Religious Cults: What are they as compared to Biblical Christianity?

A “religious cult” is any belief system, organizational theology, Church doctrine, that adds to the sole-sufficiency of Jesus our Messiah to provide full atonement for sin through the shedding of His sinless blood at Golgotha, an atonement that is actuated by faith, alone, in Jesus, alone. Jesus + NOTHING = atonement for sin, salvation, eternal life, the receiving of the indwelling Holy Spirit as Guarantor/Seal of New Covenant promise. Salvation is purely a divine Gift of Grace (unmerited favor) that no one born of Adam’s seed (Romans 5:12) can attain through observing laws, days, diets, clothing, traditions, rituals (Galatians 2:16; Romans 4:4-5).

A few outstanding examples of religious cults today are,

1) Catholicism – a works doctrine

2) Mormonism – a works doctrine

3) Jehovah’s Witness – a works doctrine and false Jesus

4) Church of Christ (not all but far too many) – a works doctrine

5) Seventh Day Adventists – a works doctrine

6) Black Hebrew Israelites – a works doctrine

7) Pentecostalism – those factions of Churches of Charismata that teach “speaking in tongues” as a prerequisite for salvation

Why is Jesus’ blood atonement sufficient atonement without the addition of water baptism or obedience/observance of the law? Why can’t a man or woman be sufficiently obedient to please Elohim and earn or assist in their own salvation? Let’s look at Adam, Sacrificial Law, Isaiah, Jesus, for the answer.

1) As early as Genesis 3:21, Elohim has told humanity that He, Himself, would provide those of faith an imputed-gifted robe of righteousness, a righteousness that human kind can never attain through works. This promise of Elohim was fulfilled by Messiah Jesus 4000-years later on a Roman Cross at Golgotha outside the gates of the Old City, Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 8:12).

Subsequent Adam’s compromise with sin, Adam began to manifest the symptoms of a fallen nature; that is, fear, shame, obfuscation. Adam hid from Elohim; Adam attempted to cover his shame – his nakedness with fig leaves; Adam obfuscated his sin and blamed his wife for their compromise with evil.

Elohim confronted Adam and in Adam’s presence, Elohim, Himself, shed innocent blood and took the skins of animals and clothed Adam and Eve in a gifted, imputed, robe of righteousness; a robe of forgiveness that Adam did not earn nor did he deserve.

Elohim, having clothed Adam and Eve in a robe of righteousness declared that the fig leaves, the works of Adam’s hands, was NOT accepted or sufficient to cover the shame of sin. A lesson often times overlooked by the members of religious cults.

2) Throughout the Old Covenant of Law, the children of Jacob, the Priests, were commanded to sacrifice specific animals for specific sins. Oddly enough, we learn in Hebrews 10:4 that the blood of animals, the work of animal sacrifice, was not sufficient to take away sin; so then, what was Elohim teaching through the bloody centuries of slain animals?

Elohim was teaching that the act or work of slaying an animal and bringing that animal to the altar as a covering for the sins of the individual and the sins of Israel’s children was not what ingratiated or initiated the forgiveness of sin or righteousness with Elohim, but it was the FAITH of the one offering the sacrifice that engendered favor with and forgiveness from Elohim; that is, the one offering the blood sacrifice demonstrated their “faith” in Elohim as they earnestly “believed” that Elohim would do exactly as He had promised in the Law. It was FAITH, not the works, that engendered Covenant-Righteousness.

3) Isaiah, penning Scripture by inspiration of Elohim the Holy Spirit, provides an Earth shattering statement in Isaiah 64:6 where he writes;

“We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted (filthy) garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” Isaiah 64:6 (ESV) (filthy = NASB)

Isaiah teaches that on our best day, our efforts to be obedient, to keep laws, rules, regulations, traditions, diets, in order to please Elohim are interpreted by Elohim as a “filthy garment” – in the literal Hebrew: “a bloody menstrual cloth in the nose of Elohim.”

If our human efforts focused on obedience are not sufficient to please Elohim the Father, what can be done to achieve sufficient righteousness or a “right standing” with Elohim?

4) Jesus provides an answer concerning human works and righteousness with Elohim the Father in His divine discourse recorded in Matthew 7:21-23 which reads;

“Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? And then will I declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”

First, one must ask in light of this discourse by Jesus, what is the will/work of Jesus’ Heavenly Father, Elohim the Father? Jesus answers that question for us here;

Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” John 6:29 (ESV) The will of Elohim the Father is to believe in Jesus as your Messiah (John 3).

Jesus then articulates the works of those who have called Him Lord (Lord, meaning Earthly Master – one having authority over others) and when we theologically analyze each of the works listed, not one can be considered as “evil” on their face; in fact, the works are wonderful and obviously oriented toward honoring the Kingdom of Elohim.

So then, the next logical question is this: Why did Jesus refer to the works of those calling Him “Lord” as evil?

The answer lies in Jesus admonition/condemnation at the close of the discourse: “I never knew you…”

What is Jesus teaching here?

Jesus is teaching “COVENANT RELATIONSHIP – FIRST // WORKS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS SECOND.

In other words, if one desires to honor Jesus or the Father or the Spirit through works of righteousness; If one desires to honor Jesus’ Commandments (John 14:15), you must FIRST establish New Covenant Relationship with Elohim the Father by faith in the Son, Jesus our Messiah, receive the indwelling Holy Spirit as Guarantor of New Covenant relationship (Ephesians 1:13-14); once Covenant relationship is established by faith, the redeemed will then obediently via spiritual anointing allow the indwelling Holy Spirit to produce divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23) through them, divine fruit that fulfills all law (spiritual & codified); divine fruit that pleases the Father and proves you to be a disciple of Jesus (John 15:8).

In closing,

Religious cults deceptively sell you “snake oil” when they teach a works salvation; that is, religious cults teach that in addition to Jesus’ blood atonement for sin, you must be baptized in water; you must attend the mass; you must take part in the Eucharist; you must pay your indulgences; you must walk door-to-door and proselytize for your particular religion; you must keep the Laws of Torah; on and on it goes in infinity…you must add a particular human effort to Jesus’ blood atonement in order to be saved, forgiven of sin, receive eternal life. DON’T BELIEVE THE WOLVES IN SHEEPS CLOTHING!