

Let us further examine what this commandment means.

In this Second Commandment the Lord our God is forbidding us to have or use any imagery that emulates Himself or any part of His Divinity, the Father the Son, or His Holy Spirit.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t realize it for so long. But my former portrait of Jesus was sin, and by God’s grace He convicted me, and granted me repentance. Social media posts depicting imagery of Jesus is a violation of this commandment. Frankly the imagery of a Dove used by the Calvary Chapel movement is a violation of this commandment.

This TV series The Chosen depicts a Jesus that is not the Jesus of the Scriptures. And the Scriptures clearly warn about “another Jesus.”

“For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!” (2 Corinthians 11:4).

And based on other social media comments, it is clear that through this TV series, viewers have created a Jesus that’s a figment of their own imagination, rather than submitting to the Biblical image of Jesus as the Christ.

Furthermore, this TV series is ecumenical to the point of religious pluralism, as leaders of Roman Catholicism and Mormonism have embraced it. Moreover, the world has embraced it.

But this sin goes beyond violating the second commandment, I believe it is also blasphemy.

I love what the Believers Bible Commentary said of Exodus 20:4-6.

Use no carved image. Not only the worship of idols but their manufacture is forbidden. This includes pictures, images, and statues used in worship. It does not, however, include all pictures or statues, since the tabernacle contained carved cherubim. Also, God told Moses to make a serpent of brass (Num. 21:8). The commandment undoubtedly refers to pictures or images of deity.

God is a jealous God—that is, jealous of the worship and love of His people. He visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations, through inherited weaknesses, poverty, diseases, and shortened lifespan. But God’s mercy endures to thousands (of generations) of those who love Him and keep His commandments. [1]

Matthew Henry said about the following about the second commandment.

The second commandment concerns the ordinances of worship, or the way in which God will be worshipped, which it is fit that he himself should have the appointing of. Here is,

(1.) The prohibition: we are here forbidden to worship even the true God by images, v. 4, 5. [1.] The Jews (at least after the captivity) thought themselves forbidden by this commandment to make any image or picture whatsoever. Hence the very images which the Roman armies had in their ensigns are called an abomination to them (Mt. 24:15), especially when they were set up in the holy place. It is certain that it forbids making any image of God (for to whom can we liken him? Isa. 40:18, 15), or the image of any creature for a religious use. It is called the changing of the truth of God into a lie (Rom. 1:25), for an image is a teacher of lies; it insinuates to us that God has a body, whereas he is an infinite spirit, Hab. 2:18. It also forbids us to make images of God in our fancies, as if he were a man as we are. Our religious worship must be governed by the power of faith, not by the power of imagination. They must not make such images or pictures as the heathen worshipped, lest they also should be tempted to worship them. Those who would be kept from sin must keep themselves from the occasions of it. [2.] They must not bow down to them occasionally, that is, show any sign of respect or honour to them, much less serve them constantly, by sacrifice or incense, or any other act of religious worship. When they paid their devotion to the true God, they must not have any image before them, for the directing, exciting, or assisting of their devotion. Though the worship was designed to terminate in God, it would not please him if it came to him through an image. The best and most ancient lawgivers among the heathen forbade the setting up of images in their temples. This practice was forbidden in Rome by Numa, a pagan prince; yet commanded in Rome by the pope, a Christian bishop, but, in this, anti-christian. The use of images in the church of Rome, at this day, is so plainly contrary to the letter of this command, and so impossible to be reconciled to it, that in all their catechisms and books of devotion, which they put into the hands of the people, they leave out this commandment, joining the reason of it to the first; and so the third commandment they call the second, the fourth the third, etc.; only, to make up the number ten, they divide the tenth into two. Thus have they committed two great evils, in which they persist, and from which they hate to be reformed; they take away from God’s word, and add to his worship. [2]

John Calvin said this,

In the First Commandment, after He had taught who was the true God, He commanded that He alone should be worshipped; and now He defines what is His LEGITIMATE WORSHIP. Now, since these are two distinct things, we conclude that the commandments are also distinct, in which different things are treated of. The former indeed precedes in order, viz., that believers are to be contented with one God; but it would not be sufficient for us to be instructed to worship Him alone, unless we also knew the manner in which He would be worshipped. The sum is, that the worship of God must be spiritual, in order that it may correspond with His nature. For although Moses only speaks of idolatry, yet there is no doubt but that by synecdoche, as in all the rest of the Law, he condemns all fictitious services which men in their ingenuity have invented. For hence have arisen the carnal mixtures whereby God’s worship has been profaned, that they estimate Him according to their own reason, and thus in a manner metamorphose Him. It is necessary, then, to remember what God is, lest we should form any gross or earthly ideas respecting Him. The words simply express that it is wrong for men to seek the presence of God in any visible image, because He cannot be represented to our eyes. The command that they should not make any likeness, either of any thing which is in heaven, or in the earth, or in the waters under the earth, is derived from the evil custom which had everywhere prevailed; for, since superstition is never uniform, but is drawn aside in various directions, some thought that God was represented under the form of fishes, others under that of birds, others in that of brutes; and history especially recounts by what shameless delusions Egypt was led astray. And hence too the vanity of men is declared, since, whithersoever they turn their eyes, they everywhere lay hold of the materials of error, notwithstanding that God’s glory shines on every side, and whatever is seen above or below, invites us to the true God.

Since, therefore, men are thus deluded, so as to frame for themselves the materials of error from all things they behold, Moses now elevates them above the whole fabric and elements of the world; for by the things that are “in heaven above,” he designates not only the birds, but the sun, and the moon, and all the stars also; as will soon be seen. He declares, then, that a true image of God is not to be found in all the world; and hence that His glory is defiled, and His truth corrupted by the lie, whenever He is set before our eyes in a visible form. Now we must remark, that there are two parts in the Commandment—the first forbids the erection of a graven image, or any likeness; the second prohibits the transferring of the worship which God claims for Himself alone, to any of these phantoms or delusive shows. Therefore, to devise any image of God, is in itself impious; because by this corruption His Majesty is adulterated, and He is figured to be other than He is. There is no need of refuting the foolish fancy of some, that all sculptures and pictures are here condemned by Moses, for he had no other object than to rescue God’s glory from all the imaginations which tend to corrupt it. And assuredly it is a most gross indecency to make God like a stock or a stone. Some expound the words, “Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven image, which thou mayest adore;” as if it were allowable to make a visible image of God, provided it be not adored; but the expositions which will follow will easily refute their error. Meanwhile, I do not deny that these things are to be taken connectedly, since superstitious worship is hardly ever separated from the preceding error; for as soon as any one has permitted himself to devise an image of God, he immediately falls into false worship. And surely whosoever reverently and soberly feels and thinks about God Himself, is far from this absurdity; nor does any desire or presumption to metamorphose God ever creep in, except when coarse and carnal imaginations occupy our minds. Hence it comes to pass, that those, who frame for themselves gods of corruptible materials, superstitiously adore the work of their own hands. I will then readily allow these two things, which are inseparable, to be joined together; only let us recollect that God is insulted, not only when His worship is transferred to idols, but when we try to represent Him by any outward similitude. [3]

J.L. Mackay said,

It seems likely that the idols in view here are not those of pagan gods (the first commandment has proscribed them from Israel’s worship), but representations of Yahweh himself. That was how surrounding nations depicted their gods, but such a theology had no place in the worship of Israel because it represented a fundamental confusion of the creation with the Creator. The commandment is not a prohibition of art in general (see on 25:18), but of all attempts to bring the divine into the realm of the perceptible. By denying the spiritual nature of God, the idol degrades God and misleads the worshipper into placing the divine on the same level as the world of ordinary experience. Far from being a help to worship, the idol sets up an insurmountable barrier to the refinement of human perception of what is spiritual. That is why there is an absolute ban on using the likeness of any natural being or phenomenon to represent God. There is only one legitimate likeness of God, and that is mankind created in God’s own image, after his likeness (Gen. 1:26)—a likeness that most faithfully portrays God in and through Jesus Christ, who alone can say, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Israel will begin to glimpse the divine not in their external physical frame, but by using the inner spiritual capacity they have been endowed with to communicate directly with God. Ultimately, the prohibition of idolatry arises not just from the God-given nature of mankind in general, but from the unique revelation of him who is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15). [4]

This idolatrous blasphemous TV series has been endorsed by Actor Kirk Cameron, Actors Phil and Kay Robertson, Ravi Zacharias, Alveda King, Anne Graham Lotz, and Joni Eareckson Tada. Though I’m surprised with Tada, I expected such compromise from the others.

But you might ask why is God allowing this sin to be so wildly accepted and so common. Similarly, to the sins of abortion and homosexuality, God is judging our nation by allowing this to occur.

God forewarned us in Romans 1:18-32 that He turns them over to their sinfulness.

“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Rom. 1:24-25).

“For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due” (Rom. 1:26-27).

“And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them” (Rom 1:28-32).

Sadly, in this present world sin is here to stay. And so, God has turned them over, hence God’s judgment is upon America.

So, if you profess to be a born-again Christian, then you must see the seriousness of violating this commandment, and you must repent.

Only by the grace of God so go I.

UPDATE 06/24/21: Reformation Charlotte actually watched the episodes, and so they were able to do a more in-depth analysis of the false teachings, heresies, egalitarianism; and much more here.

UPDATE 12/27/20: I also mentioned this TV series in todays Lord’s Day sermon, video below.

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 [1] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments. (A. Farstad, Ed.) (pp. 108–109). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2] Henry, M. (1994). Matthew Henry’s commentary on the whole Bible: complete and unabridged in one volume (p. 124). Peabody: Hendrickson.

[3] Calvin, J., & Bingham, C. W. (2010). Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony (Vol. 2, pp. 106–109). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[4] Mackay, J. L. (2001). Exodus (pp. 344–345). Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain: Mentor.