|
— 3 —
A genuine Christian church is founded on the life,
death, resurrection, and Gospel of Jesus Christ. It bases its doctrine and
teachings on the Bible.
In the early church, creeds were often used to
identify the basic beliefs of Christians. What is known as The Apostles
Creed, has been recognized as perhaps the oldest historic statement of the
fundamental beliefs of orthodox Christianity. Whether it was actually
composed by the Apostles as some have alleged, it can be traced back as far
as the late second century where it was used as a baptismal creed in Rome.¹
The Apostles Creed
Creeds of this kind were helpful in giving a short
summary of the basic essentials of Christianity, and were brief enough to be
easily committed to memory. Today, most all churches have a similar
expression, sometimes called a "Statement of Faith," which summarizes their
basic beliefs and theological views.
The following is such a statement, typical of a modern
evangelical church. Any legitimate Christian church or ministry will believe
and support at least some variation of the following fundamental truths:
(1) That the Bible is the inspired and only
infallible, authoritative written Word of God — It is used exclusively as
the source for teaching and doctrine, not in conjunction with any other
alleged sacred writings or scriptures (2 Tim. 3:15-17, 1 Thes. 2:13, 2 Pet.
1:21, Gal. 1:8).
(2) That there is one God — who is eternal and exists
in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost (Deut.
6:4, Isa. 43:10-11, Matt. 28:19, Luke 3:22).
(3) In the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ — that He
was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died a
vicarious and atoning death for our sins, rose from the dead on the third
day, and was exalted to the right hand of the Father (Matt. 1:23, Luke,
1:31-35, Heb. 7:26, 1 Pet. 2:22, Acts 2:22, 10:38, 1 Cor. 15:3, 2 Cor. 5:21,
Matt. 28:6, Luke 24:39, 1 Cor. 15:4, Acts 1:9-11, 2:33, Phil. 2:9-11, Heb.
1:1-3).
(4) That Jesus will someday personally return — to
gather His saints, and will at some future time return to the earth in power
and glory to rule for a thousand years (1 Thes. 4:16-17, Matt. 24:30-31,
Rev. 20:1-6).
(5) That the only means of being saved and cleansed
from sin is through repentance and faith in the precious blood of Jesus
Christ — Salvation is a gift of God's grace which cannot be earned by works
and comes only through faith in Jesus, the only mediator between God and
man. That the Holy Spirit regenerates and indwells the heart of every true
believer (Luke 24:47, John 3:3, Rom. 10:13-15, Eph. 2:8-9, Tit. 2:11, 3:5-7,
1 Tim. 2:5, Rom. 8:9b).
(6) That God hears and answers the prayers of His
people — in accordance to His will (Matt. 7:7-11, 1 John 5:14-15).
(7) That there will someday be a resurrection of both
the saved and the lost — the one to everlasting life in Heaven, and the
other to everlasting damnation in the Lake of Fire (Matt. 25:46, Mark
9:43-48, Rev. 19:20, 20:11-15, 21:8).
(This summary does not dismiss the value of other
important Biblical doctrines, taught with varying opinions, but additional
teachings are not mandatory to basic Christian faith.)
Such basic beliefs are held in common agreement by
thousands of Christian churches, made up of scores of denominations. If a
church or minister cannot agree with the above statements, it should be
assumed that they are not a Christian church, and very likely fall into the
category of a cult. Don't waste your time arguing with them, but move on and
find a good, Christ-centered, Bible believing church.
Because our society is peppered with cults and
misguided religions, it goes without saying that persons should always
thoroughly research any alleged church before getting involved with it in
any way. Besides obtaining a copy of their basic beliefs or other materials
(which should be thoroughly studied and compared with the Bible), ask local
people in the community what they know about the group. You can seek advice
from trusted Christian friends, the local ministerial association, or even a
nearby Christian bookstore. And of course, there are many reliable Christian
fellowships and denominations that have affiliated churches in most cities.
Many cults refer to themselves as a church, but are
really not a Christian church at all. For instance, while the name "Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" (The Mormons), sounds like a
legitimate Christian group, yet it is not. Neither are the Jehovah's
Witnesses, which is another group that appears to have Christian
similarities. Both groups are considered cults whose beliefs are not
consistent with orthodox Christianity. Most of the time, a false church will
publicly promote themselves as just another church, but will usually claim
to have an exclusive revelation of truth that others don't have. Beware of
groups who assert that they are the only ones with the right doctrine —
that's a significant danger sign.
The late Dr. Walter Martin, was probably our era's
best authority on the subject of cults. He defined a cult as "any religious
group which differs significantly in some or more respects as to belief or
practice, from those religious groups which are regarded as the normative
expressions of religion in our total culture."²
Author Bob Larsen says that things cults share in
common are: "(1) a centralized authority which tightly structures both
philosophy and lifestyle, (2) a 'we' versus 'they' complex, pitting the
supposed superior insights of the group against a hostile outside culture;
(3) a commitment for each member to intensively proselyte the unconverted;
and (4) an entrenched isolationism that divorces the devotee from the
realities of the world at large."³
Here are a few of the more familiar cults listed in an
encyclopedic fashion from Larsen's Book of Cults: Ananda , Astrology,
Astara, Bahaism, Buddhism, Eckankar, Hare Krishna, Hinduism, Islam,
Jehovah's Witness, Mormonism, New Age, Rosicrucianism, Scientology,
Spiritism, Taoism, Theosophy, The Way, Transcendental Meditation, Worldwide
Church of God (Armstrongism)
¹ Eerdmans Handbook to the History of
Christianity |