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The "Toronto Blessing"
A Theological Examination of the Roots, Teaching and Manifestations, and Connection Between the Faith Movement and the Vineyard Church
By Stephen Sizer
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CHAPTER 9: THE MARKS OF THE CULTS
Since some of the roots of the Toronto Movement run deep into
heretical and cultic teaching it is pertinent to examine in more
detail some of the characteristics common to cults generally.
How are we to cope with the plethora of cults and parasitic
groups which are at work in the world and even infiltrating and
feeding off the Christian Church, with their strange and
heretical doctrines? We cannot ignore their devastating effect
in sowing confusion and leading many astray. The Bible
specifically warns that this would happen (Acts 20:28-31), and
more so as the time of the Lord's return draws near (1 Timothy
4:1).
There are a number of helpful books which expose the errors of
the more well known and established cults, such as the Mormons
and Jehovah Witnesses, but these books soon become out of date
as the cults continue to proliferate and diversify. There simply
is not the time to become familiar with every new cult in order
to refute its false teaching. Nor is such an approach advisable.
The Scriptures are clear in warning that we should have nothing
to do with false teaching (Romans 16:17; 1 Timothy 4:7).
There is a better way. Every cult is guilty of one or more
specific doctrinal errors. Once you know what the Bible teaches
about these typical errors, you will know what is basically
wrong with a cult, however rational and convincing its claims
may be. Becoming aware of the "marks" of a cult will enable us
to discern error, and may save others from being led astray. If
a religious view bears one or more of the following marks, it
does not merit further investigation and can be dismissed as
another gospel, not the faith of Christ. Our primary
responsibility therefore is not to be experts on the cults, but
on the Word of God, so familiar with the truth that we will know
error when we meet it. In a desire to keep this chapter brief, I
have avoided giving examples of the ways in which specific cults
display these marks. My desire instead is that you examine
these marks with reference to what the Scriptures teach. So as
you work through this chapter, please have your Bible open, and
turn to the Scripture references quoted, because it is there
that our authority and resources lie in refuting error. Before
we examine these marks, lets consider why cults seem to prosper
and attempt a working definition.
9.1 WHY DO CULTS PROSPER?
There are at least four reasons why the cults prosper. They do
so because of a spiritual vacuum, immaturity, subversion and
pride.
9.1.1 Spiritual Vacuum (John 3:19-21)
The cults exist and prosper because there is a spiritual vacuum
or thirst in us all, which only God can satisfy. But because of
our innate rebellion against God, there is an inherent
reluctance to accept our spiritual condition and return to God
in the way He has prescribed.
One of the chief reasons people refuse to accept the gospel is
because of the way it ruthlessly illuminates the human condition
and commands repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Such
people are then susceptible to any deceiving lie that confirms
the step they have taken away from the true light of the Word of
God. It is only through repentance of sin and faith in the
finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ, who died in our place to
take away our sin, that we can come to know God and experience
His love and forgiveness forever (John 10:10; 14:6; 17:3)
These truths have been revealed exclusively, fully and finally
in the Scriptures (Hebrews 4:12; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
9.1.2 Spiritual Immaturity (1 Peter 2:1-3)
Young and immature Christians are particularly vulnerable to the
influence of cults, since their understanding of the Scriptures,
and of the work of God in their lives will be limited (1
Corinthians 3:1-3). Nothing is more important than spiritual
growth in the life of new-born Christians. They are called upon
to "crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up" (1
Peter 2:2). The key to Christian maturity is the understanding
and application of the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
The knowledge of sound doctrine comes through the illumination
of the Word of God by the Holy Spirit. This is the means by
which we are thoroughly equipped for every good work, and is
also the surest defence against the influence of the cults.
9.1.3 Spiritual Subversion (Galatians 1:6-9)
The cults offer alternative but counterfeit prescriptions which
go beyond the Scriptures, ignoring, twisting the meaning of,
adding to, reinterpreting or flatly contradicting that which is
plainly taught in the Bible. Our generation is particularly
vulnerable because it is essentially existential, that is,
focused on subjective experience rather than on objective truth.
The cults appeal to and exploit the human desire for experiences
which appear new, unusual or exciting as well as the desire to
belong to a peer group.
For many, Christianity, especially when it is portrayed as an
institution, is seen as cold and formal, undynamic and
irrelevant. This is a travesty of the living relationship which
God intends. Christianity should not be thought of in terms of a
stone wall beyond which we cannot go but rather the highest
spiritual mountain top beyond which it is downhill which ever
way a person goes. There is nothing greater, nothing higher, and
certainly nothing more magnificent than the mountain top of
divine revelation found in Scripture through the Lord Jesus
Christ. The cults on the other hand offer pathways which lead
away from God and downward to hell. One cult expert put it this
way,
"To move beyond that mountain top in the pursuit of something
better is to lose oneself in the crags and crevices of the
slopes that fall away from real Christianity. And beyond the
crevices of heresy are the fever swamps of the cults, where the
serpents and the scorpions wait. Beyond rationality is insanity,
beyond medicine is poison, beyond sex is perversion, beyond
fascination is addiction, beyond love is lust, beyond reality is
fantasy. Just so, beyond Christianity is death, hopelessness,
darkness, and heresy." (Breese, 1975:11)
Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been tempting men and
women to doubt and disregard the Word of God (Genesis 3;1-5).
And from the very first days of the Church the travelling
servants of Satan have sought to subvert Christians from true
faith in Jesus Christ into a religion contrary to the Word of
God. For some the tactic was the propagation of the heresy of
legalism, the substitution of law for grace (Galatians 1:6-9;
4:17). For others it was the promotion of the heresy of
phenomenalism, denying that the just shall live by faith, and
insisting they should live by sight and experience (2
Corinthians 11:13-15; Colossians 2:18). The wolves in sheep's
clothing which Paul warns of in Acts 20, continue to operate on
the edges, and sometimes even at the heart of Christ's flock,
and must be exposed and expelled.
9.1.4 Spiritual Pride (1 Corinthians 1:19-21)
Another reason mentioned in the New Testament for defection from
Christ and involvement in false religion has to do with pride (2
Corinthians 11:3-4). Pride comes in several versions. It may
appear in an exalted view of one's own spiritual maturity,
intellectual capacity or indispensable abilities. Intellectual
pride, for instance, has led many to regard a Biblical faith as
unsophisticated or narrow and simplistic. Pride leads
inevitably, however, to deception, delusion and subversion
(Colossians 2:8,18). True wisdom consists in simple obedience to
God through His Word (Job 28:28).
9.2 DEFINING A CULT
A cult then is a subtle but significant perversion of Biblical
Christianity. It calls for belief and devotion to a religious
leader or doctrine which distorts or warps an essential doctrine
of historic Christianity, such as the meaning of faith, the
nature of God, the person and work of Jesus Christ, to the point
where truth becomes perverted into a lie. A cult is impossible
to define and repudiate except against the objective and
absolute standard of the plain teaching of the Bible.
"A cult, then, is any religious movement which claims the
backing of Christ or the Bible, but distorts the central message
of Christianity by 1) an additional revelation, and 2) by
displacing a fundamental tenet of the faith with a secondary
matter." (Gordon Lewis, in Hanegraaff, 1993:43)
A cult is essentially an organised heresy. When set against the
standard of the Scriptures and Biblical truth, a cult is seen to
have one or more distinguishing marks which can be seen to be
fatally sub-Christian.
9.3 THE MARKS OF THE CULTS
There are ten common characteristics associated with cultic
teaching. Not every cult will display all ten marks. Those
exhibiting only a few of these marks are no less heretical,
merely more insidious and thereby more dangerous. (For sake of
brevity I have omitted two other important marks of a cult,
namely, financial exploitation and enslaving organisational
structures. These are covered by David Breese and others).
9.3.1 Extra-Biblical Revelation
To the question of divine revelation the Scriptures are clear
and unambiguous.
"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets
at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has
spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things,
and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance
of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word." (Hebrews 1:1-3)
The Bible is God's final and complete revelation, and this
revelation can be supplanted by no other. It contains all things
necessary for salvation and Christian maturity (2 Timothy
3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:2-4). The cults have no such commitment,
believing in the necessity of their extra-biblical revelations
which are held to be equal to or superior to the Bible.
Virtually every cult ever spawned started from the premise that
its leader or leaders had access to new revelation. All have,
according to John MacArthur,
"abandoned the tenet of Sola Scriptura and embarked on a
dangerous quest for something more...The marker may read
"something more" but the road to new revelation is really a path
to something less. It is filled with detours, dead ends, giant
chuckholes-and very little else."
This is the first and most typical characteristic of a cult in
claiming for its authority some revelation apart from the clear
statements of the Word of God. While most cults claim to respect
the Bible, and may even recognise its divine inspiration they
demonstrate greater confidence in subsequent revelations which
are accorded greater authority and in effect annul the
sufficiency of the Scriptures. The Bible is therefore seen as
only part of the continuing revelation of God.
Sometimes this extra-biblical revelation comes in the guise of a
"divinely inspired" leader, mediated through angelic visitors or
a personal encounter with Jesus. Paul is unambiguous in
condemning any new gospel irrespective of its source (Gal
1:6-9).
Many religions have however invested divine authority in the
person of a visible individual who speaks infallibly, his words
having the same or higher authority that Holy Scripture. The
Lord, knowing that this would happen in the future, very clearly
declares His Word, the Scriptures, to be final and
un-surpassable revelation.
The Holy Spirit directed the Apostle John to categorically close
the verbal revelation of God at the conclusion of the completed
Scriptures. Conservative Bible scholars agree that Revelation
was the last New Testament book written.
"I warn everyone 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)
Some argue that this relates only to the Book of Revelation and
not the close of the New Testament canon. However, in the
context of all that the Bible says about Jesus being the final
prophet, the Son and heir, the climax of revelation, the words
of Jesus are most significant.
Our Lord gives this dire warning in the closing verses of the
last confirming witness to His revelation, through the last
living apostle at the conclusion of his ministry. We would do
well to heed the comment of Matthew Henry, "This sanction is
like a flaming sword to guard the canon of the Scripture from
profane hands."
The Book of Revelation is no ordinary piece of writing. It is a
sweeping analysis of history, perceived from a heavenly
perspective, from the first advent of Christ, to the second.
Jesus had promised that the Spirit would teach his Apostles "all
things" (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit had now come and fulfilled
that promise. The Apostles had communicated the authoritative
and inspired Word of God. The task of revelation was finished.
The Book of Revelation is therefore the last apostolic word to
the Church. The Almighty Saviour, seated at God's right hand,
personally declares that nothing is to be added to what has been
recorded.
God's truth has come to us in a fixed and finished, historical,
objective revelation, not as some ancient book, but as something
living, dynamic and active, sharper than a double edged sword
(Hebrews 4:12). We have therefore at the close of Scripture a
dreadful curse placed upon anyone who presumes to offer a new
verbal revelation from God. Failure to see Jesus Christ as the
final revelation of truth is a major error and opens the church
door to a multitude of heresies. We do not need further
revelation, but the illumination of the Holy Spirit to apply
that Word of God to our lives. We will only withstand the
assault of the cults if we have a firm grip and confident
knowledge of the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. Are you
regularly and consistently reading the Scriptures?
"The greatest single reason for the advance of the cults in
our world today is ignorance of Holy Scripture on the part of
Christians. The second greatest is unwillingness on the part of
the people of God to transmit divine truth by way of a testimony
for Christ to others who need yet to receive salvation in
Christ. (Breese, 1975:30)
9.3.2. A False Basis of Salvation
"What must I do to be saved?" cried the Philippian jailer (Acts
16:30). Deep within the human heart we are born with an
unquenchable longing for eternal life. This longing for reality
is the fuel which energises the growth and proliferation of the
cults today. By exploiting this deep insecurity, the cults,
without exception, obscure the truth and offer salvation by some
other basis than that of faith in Jesus Christ.
The Bible repeatedly declares that we are saved by grace through
faith in the full, final and sufficient work of Christ on the
cross (John 1:12; 3:16; Acts 16:31; Rom 3:23-25, 3:28, 4:4-5;
Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; I Peter 3:18). The Scriptures teach that
all attempts to define salvation on any other terms, whether
through laws or signs, new revelations or good works, are cursed
by God (Gal 1:6-9, 3:10-11).
9.3.3 A Defective Christology
"Who is Jesus Christ?" This is the most important question a
person can ever ask. Our deepest joys on earth and hope of
eternal life rest upon our answer to that question. Because this
is so, the primary activity of Satan must surely be to obscure
as much as possible the true nature and work of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Satan knows that an improper or incomplete understanding
of the person and work of Christ makes salvation impossible.
Early heresies such as Cerinthianism denied the humanity of
Christ (John 1:14; 1 John 1:1-3; 4:1-3). Arianism denied the
deity of Christ (John 1:1, 8:58). Others denied the union of his
two natures in one person. Gnosticism taught that there were
many spiritual levels and mediators between earth and heaven of
which Jesus was merely one (Colossians 1:16, 2:3-23). Most cults
today follow in one of these errors. The most insidious cults
which insist on extra-biblical revelations and esoteric and
mystical experiences of God are simply the children of the
Gnostics.
The central doctrine of Christianity is Christology, the
doctrine of the nature of the person of Jesus Christ as revealed
in space-time history. Any teaching that compromises the
humanity or deity of Christ and His uniqueness as the only
God-man, destroys the efficacy of the atonement, the work of
Christ on the cross, and thereby the basis of the gospel.
Jesus said "I am the way, the truth and the life. No once comes
to the Father but by me." (John 14:6). If Jesus was not fully
God and fully human, he had no authority to say so. John 1:14
tells us that Jesus was "full of truth." In John 1:18 we are
told that no one has ever seen God, but the unique Son "has made
Him known." Anything after the words of Jesus Christ would be
anticlimactical, a decent from the mountain top of revelation.
Jesus was the only one qualified to reveal to humanity the truth
about God. Jesus perfectly fulfilled that mission (John
17:6-8,14).
In the closing days of the earthly ministry of Christ, he took
the Apostles aside to prepare them for His departure. The
narrative in John 14:7-10 is very instructive in helping us to
discern the error many cults make with regard to the sufficiency
of Christ's revelation of God. To comfort His disciples Jesus
reminds them that through Him, they now knew the Father and had
seen Him. But Philip was not satisfied. He begs for one glimpse
of the Father (John 14:8) believing this would suffice. He may
have felt that they had not quite got as close as Moses who got
to see the back of Almighty God. If only he could have a similar
experience. But notice that Jesus was clearly distressed by
Philip's request.
"Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you
such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?" (John 14:9)
Philip's search for something more, a deeper revelation of God
than Jesus had given was an insult to Jesus, and received a
rebuke. How could a vision of God be more thrilling than to talk
with God's Son? In the words of Jesus Christ we have the full
revelation of the Father's will. Everything Jesus had learned
from the Father, He had made known to them, and through them to
us (John 15:15, 16:12-15). To believe that the revelation of
Christ in Scripture is insufficient is to hold a defective
Christology.
It cannot be overstated that biblical doctrine, that is, what we
understand about the way God has revealed Himself in history and
supremely in Jesus Christ is of vital importance in perpetuating
orthodox Christianity and withstanding heresy.
9.3.4 Selective and Distorted Use of the Scriptures
Another characteristic of a cult is the selective use of the
Scriptures, without due regard for their context, in order to
emphasise or reinforce their own doctrines. When a group
develops a theological or doctrinal interpretation that touches
only minimally on the proper biblical emphasis and ignores that
which is plainly taught in Scripture, it becomes a cult.
It is important to recognise that the revelation of God in
Scripture is progressive. God has presented the truth of His
revelation in a cumulative fashion, moving from the basic
theistic concepts of the Old Testament to the final revelation
of Himself in Jesus Christ. Jesus, "has brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10), and
His doctrine has been explained for our benefit through the
Epistles. The Old Testament must therefore always be read in the
light of the New Testament, and each text within its context,
otherwise it becomes a pretext for error.
A major deficiency of the cults has been to failure to view the
Bible as a whole. It is a grave temptation to find a verse or
selection of verses in the Bible about holiness, the kingdom,
law, works, faith, and make it a substitute for the whole
counsel of God.
9.3.5 Presumptuous Messianic Leadership
Only Jesus Christ deserves disciples. He is the Author and
Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He alone is our High
Priest (Hebrews 4:14). He alone is our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).
The Church is the Body of Christ, of which He is the Head
(Ephesians 1:22-23). To the believer, Jesus Christ is all in all
(Colossians 3:11). John the Baptist has left us a commendable
example in the way he constantly refused to accept the praise
and adulation of the people that gathered around him, and
instead, pointed them to Jesus (John 1:15,19-23, 3:27-30).
In spite of this, it is often a characteristic of cult leaders,
that they claim, or are accorded, infallibility or unusual
divine powers, which sometimes inspires worship among their
followers. It is one of the marks of a cult that they invariably
elevate the words or writings of a human leader to a messianic
or infallible level. This is often associated with an inordinate
awe and reverence for such leaders, who then find themselves
unable to withstand the temptation to promote themselves, in
order to retain their exalted image in the minds of their
devoted followers.
The Christian should have no final human leader except Jesus
Christ (Matthew 23:8-11). Within the Body of Christ there is to
be mutual submission (Galatians 5:13; 1 Corinthians 16:16). For
Christians to associate with the names of Christian leaders, or
to declare themselves to be followers of a human leader is a
grave error and a sign of carnality (1 Corinthians 3:3-4; 7:23).
The Christian needs no human mediator. No one has access to God
other than through Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). In Christ we
are all freely welcomed to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16,
10:19-22). This is at the heart of what is meant by the
priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:9). The believer should
never be subject to the presumptuous messianic leadership of
anyone claiming a closer walk with God. When Paul prayed for
believers, he prayed that they themselves would know the
personal access and privileges available to them by virtue of
their personal relationship to the Lord (Ephesians 1:15-19).
There is no need of any human mediator between the heart of the
believer and the heart of God. The mark of the cult leader is
that he makes himself imperative in the lives of those who have
become ensnared in his web. Some do this by arrogating to
themselves the position of a mediator, claiming a special
intimacy with God or Jesus, through which they receive exclusive
divine revelations for their followers.
True religious leaders emulate the Apostle Paul, who was careful
never to press his leadership to the place where he would
control the lives of others (I Corinthians 3:20-23; 2
Corinthians 1:24). Every believer possesses divine truth for
themselves when they hold the Word of God in their hands. The
function of true Christian leadership is to bring each child of
God to the point of maturity in his understanding and
application of the Scriptures whereby they can disciple others
and be delivered from a perpetual dependence on any human
teacher. Only Jesus Christ deserves disciples.
9.3.6 Doctrinal Ambiguity
One of the fascinating characteristics of the cults is the way
in which their teaching is adapted to new situations or
arguments, or simply the whims of their leaders. Scripture is
clear that craftily changing doctrine is a cunning device used
by those who prey on the unwary.
"Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by
the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by
the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."
(Ephesians 4:14)
The word "doctrine" has no meaning in the fever swamps of the
mind which are inhabited by the cults, for doctrine means a
systematic presentation and understanding of the truth. The
concept of doctrine is actually, virtually unique to historic,
biblical Christianity. By contrast, what passes for doctrine in
the cults is often merely a sub-rational set of disconnected
thoughts and practices that only serve to confuse the mind and
the emotions as well. Emotions were never intended to be an end
in themselves and are totally untrustworthy as the custodians
of, or criteria for, determining truth. Any religion, therefore,
which deliberately by-passes rational doctrinal understanding
and seeks to build upon the emotions will inevitably deceive
rather than enlighten.
This "mindlessness" is a most useful device exploited by cult
leaders who want their followers to set aside their minds and
appeal instead to spiritual discernment, intuition, inner sight,
realisation, or some other sensation to determine and
authenticate truth. The "divine presence" is always justified by
calling upon some higher knowledge, or deeper truth, or new
revelation, anything in fact that appears superior to the plain
teaching of the Word of God. Cults use these ambiguous phrases
as emotional triggers couched as they are with infallible
connotations which thereby justify the teaching they wish to
assert. Ambiguity and obscurity is intrinsic to Satan's
strategy, clarity is divine.
The Word of God, on the other hand, is very careful to avoid
ambiguity. Nothing is clearer than the call in Scripture to
sound doctrine and the use of the mind to understand and discern
truth from error (Psalm 19:7-11; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians
4:17-24, 5:17; Colossians 1:21-22, 3:10; 2 Timothy 3:10). Indeed
it warns,
"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound
doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather
around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching
ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth
and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
9.3.7 An Uncertain Hope
The Scriptures offer certainty and assurance over central issues
such as our forgiveness, salvation and eternal life because of
the finished work of Christ on our behalf (John 3:16, 10:27-29;
Ephesians 2:8-9; Colossians 1:13; 2 Timothy 1:12; 1 John
5:11-13). However the cults are careful never to do so. They
place certainty in a distant and unrealisable future in order to
keep people dependent, hooked to the cult. Followers are forced
to live in constant fear that they have not done enough, given
enough, prayed enough, witnessed enough, whatever stick the
cults wish to use to keep their disciples enslaved.
Whereas Christianity sets us free, the cults, in reality, offer
only bondage (John 8:32; 2 Cor 4:6; Gal 3:3, 4:1-11; Col
2:20-23). To those ensnared by the cults we have a great
promise. "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
(John 8:36)
9.3.8 The Claim to "Special Discoveries"
"I have found the secret". Few people are more fascinating than
those who claim inside information. In every walk of life, from
the world of investment to the world of religion, people have
been conned out of their money, their eternal souls, or both, by
those who claim special knowledge from sources of information
not commonly available. In this regard the world of commerce is
perhaps wiser than the Church, since it is illegal for anyone to
purchase securities on the basis of "insider information".
Unfortunately human nature would ignore such a spiritual law
even if it existed. The careful teacher of sound doctrine is
rarely as electrifying as the mysterious religious promoter.
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and
godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own
glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great
and precious promises, so that through them you may participate
in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world
caused by evil desires. (2 Peter 1:3-4)
It is clear then, that the humble Christian who will pursue the
teaching of the Bible with simplicity and godly sincerity
becomes the glad recipient of the abundant provision of God for
every need for time and eternity. There can be no greater
promise than that we are all blessed with "every spiritual
blessing in the heavenlies" (Ephesians 1:3).
It would be impossible however for the cults to survive without
their mysterious experiences, special revelations, their hidden
practices, their inner beliefs, unavailable to the non-member.
The Christian must remember that there is no discovery in the
entire universe that anyone could possibly have that is superior
to their discovery of salvation in Jesus Christ. There is no
higher information, no better revelation, no deeper truth. The
person who turns from this, the greatest discovery, the
revelation of God in Christ, to pursue the delusions of the
cults is utterly foolish and deceived.
The claim to special discoveries and "repeatable-on-demand"
revelations from God is the point where the cults tend to move
off into the occult. Witchcraft, spiritism, and Satan worship
are religious manifestations of evil which call for the
incursion of the metaphysical in the realm of the physical. The
Scriptures are emphatic that the mark of false teachers is their
occult or "secret and destructive" beliefs.
Claims to new divine discoveries or special revelations should
be subjected to the biblical rules of evidence. The fundamental
characteristic of the faith of Christ is that it is based on
historical fact. In communicating about the events that centred
around the life, work, death, and resurrection of Christ (John
5:31, 10:25; 2 Peter 1:16; 2 Corinthians 3:12), the Scriptures
insist,
"Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not
use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the
contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend
ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." (2
Corinthians 4:2)
Luke asserts that Christ declared Himself to be alive after His
crucifixion "by many infallible proofs" (Acts 1:3). Often those
to whom the gospel was preached were reminded that they knew
that these things were true (Acts 26:25-26). The witnesses of
the facts of the gospel were declared as being alive and
responsible to testify to what they had seen in Jesus Christ (1
Corinthians 15:6). Nothing is more obvious in the Scriptures
than the fact that God has revealed Himself publicly in Jesus
Christ, with ample proof and competent witnesses (John 20:30-31;
21:24; 1 John 1:1-3). The truth of Christianity does not depend
on private knowledge or secret, unconfirmable special
relationships between God and certain individuals. No Christian
is required to believe that Jesus Christ has appeared to anyone
since the day of the completion of the Scriptures. God rests His
case on the Bible. There is no need for special new discoveries.
The secret is out. The gospel is available to all.
9.3.9 Denunciation of Others
When a person declares themselves to be a "messiah" or to have
found a new "truth" it is inevitable that they must denounce all
other pretenders to the throne as false.
Some of the most bitter curses and imprecations in print have
been made by cult leaders upon those who do not believe them and
join their movements. The contrast with true Christianity is
very marked. The Bible teaches that there is one Saviour, Jesus
Christ, one way of salvation, through faith in His finished work
on the cross. Within that wonderful circle of faith, once
delivered to the saints, the Scriptures allow, however, for a
great diversity of views and practice in matters not essential
to the gospel (Mark 9:38-40; Philippians 1:15-18; 3:15).
True Christians are forbidden to judge one another in secondary
matters (Romans 14:4,10,13) and are given liberty to be
persuaded in their own minds as to how to live before the Lord
(Romans 14:5). We are even told "Therefore judge nothing before
the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes." (1 Corinthians
4:5). Instead, we are to "make every effort to keep the unity of
the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). Indeed we
are to disassociate from those who sow division and discord
among true believers (Romans 16:17-18).
This does not mean we should ignore or tolerate error (Galatians
1:6-9; 1 Cor 11:1-4). There is a crucial difference between a
cult leader cursing and anathematising his opponents, and a
Christian critically exposing unbiblical teaching and warning
others of heresy. Our motive must always be to lead people to
repentance and a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:24-26). We
are instructed to "preach the Word...teach, exhort, rebuke and
encourage with great patience and careful instruction" (2
Timothy 4:2).
We must also recognise that Jesus and the Apostles used strong
language specifically and personally, both to, and about false
teachers (Matthew 23:15-17. 27-28, 33; Luke 11:44; John 8:44;
Acts 5:3, 13:10, 23:3; Titus 1:16; 1 John 3:8, 4:3).
We are commanded to warn and watch out for false teaching
(Matthew 7:15, 24:4-5, 23-26; Acts 20:28-29). Indeed we are
commanded to have nothing to do with false teachers, and realise
that to do so is to share in their wickedness (Romans 16:17-18;
2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14; 2 John
1:10-11).
We are warned that false teaching is very destructive, and
indeed demonic (2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Thess
2:9-11; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 1 John 3:8). Ultimately we must
recognise that God's wrath falls upon those who suppress the
truth and that those who teach a false gospel are eternally
condemned (Galatians 1:8-9; Romans 1:18-19; 2 Thessalonians
1:8-9).
9.3.10 Syncretism
"To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all
things to all men so that by all possible means I might save
some." (1 Corinthians 9:22)
This attitude is one we should all identify with, especially in
our multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-racial society. The
challenge in evangelism is to communicate the eternal truth of
the Word of God in a way which overcomes the barriers of
culture, prejudice and suspicion. However, within this total
context, there is a line beyond which we must not go. The loving
concern for spiritual reconciliation can be pressed to the point
where it actually compromises the gospel of Christ.
Usually this accommodation involves down playing the uniqueness
and authority of Christ, or the Word of God, to the point where
Jesus is regarded as simply one of several prophets, and the
Bible merely one of many sacred texts.
Syncretism describes the attempt to gather together what some
would call "the best qualities" of different religious points of
view into a new and more acceptable, or potentially more popular
faith. It is an attempt to "synchronise" the otherwise diverse
and contradictory claims of existing cults and religious
groupings. It is in effect "giving people what they want to
hear".
"Syncretism...is the process of growth through coalescence of
different forms of faith and worship or through accretions of
tenets, rights, etc., from those religions which are being
superseded." (Webster's Dictionary)
Syncretism is a favourite cultic device. While claiming to offer
something "new", they almost invariably rehash existing concepts
both orthodox and heretical. They offer warmed-up elements, in
varying proportions, of Protestantism, Catholicism, paganism,
idolatry, local fetishes, mixed up with a dose of the bizarre
and what can only be described as pure fantasy, even idiocy.
While we may look in astonishment at the more obvious
syncretistic cults and wonder how anyone could be gullible
enough to believe them, we would do well to remember that
syncretism can also be a very subtle, creeping heresy, appearing
in many guises, often in unexpected places, too close to home
for comfort.
The unchanging and unalterable nature of the Christian message
is very clearly stated in Scripture. The gospel or good news of
salvation in Christ is categorically defined in the Word of God.
When writing to the Corinthian church, itself already infected
with heresy, the Apostle Paul said,
"Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached
to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I
preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what
I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, That he
was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the
Scriptures." (1 Cor 15:1-4)
This definition of the gospel, as in parallel passages (John
3:16; 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5; Romans 5:6-11; 1 Peter 3:18-22)
centres on the full and finished work of Christ on the cross, on
our behalf - by grace, through faith, which will result in good
works (Ephesians 2:8-10). Every attempt to redefine this gospel,
and make it more inclusive than is plainly taught in the Bible,
leads to heresy. The attempt to "synchronise" the gospel of
Christ with a godless world, is a deadly virus from which no
Christian institution recovers. This virus can affect us all,
and become a plague which, but for the grace of God, can carry
us all away.
This chapter draws heavily on a work by David Breese Know the
Marks of the Cults
published by Victor Books in 1986.
 Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Bibliography
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