Secular fame and Christianity
Secular fame and Christianity
Written on 3 September 2026.
Intro
The King James Bible does not teach that merely becoming famous is sinful. Jesus Christ became famous. Joshua became famous. Their fame resulted from what they were doing rather than from an attempt to manufacture a public reputation.
However, the Bible speaks negatively about seeking the honour and praise of men, seeking one's own glory, and deliberately trying to make oneself a name.
There is also another side to fame which is easily overlooked: fame is not necessarily beneficial to the person who receives it.
In the case of Jesus Christ, his growing fame and influence brought him increasingly into conflict with the religious and political establishment. Eventually the rulers explicitly reasoned that if they allowed him to continue, his influence would become so great that it could threaten their own position.
Thus secular fame is not presented in the Bible as a measure of Christian success.
The desire for the honour of men
Jesus contrasted receiving honour from men with seeking the honour that comes from God.
John 5:44 KJV
How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
This gives two different sources of honour:
- honour received one from another;
- honour that comes from God.
The problem becomes even clearer in John 12. Some of the rulers believed on Jesus Christ, but their concern about their standing among other men affected what they were willing to confess.
John 12:42-43 KJV
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue:
For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The verse does not merely say that they received praise from men. It says:
For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
The problem was what they loved more.
Seeking to please men
Paul similarly contrasts serving Christ with seeking to please men.
Galatians 1:10 KJV
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
The same principle appears in First Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians 2:4 KJV
But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
Christianity therefore does not naturally point toward building one's life around public approval.
Seeking one's own glory
Jesus gives another direct distinction:
John 7:18 KJV
He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
There is a difference between:
seeketh his own glory
and seeking the glory of the one who sent him.
This directly concerns the motive behind public recognition.
Let us make us a name
The Tower of Babel contains one of the clearest statements of deliberately creating worldly significance.
Genesis 11:4 KJV
And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Their words were:
let us make us a name
This can be contrasted with what God later said to Abram.
Genesis 12:2 KJV
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
The contrast is striking.
At Babel:
let us make us a name
To Abram:
and make thy name great
In the first case men attempt to manufacture their own name.
In the second case God determines that Abram's name will become great.
Fame itself is not necessarily condemned
Joshua became famous.
Joshua 6:27 KJV
So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised throughout all the country.
The verse does not say that Joshua attempted to become famous.
It first says:
So the LORD was with Joshua;
Then:
and his fame was noised throughout all the country.
Jesus Christ likewise became famous.
Luke 4:14 KJV
And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
Therefore fame itself cannot simply be identified with sin.
But neither does the fact that someone's fame spreads mean that the fame is necessarily to his earthly benefit.
The fame of Christ also increased the danger
As the ministry of Jesus Christ continued, the size of his following became impossible for his enemies to ignore.
John 12:19 KJV
The Pharisees therefore said among themselves, Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? behold, the world is gone after him.
The Pharisees themselves recognized the enormous extent of his influence:
behold, the world is gone after him.
This fame was therefore not merely public admiration. From the perspective of the existing rulers, it had become a problem.
The rulers saw his influence as a threat
John 11 records their reasoning very plainly.
John 11:47-48 KJV
Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.
If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
Their concern was that Jesus Christ would continue gaining followers:
If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him:
They then connected this with the Romans and the possible loss of their own position:
and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.
Thus the Bible itself records the rulers looking at the growing influence of Jesus Christ in relation to political consequences.
Caiaphas concludes that Jesus should die
Caiaphas then gave his answer to the problem.
John 11:49-50 KJV
And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,
Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
The chapter then states what happened as a consequence.
John 11:53 KJV
Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
There is therefore a visible progression in the passage:
- Jesus performs miracles.
- Increasing numbers believe on him.
- The rulers fear what will happen if this continues.
- They fear losing their place and nation.
- They determine that Jesus should die.
- They begin taking counsel together to put him to death.
The fame and influence of Jesus Christ did not make his earthly situation safer.
It contributed to making him appear more dangerous to those who already possessed authority.
The accusation becomes explicitly political
When Jesus was eventually brought before the Roman authorities, his enemies presented accusations with an explicitly political character.
Luke 23:2 KJV
And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.
The accusation concerning tribute was contrary to what Jesus had actually taught.
Matthew 22:21 KJV
They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
Nevertheless, before Pilate the accusation was framed in terms of Caesar and kingship.
Later the pressure upon Pilate became even more explicit.
John 19:12 KJV
And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
The issue was now presented directly as loyalty to Caesar.
Jesus was being portrayed as a competing king.
Thus his enemies transformed the conflict into something the Roman government had reason to take seriously.
The glory of the kingdoms of the world
The temptation of Christ also reveals something about worldly glory.
Matthew 4:8-10 KJV
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
The devil specifically showed Christ:
all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Worldly glory therefore appears directly within the temptation.
Christ's answer concerns whom he serves:
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Being seen of men
Jesus also warned against performing religious acts for the purpose of being seen by men.
Matthew 6:1 KJV
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
The issue is specifically:
to be seen of them
Jesus gives another example concerning prayer.
Matthew 6:5 KJV
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
They wanted to be seen by men.
They received that reward.
Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Unknown, and yet well known
Christian significance therefore does not require secular recognition.
Paul could describe himself this way:
2 Corinthians 6:9 KJV
As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
The expression:
As unknown, and yet well known;
fits very differently from the modern idea that public visibility proves importance.
A Christian may be unknown to the world while nevertheless being known where it actually matters.
2 Timothy 2:19 KJV
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.
The foundation does not say that the world knows them.
It says:
The Lord knoweth them that are his.
Conclusion
The King James Bible does not give the simple equation that fame is evil.
Joshua became famous.
Jesus Christ became famous.
But neither example establishes secular fame as something a Christian should seek.
The Bible instead repeatedly warns concerning:
- receiving honour one of another;
- loving the praise of men more than the praise of God;
- seeking to please men;
- seeking one's own glory;
- doing things in order to be seen of men;
- trying to "make us a name."
The contrast between Babel and Abram is particularly clear.
Genesis 11:4 says:
let us make us a name
Genesis 12:2 says:
and make thy name great;
One is men constructing their own significance.
The other is God determining whether a man's name becomes great.
The life of Jesus Christ demonstrates another reason that secular fame cannot simply be treated as a blessing.
His growing fame meant growing influence.
His enemies noticed that influence.
They said:
behold, the world is gone after him.
They feared:
If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him:
They connected this with the possible loss of:
both our place and nation.
Then:
from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.
At his trial the accusation was finally expressed in explicitly political terms:
whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
Thus fame did not simply elevate Christ in the secular world. His growing public influence also caused those holding existing power to regard him as increasingly dangerous.
The KJV therefore presents a very different standard from secular fame.
The decisive matter is not whether the world knows a man's name.
The Lord knoweth them that are his.
AI Disclosure: Parts of this page may have been created, edited, or assisted by artificial intelligence tools (such as ChatGPT or other language models). All AI-assisted content is reviewed by a human before publication. For questions, contact the site administrator.