Denying Christ

Asking them about believing in the shed blood and death of Jesus is not good enough. Mormons will agree with this, and I think JW's will as well. You have to define terms. All Christian type cults (this does not mean they are Christian but they use the Christian terminology and the Bible) that I know of say Jesus died for sins and will say they believe in Jesus. But the Mormons have the wrong Jesus and the JW's deny his deity. These people are lost, lost, lost!

 

Claiming to be a Christian means nothing if they are not talking about the biblical Jesus or if they see no problem with beliefs that deny the biblical Jesus.

You have to explain that there is only true Jesus but many false ones, and we know the true one from what is clearly taught in scripture: born of the Virgin Mary, fulfilled prophecy, performed signs and wonders, atoned for sins on the cross, bodily resurrected, ascended to the Father, and will come again. And it is through Christ alone we are saved.

A cult that denies Christ and the Trinity is not Christian and they are lost if this is what they believe. What cult are you talking about?

 

Really? That's what the Bible says. But it's not good enough...and we wonder why we have so many problems.

If they believe in Jesus as the Lamb of God that shed His blood on their behalf a sinner and that He died in their place they are saved. That's what the Bible says. Anything else is either adding to or taking away from Scripture.

 

If I had a friend so described as this I would immediately begin to teach him why he is wrong by the Scriptures.

"Thy word is Truth." "Sanctify them through Thy Truth."

This Christian has not been sanctified, obviously. He is sadly malnurished. He is withering on the Vine. He is misguided, most likely by a blind guide.

He desperately needs to be discipled and I would gently and kindly begin to teach him Scriptural reasons for seperating from this so-called friend of his. I would not espect him to teach his cultic friend since he obviously has no ground on which to stand in order that he would be able to teach his friend. This Christian fellow needs to be grounded first.

 

They are not being a very good friend. In fact they will be partly responsable for their friend going to Hell.

Now I have friends and family who do not believe in the Trinity. But they know what I think and I do not defend their faith.

 

That would make Mormons saved. But the only thing the same between their Christ and our Christ is the name.

They do not believe in the Christ of the Bible.

 

1 John 2:20 <---this explains why professed Christians fall into false teachings, etc.

 

It depends on what Jesus they are believing in. Have you ever talked with Mormons or people in cults like the Way? Both of them will affirm the above but they are both lost. Mormons have a different Jesus (he's a spirit child of the God of this universe (who used to be a man) as is Lucifer.

People in The Way deny the deity of Christ. So do Christadelphians, who would agree with the above statement. Naturally, they have other heresies as well, but they would.

It's not a matter of agreeing with a statement but a matter of faith in the true Jesus Christ.

 

I would say such a Christian is one or more of these:
1. Not grounded in scripture
2. Is emotionally attached to the friend and doesn't want to think the friend is lost
3. Has been influenced by or is being influenced by the friend into thinking the friend's views are orthodox

If it's #3, I would be take strong action in warning the Christian. It's possible that the friend is trying to recruit him into the cult. This is very common. Cultists especially go after new believers and ungrounded or weak believers, which is what this sounds like.

Do you know what the cult is? I have a lot of resources in this area.

 

No muslims in my pulpit sir... never. There are however public, community events or affairs that concern the city in which I live where you might see me conversing with other people. I go where my insignifinant influence:smilewinkgrin: takes me when possible.

However, the last thing we need is "more evangelism." What we are in desperate need of is passionate, world impacting disciple-making christian who are devoted to reproducing themselves in others. The strategy of filling our churches with babies (converts) to grow the "church" has failed. Yes evangelism is a work that must continue, but it is only the first stage of the Christian life. Consider Allan Hadiddian's book Discipleship.

 

Then maybe the statement needs to be changed to faith in Jesus Christ, Who is God Himself, Who died and shed His blood on your behalf a sinner.

If they agree to that then they are saved. There's no other way to put it at least as far as we are concerned as humans, because that's what the Bible says. If a person agrees that Jesus is God and that He died on their behalf and shed His blood for them to pay the penalty of their sin they are as saved as I, as a human, am ever going to be able to tell and should therefore treat them as a brother or sister in Christ.

No human can "truly" know whether or not someone is saved, so if they agree with what the Bible says then we must treat them as brothers and sisters in Christ. And if they are walking in deceitful doctrine then we should make them aware in love. If they continue then that is on them.

 

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

All-right! We have been made Ambassordores of Christ for this very purpose.

 

Can a Christian agree with a cult that denies the trinity, or the deity of Christ. Is it reasonable for someone who claims to have a relationship with our Lord and savior to give legitimacy to othe cults?

What do you mean by "agree with" or "give legitimacy to"? If he actually agrees with the aforementioned heresies, then by definition, he too is a heretic and outside of Christ.

On the other hand, if you mean he looks at the cult and thinks, "Yeah, they're wrong, but apart from that they're probably OK," then yes, I think a Christian could sincerely do that. He'd be wrong, but sympathy for a heretic is not in itself heresy.

Otherwise we have an infinite regression. What about a Christian who likes your friend even though he likes the cult? And so forth. Gets real ridiculous real fast.

 

I started to answer, but this looks to be a question you are asking SBCPreacher. Perhaps he will visit this thread again.

 

Hey, I'm back. But, I'm not sure what the question I need to answer is. Please ask again, and type r-e-a-l----s-l-o-w, I don't read real fast! Thanks!

 

We Americans sure are good at being "politically correct" and give away the whole store. We for sure will reap what we sow today.

 

Matthew 7:16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?