Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32
How would you define the word “cult”? If someone came up asked what a cult was, what would you tell them?
In order to be anything in this world there are certain criteria that must be met. A person would not call you a carpenter if they knew that you did not know the first thing about working with wood or tools. No one is going to refer to you as a rock star (unless it is a joke) if you hate rock music and simply love country. A cult is any group of people who differ substantially from the main beliefs of the group which they claim to be a part of. With this definition it should be easy to figure out that cults can come from any religion and unfortunately they do come from groups claiming to be Christian.
Cults claim to be Christian but do not believe in the very beliefs that form the basis of Christianity. Before we look at any of these groups let’s look at the beliefs with which they differ.
Some banks teach their tellers to spot counterfeit bills by forcing them to handle tons of real money. They have found that when someone knows real money well, they will be able to spot the fake stuff when the see it. That’s what we want to do with the truth. Let’s look at the foundational beliefs of Christianity before we look at the cults beliefs at all.
Though we discuss much in Christianity and there is a lot that we belief, when you try to summarize it all, you find out that Christian belief really comes down to four essential beliefs (in no particular order).
1. Christians believe in the Trinity — that God is three and one and the same time.
Admittedly this belief is hard to articulate. It is impossible to give a perfect illustration (though there are some good ones). For the Trinity because nothing like it exists in nature (because God is above nature and different from it). You will never find the word “Trinity” in the Bible, but you will find the concept of “three-in-one” all over the Bible. Read the following scripture passages and write out what they say that indicates the Trinity.
Genesis 1: & 11:7
Matthew 3:16, 17 & 28:19
2. Christians believe that Jesus Christ is fully God with the Father.
We don’t believe that Jesus is a separate god, or that He is a smaller god, or that He was a really good man who made it to godhood. He has been God as long as the Father and Spirit have been God, and that means that He has been God forever. Read the following scripture passages and write out what they say that indicates the deity (godness) of Jesus Christ.
John 1:1, 14 & 8:58
Hebrews 1:3
3. Christians believe the Holy Spirit is a person and God, and not some impersonal force.
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God and not just the force by which the Father does His work. Some cults describe the Holy Spirit like a storm front that God sends to do His work. They say the Father controls the Spirit just like He would that storm front. But Jesus teaches that the Spirit is a person and gives Him characteristics that a person would have. Read the following scripture passages and write out what they say that indicates the Holy Spirit is a person.
Acts 5:3, 4
John 14:16-17, 26
4. Christians believe that salvation comes only from the atoning work of Jesus Christ and not of any work that we do.
Christian believe that you can not earn your way to paradise. That is what is so revolutionary about the message of Jesus. In essence He said, “I’ve come to tell you that you can’t do it, and that you don’t have to because I will! Let me save you, since you can’t save yourself!” Jesus came to do what humanity could not, bring about salvation. The cults try to say that Jesus helped but you still have to do the impossible. Read the following scripture passages and write out what they say that indicates the salvation is a gift that comes from God.
John 1:29
Ephesians 2:8-10
1 Peter 2:24
The answer to the above question should be pretty simple by now. A cult does not believe in one or more of the main doctrines of Christianity. Actually it is impossible to believe in one of these without the others. They depend upon each other. For example, take the believe in the Holy Spirit as a person. Let’s say someone rejects that but accepts the others. Well, they would have a problem explaining how Jesus, the One that they agree is truly God, would lie to people and call the Spirit a person and give Him jobs that only a person can do (such as comforting or teaching). Jesus would have to a be a liar and therefore not God. Therefore all the doctrine would collapse. The same holds true for the other doctrines.
If a group rejects one of the big four beliefs then they are a cult. You can disagree on much of the other stuff, but you cannot dismiss one of the big four beliefs. You don’t consider yourself a fisherman when all you do is play cards. The same is true with cults, they can call themselves whatever they want but they are not Christian because they do not believe what Jesus Christ taught.
There are some general characteristics about cults. Use this space to write them out.
There are also some general characteristics of those who join cults. Use this space to write them out.
Reasons people join cults.
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