What The Bible Says About Cults

(Text: II Corinthians 11:4, 13-15)
By: Barry L. Cameron


What Is A Cult?
“A cult is a perversion, a distortion of Biblical Christianity and/or a rejection of the historic teachings of the Christian Church.” (Handbook of Today’s Religions by McDowell & Stewart)

* Paul warned there would be false Christs and a false gospel that would attempt to deceive the true church and the world (II Corinthians 11:4, 13-15).

Walter Martin (perhaps the most recognizable authority on the cults) defines a cult like this: “A cult, then, is a group of people polarized around someone’s interpretation of the Bible and is characterized by major deviations from orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith, particularly the fact that God became man in Jesus Christ.” (The Rise of the Cults, pg. 12)

Why Do Cults Grow?

(1) They Provide Answers
- While many Bible-believing Christians would say, “I don’t really know . . .” the cults say, “Sure, I know about that and we can help you.” - The cults demand an incredible amount of training, instruction and discipline. While too many fundamental, Bible-believing Christians rebel against and reject any kind of expectations or requirements.
- No wonder many Christians come across as being soft, ignorant, lazy and indifferent, while many in the cults come across as intelligent, knowledgeable and articulate.

(2) They Meet Human Needs
- They appeal to man’s most basic need: the need to be loved.
- Individuals who experience an identity crisis or have emotional problems are particularly susceptible to cults.
- Most cults take the hassle of thinking and worrying away from their constituent’s lives. They do this by telling their people what to believe, how to behave, what to think, and they emphasize total dependence upon the group and total allegiance to the group leader.

(3) They Make A Great Impression
- Much of the prosperity of the cults can be attributed to the failure of the church.
- When the church has failed to provide answers, failed to love people, and failed to be a vital influence in the world, we’ve unintentionally and unfortunately opened the door for cults to flourish.
- Whenever Christians display a half-heartedness toward Christ, the church and the reaching of the world with the Gospel, we unknowingly drive a nail in our own coffin, and make cults appealing.
- “Ho-hum Christianity” doesn’t impact anyone. When that is contrasted with the excitement and challenge the cults often can provide initially, a spiritually immature person can be easily and quickly deceived.
- Many cults prey on people’s spiritual ignorance and try to overwhelm the uninformed with pseudo-scholarship which can’t be quickly verified or disputed by a novice.

Note: When cultists come to your door, they are coming having been through intensive training. That’s why they sound intelligent and appear to know what they’re talking about. A careful examination of their claims will quickly reveal what they are saying is neither true nor Biblical, but it does sound impressive and can usually tie the average nominally uninformed Christian in theological knots.

What Are The Characteristics Of Cults?

(1) New Revelations From God
- They will claim new revelations which are either co-equal or even greater in authority and authenticity than the Bible.
- Usually, it is a claim of something new that God has given just to them.

(2) New Interpretations Of The Bible
- They re-interpret the Bible, usually in a gross twisting of texts and contexts to justify the teachings of their cult.

(3) New Sources of Authority
- Some cults have “sacred writings.” Writings they consider on the same level as the Bible.
- For example: the Mormons have “the Book of Mormon,” “The Pearl of Great Price,” “Doctrines & Covenants.” The Moonies have Reverend Moon’s “Divine Principle,” etc.

(4) New Jesus.
- One characteristic found in all cults is false teaching about the person of Jesus Christ in the light of historic, Biblical Christianity.
- The Jesus of the cults is always someone less than the Bible’s eternal God, Who became flesh, lived on earth and died for our sins.
Examples:
Jehovah’s Witnesses say that Jesus isn’t God. He was merely the first creation of Jehovah. (But what about John 1:1-14?)
Mormons say Jesus is just one of many gods. The half-brother of Lucifer (Satan). (But what about I Peter 3:18; 1:18-19; Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:13-14; Revelation 5:9; Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 6:19-20, etc.?)

(5) Reject Orthodox Christianity
- Cults believe they are the TRUE church and usually claim some direct revelation from God that told them they are right and orthodox Christianity was an abomination.

(6) Double-talk
- They may say one thing publicly, but privately believe something totally different.
- Some of the cults even call themselves Christians. When, in fact, they deny the very fundamental doctrines of Christianity.
(7) Denial Or Twisting Of The Doctrine Of The Trinity
- They either deny the Biblical concept of the Trinity—God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. Or they re-work it to suit their own theology.

(8) An Ever-Changing Theology
- Ever notice how a lie keeps changing?
- Most cultists deny this concept except for the Moonies who have admitted on occasion that their theology was in a state of “flux.”
Examples:

Jehovah’s Witnesses used to believe that all vaccinations were sinful and would cause you to lose your “god-standing” in their organization.

Mormons, up until 1968 refused admittance to blacks into any position of leadership within their church. They also believed, practiced and promoted polygamy. (Something they don’t do anymore.)

(9) Strong Leadership
- Their leaders usually consider themselves “infallible,” along with a unique access to God that no one else possesses.
- Because of this unique relationship with God, the leader can, therefore, dictate the theology and behavior of the cult. Consequently, he exercises enormous influence over the group.

* This is especially true in the Unification Church, The Way International, etc.
- The results of this can be most tragic: (See Jim Jones – Guyana)

(10) Extreme Wealth Of The Founders
- Most cults are led by individuals who have become incredibly wealthy off their constituents.
- They are shrouded in secrecy and secluded in privacy.

(11) Salvation By Works
- Absent from all cult theology is the grace of God.
- You must work your way into Heaven. (A concept totally foreign to Scripture.)

(12) False Prophecy
- They make all kinds of false prophecies and when they don’t come true—merely explain them away and move on to something else.

Examples:
Jehovah’s Witnesses have a well-established record of making false prophecies and predictions. Herbert Armstrong (1967) said, “Now other prophecies reveal we are soon to have (probably in about 4 years) such drought and famine, that disease epidemics will follow, taking millions of lives. Well, we have been getting foretastes of them! That condition is coming! And I do not mean in 400 years—not in 40 years—but in the very next four or five!” (The United States and British Commonwealth in Prophecy. Pasadena: Ambassador College Press, 1967, pg. 184.)

- By the way, that never happened.

Note:
The sure mark of a cult is what they do with the person of Jesus Christ. All cults ultimately deny the fact that Jesus Christ is God the Son, second Person of the Trinity and mankind’s only hope for salvation.

For further study, get Ron Carlson’s book, “Fast Facts on False Teachings.”