“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men….the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”  Colossians 2:8-9

 On a recent medical mission trip, we had the pleasure of working with a wonderful native medical doctor.  He had all the marks of being a born again believer.  He was a family man, loved his wife, worked hard to do good works, and went above and beyond what was expected of him.  In fact, he said he was a Christian!  On closer questioning, we discovered that he belonged to one of the cults, begun by an American in 1830.  We were sorry when we realized our mistake and tried to explain what Christians believe about God and His Son, Jesus.  He couldn’t grasp it!

After coming home, we looked further into the subject and realized the cult he belonged to was not very different from other religions of the world.  They are ALL religions of works!  They believe if you work really, really hard, you can attain salvation, in fact in some instances you can become a god!  How sad for them!  The Bible tells us to “beware of another gospel,” Galatians 1:6.  And “even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed,” Galatians 1:8.   

So what are some of the marks of a cult?  How can we know if we are being deceived?  Watch for the following:

  1. They deify man – man can become a god.  Man only needs to progress with the cult’s help to become like god.  TRUTH:  same lie satan was guilty of in Genesis 3:1-13.
  2. They deny the Trinity – Deny that God is One Eternally, re-define God in man’s image. TRUTH: Romans 1:25
  3. They deny the sinful nature – minimize sin and hell, through good works, man can be made perfect. TRUTH:  Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-9.
  4. They add to scripture – they add their own interpretations and claim error in God’s Word, continually changing definitions. TRUTH:  Luke 21:33.
  5. They worship a different Jesus – to them, Jesus is a created being, not the Son of God, but a son of a god, or a prophet, or an elder brother, or a good man or a teacher.  Some even teach Jesus is a brother of Lucifer!  TRUTH:  Jesus was in the beginning with God, He was not created, He is eternal, John 1:1-14.
  6. They deny Salvation by Grace – deny the shed blood of Jesus on the Cross and repentance of sin by a sinner. Usually there is no cross on their buildings and salvation is dictated by the cult.  TRUTH:  Ephesians 2:8-9, 1 Peter 2:24.
  7. A different Spirit—The Holy Spirit is a “good force;” deny God the Holy Spirit. Believe in spiritism, with visits from angels, spirits and counterfeit miracles.  TRUTH:  1 Timothy 4:1.
  8. They follow a modern day “prophet” – Founded by a man; claiming to be God’s one true spokesman on earth and accountable to no one; gives revelations and adds to scripture. TRUTH:  Hebrews 1:1-3.
  9. They believe they are the Only True Church – the word “truth” is used over and over; unless you are a member, you are lost. They deny the spiritual union of believers, God’s True Church, His Body.  TRUTH:  Ephesians 1:22-23, Colossians 1:18.
  10. They have secrets rituals, temples and doctrines, They test loyalty of followers, blind obedience is necessary, spiritual bondage, fear and guilt are common.

Beware let anyone cheat you of the great salvation we have through Jesus Christ!  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.”  John 14:6.  Hallelujah!!

Your friend, Jean