SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT

CULTS AND SECTS

A Call to Repentance by

Gary Ray Branscome

          By the end of the eighteenth century many American church bodies were embroiled in controversy, often over fine points of doctrine that the average person found difficult to understand. This bickering tended to weary and alienate many causing some to become disillusioned and skeptical, unsure if any church had the truth. That general disillusionment coupled with the religious fervor of the age provided fertile ground for all sort of religious innovation, giving birth to dozens of cults and sects.

          Cult founders of that era often called themselves “prophets,” and demanded blind “obedience” on the part of their members. And, even though larger cults such as the Mormons or “Jehovah’s Witnesses” are still well known, there were many cults and cult leaders who are relatively unknown today. One such leader was Abner Jones; who began by rejecting the five points of Calvinism, and wound up rejecting the doctrine of the Trinity and deity of Christ. His cult merged with the Congregational churches in 1931, and is now a part of the United Church of Christ. That church has drifted so far from God’s Word that it does not even care that some of its pastors deny the Trinity, or are atheists, and it even allows homosexual congregations.

All cults confuse faith with works, often redefining faith as “obedience,” rather than personal assurance of forgiveness in Christ. That error undermines the gospel and flies in the face of all the passages that contrast faith with works. Such as the words, “A man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law,” // “If it is by works, then it is no longer by grace: otherwise work is no longer work,” // “If the inheritance comes by the law, it is not given by promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise” (Romans 3:28 and 11:6, Galatians 3:18).

          Although the sects that grew out of frontier religious ferment did not always reject the doctrine of the Trinity, they rejected many Biblical truths. However, it can be hard to find out what many of them teach, not only because some are small, but also because they often tolerate a variety of opinions. Some have learned to use Christian terminology, while redefining it. Others emphasize works while excusing any sins that do not consist of “willful acts”. One young man whom I talked to was troubled about salvation, but when I asked him about sin he said that he did not have any sins. So I quoted Matthew 5:48, “Be ye perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect,” and asked him if he was perfect. He said. “If that is what the Bible says then I am,” but then he hesitated and said, “but not perfect perfect”. I have often wished that I could have had a longer talk with that young man, and I pray that the Holy Spirit worked on his heart through what I did say. However, there are many like him.

          Before going further I want to point out that no one who takes God’s Word seriously can deny that they have sinned unless they first water down God’s law. And, that is just what the Pharisees did. The cultic claim that sin only consists of willful acts is very deceptive because many sins do consist of willful acts. But, the Bible also condemns sinful words, sinful thoughts, and sinful desires. As it is written, “All unrighteousness is sin,” // “Whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (1John 5:17, Matthew 5:28), Those who try to get around this by saying, “The first look doesn’t count” are hardening their hearts instead of repenting. The words, “The wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil,” tell us that wicked thoughts are sinful in the sight of God (Genesis 6:5). The words, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked,” tell us that our very heart is evil (Jeremiah 17:9). In fact, if it was not evil we would never have any sinful lusts or desires, and every thought would be pure. Likewise, the words, “Being filled with unrighteousness of every kind… strife, deceit, malice; whisperers,” tell us that even strife (arguing with your wife or husband) is sin (Romans 1:29). I could go on, but my point should be clear, as the Bible puts it, “There is none righteous, no, not one,” (Romans 3:10).

          Some sectarians brush aside any Bible passages from the Old Testament. My wife once quoted Psalm 51:5, “Behold, I was shaped in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me,” to a woman, only to have her brush it off by saying, “Well that’s Old Testament, and we don’t go by the Old Testament. What she failed to see is that death is the punishment for sin. As it is written, “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Therefore, only sinners die of natural causes. As the Apostle Paul put it, “Just as sin entered the world by one man, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, because all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

          The cultic claim that some people have no sins strikes at the very heart of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul said that, “If there had been a law given that could have given life, righteousness truly would have been by the law. But the scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise might be given to those who believe, through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:21-22). Those words tell us that if there was any law that could make men righteous God would never have sent Christ to die on the cross. Because our very nature has been corrupted by sin, we are, “By nature the children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:3).

          While cults and sects that claim to be Christian will also claim to follow the Bible, they actually just come up with ideas that seem right in their “own eyes”, interpret the Bible to agree with what their leaders say, and explain away any passages of Scripture that contradict their interpretations (Proverbs 12:15 and 14:12).

When it comes to the nature of faith, the Bible tells us that faith is believing the Gospel. As it is written, “Repent, and believe the gospel,” // “Did God give you His Spirit, and work miracles among you, because you observed the law, or because you heard and believed the gospel? Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Mark 1:15, Galatians 3:5-6). That leads us to ask, “What is the Gospel”? And, the Apostle Paul answers that question by saying, “I [Paul] declare unto you the gospel… By which also you are saved… how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1Corinthians 15:1-4). Those words tell us that the Gospel is the good news that Christ died for our sins and rose again the third day. And, what do the words, “Christ died for our sins” mean? The Bible tells us when it says, “He [God] has made you, who were dead in your sins… alive together with Christ, having forgiven all of your sins. Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross” (Colossians 2:13-14). And, again, “The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us of all sin” (1John 1:7). So the Gospel is the good news of forgiveness in Christ, and faith is believing that good news.

          When it comes to baptism cults and sects just impose their own ideas on Scripture. I know of two college students who stayed up all night arguing over this question; “If a man repented of his sins and a tree fell on him and killed him while he was walking down to the river to be baptized; would he go to heaven or hell?” The sectarian was adamant that such a man would go to hell because he had not met God’s requirement of baptism, totally blind to the fact that the Bible never commands anyone to be baptized. We are commanded to baptize, but baptism itself is God promise of forgiveness to all who look to Christ. To “Be baptized… in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,” is to be baptized believing that there is forgiveness in Christ (Acts 2:38). Therefore, coming to baptism is an expression of faith in Christ, not obedience to a command. Peter’s words, “Repent, and be baptized,” are the answer to a question, not a command (Acts 2:38).

Paul devoted the entire third chapter of Galatians to explaining the fact that God’s grace (forgiveness Ephesians 1:7) comes to us only through faith in God’s promise (Galatians 3:14-18). All of the rules that God added later do not bring forgiveness, but work as a “schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be declared righteous by faith,” faith in God’s promise (Galatians 3:24).  God promises forgiveness to all who repent and look to Christ, and baptism is God’s way of giving His promise of forgiveness in Christ to each person who comes. Faith is believing that promise.

When it comes to the Trinity, those who reject it reject what the Bible clearly says in favor of their own ideas, and that is evidence that they have a spirit of error (1John 4:6). Because every doctrine necessary for our salvation is clearly and explicitly stated in Scripture, every Christian ought to be able agree with everything the Bible says. However, because of the blindness of the human heart that is not the case and it is not likely to be (2Corinthians 4:4, Jeremiah 17:9). While it is true that the word, “Trinity” is not found in Scripture, that word is simply the name we ascribe to a body of doctrinal truths that are each clearly and explicitly stated in Scripture.

For example:

1- Through the words, “Don’t we all have one father? Hasn’t one God created us,” the Bible gives us the doctrine that the Father is God (Malachi 2:10) [See also Matthew 5:16, 45, 48.]

 2- Through the words, “We are in the one who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God, and eternal life,” the Bible gives us the doctrine that the Son is God (1John 5:20).

3- Through the words, “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Ghost… you have not lied to men, but to God,” the Bible gives us the doctrine that the Holy Ghost is God (Acts 5:3-4).

4- Through the words, “There is one God; and there is none other but He,” the Bible gives us the doctrine that there is only one God (Mark 12:32).

In stating those four doctrines I in no way want to imply that those are the only passages of Scripture that teach those doctrines. Nor do I wish to imply that those four doctrines are all there is to the doctrine of the Trinity. There is far more. Nevertheless, those four doctrines constitute the heart and core of the doctrine of the Trinity. And, the point I want to make is that each of those doctrines is clearly and explicitly stated in Scripture.

          Because the Bible plainly tells us that the Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God and that there is only One God, that is what God wants us to believe and teach. However, the idea of three being one is totally alien to man’s puny little mind. In our universe it seems impossible for three to be one. However, God transcends our universe. Although present everywhere, He exists in a different dimension, a spiritual dimension that we know nothing about where Three can be One. Nevertheless, when it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity one false teacher after another has rejected the plain words of Scripture in a vain attempt to reconcile what the Bible says about God with his own ignorance.

One such attempt claims that the Holy Spirit is nothing more than, “God’s active force”. We reject that claim because the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit has a "mind" (Romans 8:27), "speaks" (1Timothy 4:1), teaches (John 14:26), can "grieve" (Ephesians 4:30), can be "lied to" (Acts 5:3-4) and should be referred to as "He" (John 16:13). Because having a mind, speaking, teaching and so forth are the qualities of a personal being (not a force), we speak of the Holy Spirit as a “Person”. Since the same can be said about the Father and the Son, we refer to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three “Persons” rather than three Gods. That terminology is used in order to avoid contradicting the fact that there is only One God.

Every attempt men make to harmonize what God has revealed about Himself with their own ideas winds up contradicting something clearly and explicitly stated in Scripture. And, in regard to the Trinity, that generally means that they contradict the fact that there is only one God, deny that the Son is God, or deny that there are three distinct persons. As to the last error, the Bible clearly tells us that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons when it says, “Having been baptized, Jesus immediately went up out of the water: and, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And a voice from heaven, said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” (Matthew 3:16-17). Or, when it says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may remain with you forever; even the Spirit of truth,” (John 14:16-17). [See also John 14:26.] Here again, the doctrine that God wants us to believe and teach is clearly stated in Scripture, “Line upon line; here a little, and there a little,” (Isaiah 28:10). While those who refuse to “hear” simply brush what the Bible says aside (Isaiah 28:12-13).

“There are three who bear witness in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these tri are une” (1John 5:7).

          Sectarians usually fail to recognize a number of other doctrines that are plainly taught in Scripture. For example: Romans chapter three (verses nine through twenty) teaches the Doctrine of Universal Condemnation (Rom. 3:9-20). The rest of chapter three teaches the Doctrine of Justification by Faith (Rom. 3:21-28). Faith in what Christ has done for us, not what we do (See Romans 9:30 through 10:4).

          The fourth chapter of Romans gives us the Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness. The Apostle Paul plainly explains that doctrine in words so clear that only someone blinded by Satan could fail to see it. Romans five, (verses six through eleven) gives us the Doctrine of the Atonement. And, we are plainly told that we are justified and saved “by his blood” (verse 9). The rest of chapter five gives us the Doctrine of The Fall and Redemption. Those doctrines are at the very heart of the Gospel, and God wants us to teach what He has said in His Word, not man-made attempts to explain it or explain it away. Man’s word is the source of all error. If you do not understand what God has said then pray for wisdom, but never seek to make up explanations, for “No truth of Scripture comes from any private explanation” (2Peter 1:20).

Note: Although many sectarians deny that they have any creed, they all adhere to an unwritten creed. That creed, taught by the various books and statements made by their leaders, is the way their views are perpetuated. And, many of their errors would disappear if they would only stop listening to men who contradict and explain away the Word of God.

Conclusion

          As I have pointed out, it is sometimes hard to determine what a sect believes. Although the teachings of the major cults have been documented, when it comes to small groups it is hard to pin them down. They often “sugar coat” what they believe, hiding their more controversial doctrines from non-members. Unless they are centralized, their beliefs may also vary from place to place. While any church that compromises the truth of God’s Word, or explains away things that the Bible clearly and explicitly says, should be regarded as a sect, slipshod interpretations are far too common among Christians. Nevertheless, any “church” that denies what the Bible says about God – including what it says about His triune nature, or the deity of Christ – is a cult because it has “changed the truth of God into a lie” (Romans 1:25). Likewise, any “church” that teaches a false gospel is a cult because it is under God’s curse (See Galatians 1:8-9).