An Erroneous vs. Accurate Definition
The orthodox church believes that cults follow the personal interpretation of the leader rather than conforming to the traditional or 'generally accepted' beliefs of the church.
However, this definition indicates that everything that the church believes and teaches is accurate.
And that is very very far from being true.
Consider Paul's warning in Acts 20:29-31 that the wolves would arise from among the flock. And so they did (even before Paul finally closed his eyes) and continue to do today - in spades.
Therefore, before classifying any group as a cult we need to accurately define the word. Although their beliefs may seem to be orthodox, the term cult is used of
"... a group, church or organization whose central teachings and/or practices are claimed to be biblical or representative of biblical Christianity, but which are in fact unbiblical and not Christian in nature. [01] (Emphasis Added)
"... a group of people, which claiming to be Christian, embraces a particular doctrine system taught by an individual leader, group of leaders, or organization, which (system) denies (either explicitly or implicitly) one or more of the central doctrines of the Christian Faith as taught in the sixty-six books of the Bible. [02] (Emphasis Added
In other words, when trying to decide on the legitimacy of a particular group that claims to be Christian, it is crucially important is that we judge by the right standard, i.e. the Bible, not tradition, creeds, or so-called orthodoxy.
Incidentally, bearing the above definitions in mind, I have to wonder how one is to define much of the modern church when so many of their teachings - even in orthodox churches - flatly contradict many of the teachings of the sixty-six books of the Bible. Many, if not most of the problems can be laid at the door of the various translators who often rendered words according to preconceived beliefs - what they thought the words should mean. In at least a couple of cases they went as far as to 'translate' proper nouns.
See Mishandling The Word of God
The Difference Between A Cult And True Biblical Christianity Lies In Belief.
A cults identifies itself as belonging to a mainstream, recognized religion yet it rejects or otherwise violates one or more of the central, essential teachings of that religion.
Though the average cult member will confess a belief in Jesus Christ, a reliance on the Bible as his authority, and devotion to God as a lifestyle, in reality what appears on the surface to be Christian deviates greatly from what the Scriptures actually teach concerning the key doctrines of the Christian faith.
The tragedy is that most cultists are so deceived that they will defend the doctrines of their church to the death.
Although the beliefs of different groups vary, some basic patterns exist in all cults who claim to be Christian. Below are some of the ways cults have departed from Biblical Christianity
Adding To The Word Of God:
Virtually all cults add to the Word of God instead of accepting it as the sole authority of the faith. Catholicism is one of the worst offenders. See Catholicism - Christian or Cult
As Protestants maintain, everything a Christian knows about God, everything he believes and practices, is based not on human knowledge, insight, or experiences but rests solely on God's Word to man as recorded in the Scriptures. Because the Bible is God's inspired Word and He alone is its author it is all-sufficient and the only infallible authority in all matters regarding the Christian faith. See Sola Scriptura.
Multiplication Of Salvation Requirements:
Although in Ephesians 2:8-9, the Apostle Paul clearly stated,
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."
The Word of God plainly teaches that salvation is a gift that God offers sinful man. There is nothing anyone can do to earn it. It is a gift to be accepted or rejected.
Yet, many cults have redefined grace to include conditions that one must keep in order to obtain eternal life. Again the Roman church is one of the worst.
See The Salvation Requirements of The Catholic Church
Authoritarianism.
Cults are usually marked by a very strong, centralized authority with followers being led to believe that they must follow the dictates of the organization which is set forth as God's will. Questioning the hierarchy or sole leader is viewed as akin to questioning God himself. Few realize that they are actually placing their faith in the organization rather than in God and His word.
This authoritarianism leads to another outstanding feature of almost all cults inasmuch they almost always believe that they are an exclusive organization which alone has 'the truth'
They often see themselves as the elect few - the only ones who are qualified to properly interpret God's Word and can point the way to salvation.
Once again Catholicism is one of the worst offenders.
The reality of the matter is this: the Catholic clergy believes it needs no authority - save that of its own pontificating voice. It creates its own dogma, writes its own rules, has become its own "god" ... It is a sad reality that numerous people, quite noble in many respects, should sincerely, though uncritically, follow an autocratic system that stands so adverse to divinely revealed truth. [03]
Elitism
Most cults believe they are the one true "church" and the only ones who are actually saved. They either claim they have new revelation or, as in the case of Catholicism, believe they are the only true church because of Apostolic Succession
Redefining The Savior
Many cults speak of faith in "Jesus," but their understanding of who is Jesus so contradict the Scriptures that in truth they do not have faith in the real Jesus at all. In fact, some are known to deny that Jesus is God.
The question "Who do you say that I am?" is as relevant today as it was when Jesus asked it of Peter. And, conflicting answers to this question are even more numerous than in the first century and differs widely from group to group. For example,
Mormonism: According to official Mormon teaching, Jesus Christ is the first spirit child conceived and begotten by Heavenly Father and one of Heavenly Father's many wives (commonly referred to as "Heavenly Mother"). Just as Heavenly Father before him progressed to godhood, so Jesus progressed through obedience to the status of a god prior to his incarnation on earth. In the words of the late Mormon apostle and general authority Bruce McConkie, Jesus Christ - through obedience and devotion - "attained that pinnacle of intelligence which ranked him as a God." [04]
(See Section on Mormonism)
The Jehovah's Witnesses: Of all the cults, the Jehovah's Witnesses have done one of the most thorough jobs in creating another Jesus. They believe Jesus that Jesus Christ is the Archangel Michael in his pre-human existence. After his resurrection and return to heaven, Jesus resumed his service as Michael, the chief angel.
See Section on the Jehovah's Witnesses
And the Jehovah's Witnesses take on The 144,000 /the_144000.html
Christian Science:
"For Christian Scientists, Jesus was a man who lived in first-century Palestine and Christ is the name for a certain divine idea: "Jesus is the human man, and Christ is the divine idea; hence the duality of Jesus the Christ. The invisible Christ ("the ideal Truth, that comes to heal sickness and sin through Christian Science") became perceptible in the visible Jesus, who was a mere man and demonstrated the divine idea. Eddy once said, "If there had never existed such a person as the Galilean Prophet, it would make no difference to me." [05]
Mary Eddy Baker (Eddy in the above quote) was the founder of Christian Science
See The Deity of Christ
All of the above is no minor theological "hair splitting" but strikes at the very essence of the Gospel. As Paul wrote,
For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily. (2 Corinthians 11:4 BSB)
Fully God And Fully Man.
The Scriptures leave no doubt that Jesus was fully God and fully man. As John wrote,
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1 BSB)
Now compare Isaiah 44:6 (God the Father speaking)...
Thus says the LORD, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the LORD of Hosts: "I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God but Me. (Isaiah 44:6 BSB)
... with Revelation 1:17-18 in which the Son of Man is speaking
When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades. (Revelation 1:17-18 BSB)
In fact...
Jesus Identified Himself:
In the eyes of many of the Jews the Jesus they were speaking to was only a man - a carpenter from Nazareth who had become a radical rabbi. In an exchange with the Pharisees Christ told them that unless they believed that "I am He" they would die in their sins. (John 8:24). They then asked who He was (V. 25). In verse 58 He said
Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad. Then the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham? "Truly, truly, I tell you, Jesus declared, "before Abraham was born, I am! (John 8:56-58 BSB)"Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I Am (Gr. ego emi)"
In other words, Jesus was claiming to be the eternal God who preexisted long before Abraham. He used ego emi a total of three times in this chapter - in verses 24, 28, then here in v. 58.
Jesus' dramatic statement "before Abraham was born, I Am (Gr. ego emi) must have caused no end of consternation among His listeners who knew full well that ego emi was a divine title belonging to Yahweh alone. Because it was the title God the Father gave Himself at the burning bush, Jesus' words must have seemed to be the height of blasphemy to many of His listeners.
Then Moses asked God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, 'What is His name? What should I tell them? God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'AM has sent me to you.'"(Exodus 3:13-14 BSB)
Information and Behavior Control
Although not true of all cults, some impose an inordinate form of censorship in terms of what movies or TV the person will watch, what books they read, or even persons with whom they will socialize. Anything or anyone critical of the group is to be avoided at all costs.
In some cases dress codes, none of which are directly nor indirectly specified in the Bible - are impressed upon the victim.
This often puts the focus on the outward appearance rather than the internal change of heart brought about by Christ. Non-conformity has been known to be regarded as a rebellious spirit that needs to come under submission to the leadership.
See The United Pentecostal Church and the
Seventh Day Adventists (forbidden from wearing jewelry)
Sadly, the cults are not the only ones who have made it up as they go along. With their incredible ability to invent rules and regulations many, even in orthodox or fundamental churches, have very firm ideas of of what constitutes 'a love of the world'.
Churches has been known to go as far as to draw up lists of 'worldly things' that believers should avoid. Drinking, smoking, movies/television, gambling, dancing etc. usually top the lists.
It's endemic to human nature - but it's also a modern, unvarnished form of Pharisaism.
See Applying The Principles of Separation in Holiness Part III
And The Bible and Alcohol
Are Sincere Cultists Lost?
Most Christians accept the fact that anyone who completely rejects or ignores the Savior's atoning sacrifice is lost. However, what about the many, many members of cults who appear to be sincerely following Christ.
1.) Zeal in religious matters does not guarantee or prove that one is or will be saved. As Paul said
they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge." (Romans 10:2)
Sincerely believing in someone or something doesn't automatically guarantee its truth. You can be sincere but sincerely wrong. Whether you are the deceiver or the deceived you are as accountable for your actions as Eve was when she was deceived by the serpent in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:13-16)
2.) Not everyone who acknowledges Jesus as Lord will be saved.
Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father in heaven. (Matthew 7:21)
Jesus was contrasting the one who says something (Lord, Lord!) versus the one who follows up those words with action.
Simply confessing Jesus as Lord will not save us. It is not an incantation that magically opens the door to the Kingdom, nor a suit of armour that will protect us from God's wrath.
The very first requirement is that we believe in the 'right' Jesus ie. who the Bible and He Himself says He is without which there is no salvation.
Our Responsibility.
There is no question that people have the freedom to believe whatever they wish and the right to be wrong. However, Christians not only have the right, but also the duty, to defend their own faith from being usurped. In fact, exposing the fraudulent beliefs of cult leaders in the effort to steer people away from false teaching that will lead to their destruction is a moral responsibility.
As Jude wrote...
keep yourselves in the love of God as you await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life. And indeed, have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others show mercy tempered with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh. (Jude 1:21-23 BSB)
Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11 BSB)
Unfortunately, even true believers can be fooled thanks to the fact that the average Christian's approach is to take virtually everything told them from the pulpit as God's truth. Not only is there a dearth of sound, foundational Bible teaching.
Even when they read their Bibles many are rarely willing to dig any deeper than a surface reading of the text. Thus, when a false teacher comes with a plausible argument and presents what appears to be a scholarly approach, they are easily led astray.
See The Christian and Knowledge: Theology and Doctrine
Much of the modern church seems to believe that faith is based in the heart therefore all that is important will be "experienced". Thus they pay little or no attention to '"theology' and 'doctrine' believing that these have little or no relevance to their religious life. They couldn't be more wrong
In fact very many believers make Four VERY Dangerous Mistakes. They
1) Believe That They Or their Pastor/Denomination/Spiritual Leader Cannot Be Fooled
2) Attribute Every Personal Testimony and 'Sign' To Being Of Or From God
3) Take Bible Verses Out of Context
4) Believe That As Christians they Are Not To Judge Anything Or Anyone
Regarding point 4 Above - Sadly this post modern idea has carried over into the church. Those who quote the 'judge not" statement perfectly illustrate the old saying "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". What they do not realize is that that this is not a stand alone statement that Jesus pulled out of thin air then went off to try his hand at fishing for his lunch on the Sea of Tiberias, saying no more on the matter.
In fact it has been terribly wrested from it's context.
If we allow the Lord to complete His thought AND His sentence we will find that that Jesus wasn't saying, (or even implying) that we should never make judgments about anyone at any time, but was condemning a certain type of judging. In fact, discernment or "judging" is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Also See
Fraternizing With The Enemy
Why Cults Thrive
As said by Michael Tummillo
...we can attribute the alarming rise of cults to the failure of the Church to fulfill the Great Commission of Christ. It has been said, "The cults are the unpaid bills of the church."
Cults thrive because Christians are lacking in biblical and theological understanding, therefore, we have very little impact on the spiritual climate of our nation.
Dr. Martin stated, "The rise of the cults is directly proportional to the fluctuating emphasis which the church has placed on the teachings of biblical doctrine to Christian laymen. To be sure, few pastors, teachers, and evangelists defend adequately their beliefs, but most of them -- and most of the average Christian laymen -- are hard put to confront and refute a well-trained cultist of almost any variety."
If the church engaged in solid and in-depth Bible teaching, the Body would become better equipped and, when we came in contact with those in bondage to a cult, we might actually help them. If this were the case, the cults would not flourish as they do. Bible illiteracy is key. [06]
See Theology and Doctrine
One commonly held belief in much of the modern church is that faith is based in the heart therefore all that is important will be "experienced". Not only is contemporary American culture doing all it can to dissuade us from using our minds but that trend has carried over into the church.
We have substituted entertainment for solid Biblical study.
Thus all too many Christians in our world pay little or no attention to 'theology' and 'doctrine that they believe have little or no relevance to their religious life'. They brush these two words aside little realizing that both are crucial to saving faith.
End Notes
[01] Apologetics Index. Cult of Christianity. http://www.apologeticsindex.org/2765-cult-of-christianity
[02] Alan W. Gomes. Unmasking the Cults. Paperback Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements.
Zondervan (May 11, 1995
[03] Wayne Jackson | Christian Courier https://christiancourier.com/articles/the-alleged-perpetual-virginity-of-mary
[04] The Christian Research Institute. Does Mormonism really teach that Jesus is the spirit brother of Satan?
https://www.equip.org/bible_answers/does-mormonism-really-teach-that-jesus-is-the-spirit-brother-of-satan/
[05] Joe Carter. 9 Things You Should Know About 'Christian Science'.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/christian-science/
[06] Michael Tummillo. Cults: Are You A Part Of One? https://faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=40968
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