Christianity
Cults &
Religions
Ultimate Truth
Section 1
Definitions, Discernment, and Defending the Faith
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Matthew 28:19  Jude 3-4
Beloved, although I was very eager to
Jude 3-4
write to you about our common
salvation, I found it necessary to
Matthew 7; 24:4-5, write appealing to you to contend
for the faith that was once for all
11, 24
delivered to the saints. (4) For
Acts 20:28-31a
certain People have crept in
unnoticed who long ago were
2 Corinthians 11:3- designated for this condemnation,
ungodly people, who pervert the
4
grace of our God into sensuality
Galatians 1:6, 9
and deny our only Master and
Lord, Jesus Christ
Jude 3-4
 There
is one faith
 The faith is unchanging
 Contend, or fight, for the Faith
 People are out to mislead from
the Gospel
What is a religion?
A set of beliefs that answer 5 ultimate questions.
 What
is ultimate reality?
 What is the nature of the world?
 What is the nature of humanity?
 What is humanity’s primary problem?
 What happens to us after death?
What is a Cult?
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An ideological organization with charismatic
relationships that require total commitment.
 Political cults; Ideological groups; commercial cults
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A religious group originating as a heretical
sect.
 What is a Heresy?
○ A differing from basic Christian doctrine that require true
Christians to separate from it.
 Most cults use the same words but redefine them.
6 Categories of false teaching
Revelation
2. God
3. Jesus Christ
4. Salvation
5. The Church
6. The Future
1.
Revelation?
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Reveled Specially to John Smith (Mormonism)
Only the “anointed class” can interpret the
Bible (J.W.)
Discovered under a tree after years of
meditation on wealth and poverty (Buddhism)
Revealed by an Angle while fasting in a cave
(Islam)
God has revealed himself to us in the form of
the OT and the NT
Who is God?
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God was a human who progressed to
Godhood-Many Gods (Mormonism)
God is the unknowable Allah (Islam)
Every human being is God (New Age)
God is an unnecessary concept
(Buddhism)
There is no Trinity (J.W.)
33,000,000 gods (Hinduism)
There is one triune God; God the Father,
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Who is Jesus?
A guru and ascended master (New Age)
 Michael the archangel (J.W.)
 Lucifer’s brother (Mormonism)
 One of Allah’s honored prophets (Islam)
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The son of God who died on the cross
as a sacrifice to pay atonement for the
sins of the world.
How are we Saved?
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By reaching a state of non-existence
(Buddhism)
Entering eternal life requires secret temple
rituals (Mormonism)
By being absorbed into Brahman (Hinduism)
You must be a faithful member of the Watch
Tower organization (J.W.)
No security of salvation (Islam)
By Faith through grace in the atoning
sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
The Church?
All other churches are wrong
(Mormonism)
 No churches; its all about your journey
(New Age)
 Must be in a specific buildings (J.W.)
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The Church is the collection of believers
everywhere in all times.
The Future?
Jesus has already invisibly returned
(J.W.)
 No return (New Age)
 Jesus is coming back (Islam)
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Christ is to return to judge the world.
Important things to remember
Not only are cults members oddities and weirdoes
Prov 27:7; 14:12
 Eph 4:14
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 Prov.
27:7
One who is full
loathes honey,
but one who is
hungry
everything
bitter is sweet.
“There is a God
shaped vacuum in
the heart of every
man which cannot
be filled by any
created thing, but
only by God, the
Creator, made
known through
Jesus”
- Blaise Pascal (16231662)
Our Response
How are we as Christians to respond?
Be in constant study of the Word – Heb
5:14
 Test everything, See how it looks in
comparison the Scripture – I Thes 5:2122; 1 John 4:1; Acts 17:11
 Approach those who teach falsely with
love and gentleness in hope that God
may grant them repentance – II Tim 2:25
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Quick Review
According to the session, what
is heresy?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Teachings found in Christian creeds.
Teachings that oppose the essentials of
the Christian faith.
Any teaching not contained in a
church’s statement of faith.
Anything I disagree with.
According to the session, what
is heresy?
a.
Teachings found in Christian creeds.
b.
Teachings that oppose the
essentials of the Christian
faith.
c.
Any teaching not contained in a
church’s statement of faith.
Anything I disagree with.
d.
True or False? The People
who join cults are usually
social misfits with little
education and have
difficulty holding a job?
True or False? The People who
join cults are usually social
misfits with little education and
have difficulty holding a job?
FALSE (This is a myth. Many
people in cults are successful,
intelligent, and talented.)
According to this session, what
draws people into cults?
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Looking for solace during an
emotionally vulnerable time in life.
The “love “ they feel from cult leaders.
The false promises that cult leaders
make.
(a) and (b)
All of the above
According to this session, what
draws people into cults?
d.
Looking for solace during an
emotionally vulnerable time in life.
The “love “ they feel from cult leaders.
The false promises that cult leaders
make.
(a) and (b)
e.
All of the above
a.
b.
c.
True or False? Cults often
use Christian vocabulary,
but redefine the terms to
mean something very
different.
True or False? Cults often use
Christian vocabulary, but
redefine the terms to mean
something very different.
TRUE (This is the language
barrier Christians often face when
talking with people in cults.)
According to this session, the
four points derived from Jude
3-4 are: (1) There is one faith;
(2) That faith is unchanging;
(3) We are to earnestly
contend for the faith; and (4)
The faith has …
According to this session, the
four points derived from Jude
3-4 are: (1) There is one faith;
(2) That faith is unchanging;
(3) We are to earnestly
contend for the faith; and (4)
The faith has … ENEMIES
(OR ADVERSARIES)
Next Week