There are many sects out there who claim to be Christian and use the Bible alongside their other writings, but are they really Christian? If not, how do we know? How can we distinguish between true Christianity and those who merely say they are Christian? If you compare their belief systems to Biblical Christianity there will certainly be many differences and contradictions, but I would like to take the time to focus on what I believe are the two most common and most important ones. Every other false or heretical teaching will stem from these two main issues.

The first one I would like to discuss is the person of Jesus Christ. Every pseudo-Christian sect (otherwise known as a cult) will attack the person of Jesus Christ. In New Testament times it was the Gnostics who attempted to take away from Jesus’ humanity: Since the body was evil, Jesus could not have literally come in the flesh. This belief has some major problems: For if Jesus did not come in the flesh, it would not be possible for Him to be the Great High Priest that identifies with your and my weaknesses (see Hebrews 4:15-5:10). Furthermore, if He did not have a literal physical body, He would have no blood to shed for our sins, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness for sins (Hebrews 9:22).

The other way in which cults attack the person of Jesus Christ is in His deity. We see this most commonly today with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Mormons believe Jesus was a pro-created spirit being of the Mormon God. According to their theology, the Mormon God asked his two sons (Jesus and Lucifer) for their plans to populate Earth. Jesus’ plan was chosen and Lucifer rebelled. Also among their beliefs is the idea that a good Mormon can achieve godhood, thus showing their complete lack of understanding of who God really is. The Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus was a created angelic being, and was the physical manifestation of Michael the archangel. Even Ellen G White and the Seventh Day Adventists hold a similar view of Jesus in that they believe that the Old Testament manifestation of Michael the archangel was the pre-incarnate Christ. Although the Adventists claim to uphold the deity of Jesus Christ, a close examination of Ellen G White’s writings as well as others in the movement were Arian in nature. Rather than believing that Jesus was God from all eternity, they believe He was created by God the Father, and then God created other things through Him. These beliefs have some major problems as well. If Jesus was a created being, then He cannot be God, and if He is not God then He could not have been the perfect offering for our sins.

So how does the Bible describe the Lord? First, there is only one God. Consider the words of Isaiah the prophet, “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.” (Isaiah 43:10) So much for the Mormon belief of achieving godhood… Next, He reveals Himself in three distinct yet inseparable persons. One of the greatest passages proving this is in the book of Isaiah. You are probably familiar with this passage that is popular around Christmas time: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) Here in one verse we have the entire trinity: We have the Everlasting Father, the Son, and the Counselor (the Holy Spirit). Again, these are all names that are being given to Jesus Christ who is the Messiah. It is a compound unity: the Father is in the Son, the Son is in the Father, the Spirit is in them, and they in the Spirit. Jesus stated in the Gospel of John, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.” (John 14:11) He stated also, “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30) Also in the book of John, Jesus refers to Himself as the Holy Spirit. He states that the Father will send the Comforter (holy Spirit) to them (John 14:16-17). He then states, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” (V18) The Father and the Son dwell in us through the person of the Holy Spirit (John 14:23). So again, They have three distinct roles, but They are inseparable from one another.

Next, the Bible refers to Jesus as God. Consider the following Scriptures: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) So Jesus in the beginning was with God, He was God, and He made all things (He was not created). “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) So John nails it right there in the first chapter of his Gospel, Jesus is both fully man and fully God. We see in Hebrews that God the Father is calling Jesus God and attributing Him with the creation of all things: “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands.” (Hebrews 1:8-10) Jesus also in several passages referred to Himself as God. Probably the most notable is in John 8: Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees, and they asked Him how it was possible that He had seen Abraham. His response to them was, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) Jesus took the same name for Himself as the Lord did at the burning bush in Exodus. So then Jesus is Jehovah God! Now the Jehovah’s Witnesses also teach that Jesus did not physically rise from the dead, but that it was just his spirit. However, when Jesus appeared to the 11 apostles as recorded in Luke He stated to them, “Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. (Luke 24:39) So then, Jesus literally and physically rose from the dead. Furthermore, the Bible encourages worship of Jesus which would be strictly forbidden if He was an angel or other created being. The author of Hebrews also writes, “Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” (Hebrews 1:4-6) So as we can see, it is imperative that we believe in a Jesus that is both fully man and fully God; for anything less will leave us worshiping a false god that cannot save us from our sins. To not accept the Jesus who is fully man and fully God requires a person to either blatantly misinterpret the Scriptures or change them altogether. No doubt this is what many such as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and other groups do in addition to their own external writings in order to justify their positions.

The second thing cults will do is diminish the grace of God. Being saved by grace through faith alone is not enough for them. According to them we must have faith in Jesus (whatever their version of Jesus is) plus good works and other religious rituals in order to receive eternal life. Now when you talk to individuals involved in a cult they often will attempt to conceal this at first, but as you begin to question them further it eventually comes out. So what does the Bible say about this? Do we need to do anything to be saved other than placing our faith in the Jesus Christ of the Bible? Paul, in speaking of Abraham in the book of Romans, stated that he believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. If Abraham was justified by his works, he would have had something to boast about, but not before the Lord. He explained that those who work for salvation will still end up in debt (Romans 4:1-5). It is impossible to Keep God’s Law. We have all broken God’s Law (the 10 Commandments), and thereby deserve God’s wrath. The Law works wrath (V 15) in that it can only reveal our sinful state, our pending judgment, and prepare our hearts for the grace of God. Our only hope is to believe on Jesus Christ for salvation. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Just before Jesus died he stated “It is finished,” so for someone to say that we need to believe in Jesus plus anything else is saying that what He did on the cross was not enough. This is really blasphemy: What kind of loving God would send His only Begotten Son to be brutally tortured, to shed His own blood, and die for our sins only to have it not be enough to save you and me? We cannot obtain salvation by our works, and we cannot keep it by our works. The only thing we must do is continue in the grace of God. Contrary to what some may say, this doesn’t produce loose living, but out of gratitude we have a desire to walk in obedience to the Lord. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit of God dwells inside of the believer, and you will no longer be satisfied living any way you choose. A person truly born again is miserable when they are walking in sin. So if a person is wrong in their belief in the person of Jesus Christ and in salvation by grace through faith, they cannot be a Christian. As I stated earlier, all the other errors we may find in cults will stem from these two. In fact, in my discussions with Mormons, debating all the other false teachings they have is often a waste of time. Once they have accepted the Jesus of the Bible and God’s plan of salvation, then they will be willing to discard their other false teachings.

I felt impressed by the Lord to include one other section in this post regarding Pentecostals or Charismatics. Right out of the gate I do want to make it clear that I fully believe in the moving of the Holy Spirit in the Church today, and I believe a clear case can be made in the Scriptures to support this. However, that is another topic in itself that I don’t intend on focusing on here. Having grown up in a Pentecostal denomination and being around different circles in that movement, I have witnessed some things that were not of the Lord. The tendency in some of these circles is to have an attitude that anything goes, and if you attempt to suggest some sort of order you are quenching the Holy Spirit. It becomes all about the next spiritual high, and really becomes a self-centered thing rather than glorifying the Lord. I have even witnessed some in this movement go completely off the deep end and become involved in occultic practices. I heard a Calvary Chapel pastor say once that we need to be charismatics with a safety belt. This safety belt of course is the Word of God. If we cannot find it directly stated or implied in the Word of God, we need to stay away from it. Jesus Himself gave us a good litmus test in determining whether or not the Holy Spirit is really in a particular movement. He stated, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” (John 16:13-14) First, the job of the Holy Spirit is to guide us into all truth. He will do nothing outside the confines of the Scriptures, but is directly involved in teaching us the Word of God. Second, He does not speak of Himself, but what He hears from Jesus. And who is Jesus? He is the Word. I have to question these movements who are placing the major emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Third, He glorifies Jesus. His job is to lift up Jesus Christ so all men will be drawn unto Him. So a true move of the Holy Spirit will be characterized by glorifying Jesus Christ and teaching the Word of God. The gifts of the Spirit are given to aid men and women in coming to Christ, to confirm the Word being preached, and to edify us as believers. So in seeking out a good Church be sure you find one that is open to the moving of the Holy Spirit, but is ordered by the Word of God.

In closing, I hope this post has been an encouragement to you, and hopefully it will help you in distinguishing between true Biblical Christianity and one that only claims to be Christian. This does not mean that people in a cult are our enemies, but they are deceived and need to come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. Share the Gospel with them: Explain to them that they have broken God’s law, and there is no way they can meet God’s righteous and holy standards. Tell them about the Jesus of the Bible, and how that God proved His love for them by sending Him to die in our place. Explain to them that it is only through the grace of God through faith in this Jesus that they can be saved. If you are a Christian, God has graciously saved you, and hopefully by sharing the truth with them they will be saved as well.