Thread: Beliefs of Religious Cults & True Christian Denominations
Admin
Beliefs of Religious Cults & True Christian Denominations
Posted : 11 Aug, 2011 09:19 PM
All Religions Lead to God...
This is a common misconception because the fact is that Biblical Christianity is absolutely unique in comparison to every other religion and philosophy found in the world. In the first instance Christianity is not even a religion, rather it is a faith in a person, Jesus Christ. In fact Christianity is unique in many ways:
1.Only in the Bible do we find that God is revealed as the only true eternal, personal Creator of the universe and everything in it.
2. Christianity alone centres around the life and work of one person � Jesus Christ � his birth, death, resurrection and his second coming. Other religions base their beliefs on the teaching�s of individuals rather than their actions.
3. Only Jesus Christ has conquered death � humankind�s greatest fear. The founder of every religion in the world went to the grave and stayed there. Christ�s tomb is empty and His resurrection is the most proved fact in history! Only God Himself could have that power. Christ said: �I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the father except through me.� (John 14:6)
4. All other religions teach that we can earn our way into heaven by following rules and regulations. The Bible teaches that no person can earn their way into heaven because they are just not good enough.
5. Only Jesus Christ lived a perfect and sinless life because he was God incarnate (God with skin on). He then died for the sins of people, thus offering forgiveness to anyone who accepts Him by faith. This forgiveness is free and cannot be earned, a gift offered by no other religion in the world.
How do we differentiate between all the different cults and denominations?
It is no surprise that many people looking for the truth concerning life are put off because of the religious situation in our country today. Hundreds of denominations and sects and cults, new age movements, Eastern mysticism etc. Biblical Christianity universally judges false cults and denominations on the following three criteria: The Bible, Christ, and how to attain salvation.
Their attitude towards the Bible
The Bible claims time and again to be the Word of God, which is much different than it containing words about God. The former is the claim of true Christianity. God�s word is also final and complete so much so that the Bible ends with this warning to us:
�I warn anyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.� (Revelation 22:18, 19)
Now cultists are usually guilty of adding to the Word of God by suggesting that their leaders have more information than is found in the Bible and that the Bible does not contain all we need to know about God and what he expects from us.
Liberals, on the other hand, take away from the word of God by suggesting that some of it is not true and that it is only correct in part.
Their attitude towards Jesus Christ
True Christian teachers will proclaim that Jesus Christ is fully man, yet fully God. The Bible gives us a clear warning about this: �Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist.� (1 John 2:22)
Again in 2 John: 7 we are told: �Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.�
Any person or religious group who deny Christ�s humanity, deity, virgin birth, sinless life, resurrection and ascension, should be rejected out of hand.
Their attitude towards salvation: Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us what we contribute to our salvation: �For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith � and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God � not by works, so that no-one can boast.�
All false religions teach that we can earn our salvation by doing good deeds or by other means. Only true biblical Christianity teaches that all people are helplessly lost in their sin and can do nothing to get themselves to heaven. Eternal life is ours for free if we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ!
�If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!� (Galatians 1:9)
All religions do not lead to God: �Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven, given to men, by which we must be saved.� (Acts 4:12)
Beliefs of Religious Cults & True Christian Denominations
Posted : 12 Aug, 2011 09:02 PM
Good word PJ... you can't come to Chirst without first having faith, and faith will always lead to repenytance of sin.
Also, Jude is correct, Jesus' first sermon was repent! doesn't matter of you are a saint or a sinner, God calls us ALL to repentance.
George, you siad the sinners rayer I worte wasfrom I John was not for sinners, but that the letter was written to Chirtsina believers, so if what you say is true, and you say Christan don't need ot repent fo their sins, but ot trust in Jesus... what are you trusting in Jesus for if its not to forgive you of your sins. And why would JOhn write this letter to just Christians if their sins have already been forgive once?Doesn't make sense does it? No it doesn't because although the BIble was written directed to the churches, it for sinners as well... those Christian sinners in the church who are still sinning and those sinner in the world who do not know Jesus Christ for the remission of their sins,... so the BIbke is for us all saved sinnesr and unsaved sinners.
Richard, you made some good points in your posts, and I have a few questions as to why you are not working in, or with these churches helping those who are practicing and teaching these things that you know to be wrong? God doesn't bring stuff to out attention for us to over look them, but to do something about them.
Does not God teach us these things in James chapter 5: If any one errs from the truth, and a person converts him/her who is error back to the truth. Let the person who did the converting know, that he/she has covered a multitude of sins and saved a soul from death.
God says the person who knows to do right, and does not do it, this is sin. So if you know these things that these churches are teaching and practicing are not of God , what are you doing in ministry to help then know the truth of God's word?
You also, say anyone who does not obey the commands of God's word is not of the church of Jesus Christ or a Christians, so what are you doing about what God says about believers assembling together as in Hebrews chapter 10?
