The Christadelphians Faith and Beliefs

The Christadelphians are a non-Christian restorationist group who hold the unbiblical view of unitarianism. They’re no different from Muslims in the sense that they believe God is a solitary one or monad. As oppose to the biblical Christian view that God is complex in His unity as one in being yet three distinct Persons who are of the one being of God.

The straw-man argument Christadelphians use as well as Muslims is that Christians believe in three gods. This cannot be more further from the truth, as Christians only believe in one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). The following are actual portions taken from their own website. I’ll provide biblical Christian responses to each segment.

The God of the Bible

“The Christadelphians believe that the God of the Bible is one, the Father alone (1 Corinthians 8:6). God stands alone and unrivaled in the universe, the source of all good and evil (Isaiah 45:5-7). We reject the idea that the devil is one of Gods’ angels that was permitted to rebel in the very heavens (thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven) and now wrestles with God for control of the world. We likewise reject the idea of a God with multiple independent personalities as not being in harmony with the teachings of scripture.”

In the Ketuvim (writings) the Psalmist in prayer to the LORD spoke of God as creating the heavens and earth, that He laid the foundation of the earth. The Psalmist David also says God is immutable which means that He never changes and will remain forever even though the heavens and earth will perish.

Psalm 102:1, 25-27 Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. … Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou [art] the same, and thy years shall have no end.

The Christadelphians have a problem because they would have to answer for the fact that in Hebrews chapter one, the context is Jesus Christ better than the angels. Hebrews 1 echos Psalm 102 as the Father is speaking of the Son calling Him (Jesus Christ) God and tells us that Jesus Christ created the heavens and earth; and that Christ never changes and will remain forever.

Hebrews 1:8, 10-12 But unto the Son [he saith], Thy throne, O God, [is] for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness [is] the sceptre of thy kingdom. … And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

If God is a solitary one as they claim how do they explain that the LORD in Psalms 102 is the one who “laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy hands” and then the writer of Hebrews 1 says Jesus Christ “laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:”?

Jesus is a Man, not God!

We believe that the Bible is quite clear in its presentation that Christ is a man. The Son of God, but certainly not God Himself. The bulk of mainstream Christianity has staked its life on the assertion that Jesus is God. However, this is to be rejected for the following inescapable reasons, and many more:”

1 “God is one. There can only be one true God. It is undeniable that Jesus referred to himself and the Father as separate. To fly in the face of this the most fundamental of Biblical teachings, in any way, is to venture out onto very thin ice.”

We agree there’s only one true God, the issue is they cannot comprehend how the Father and Christ Jesus can be God. They are both of the same essence, the same way if we take two humans the two are obviously distinct. They are two different persons, but does that mean they are not the same? It depends on how you look at it, because they are the same. Both individuals are human to their nature, therefore, they are the same.

The same is true of Jesus Christ, of course Jesus is going to call the Father the only true God because He is; but the Father along with Jesus Christ is the only true God because He’s of the same substance as the Father.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Here’s John 17:3 in Greek the word θεὸν is referencing the Father, the Greek word καὶ conjoins θεὸν with Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν (Jesus Christ) as the one true God μόνον ἀληθινὸν

αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωή ἵνα γινώσκωσιν σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν

In Greek which is what the New Testament was written in uses the copulative kai which conjoins the two subjects in the verse. Namely the Father and Jesus Christ as being the only true God. This is why in 1 John the Lord Jesus is called the true God.

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

2 “Mortality and immortality are mutually exclusive characteristics. God is immortal, and cannot die. Jesus died. If you alter this, all Scripture is inexorably weakened.”

The Christadelphians make a Logical Fallacy claiming because Mortality and immortality are exclusive, hence since Jesus died, therefore, He cannot be God. If this is true then how do they explain how we as humans will die but yet our souls will live on eternally either in heaven or hell?

While they deny those who are not saved will end up in hell, how do they reconcile when Christ said they would go away to everlasting punishment found in Matthew 25.

Matthew 25:41-46 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

The context of the above passage is Christ speaking of unfaithful servants, those who showed no compassion for his fellowman. As they failed as being faithful stewards, because they didn’t show any compassion for the needy they didn’t have any compassion for the Lord Himself. Hence they were cast into everlasting punishment.

3 “Jesus always very clearly pointed out his subservience to God; in power, teaching and life itself. To assert their equality is untenable.”

The Lord Jesus took the place of a servant (Philippians 2:7) thereby humbling Himself becoming a man (Philippians 2:8). He came not to be ministered unto but to serve (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45) so that He could give Himself as a ransom at the cross of Calvary. God became a Man according to Philippians 2:5-8.

Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

4 “Mortal humans cannot exist in the direct presence of God. As Exodus 33:20 says, no man can see God and live. Therefore, to say Jesus was fully God and fully man violates scripture, since thousands of people saw Jesus.”

It seems that Christadelphians don’t read the Bible, if God was not seen then how do they explain all the people in the Old Testament who saw God?

Abraham sat down and ate food with God in Genesis chapter 18, God appeared to Moses (Exodus 6:2-3), Jacob wrestled God seeing God face to face (Genesis 32:24-30).

Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

The Lord Jesus Christ unveiled His glory on the mount of transfiguration (Matthew 16:28—17:13; Luke 9:27–36; 2 Peter 1:16–18 ), Christ called Himself God Almighty (Revelation 1:8), lastly we have the account of one of Christ disciples (Thomas) calling Jesus God, if Jesus is not God this would have been the perfect moment that the Lord Jesus should have said He’s not God.

John 20:27-28 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust [it] into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

As we read the Lord Jesus response to Thomas we’ll see that Jesus never rejected Thomas in calling Him God.

John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed [are] they that have not seen, and [yet] have believed.

In the Old Testament God said He would not share His glory with anyone (Isaiah 42:8; Isaiah 48:11), and then we see in the New Testament the Lord Jesus said He shared glory with God the Father before creation was made (John 17:5).

John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

Conclusion

The Christadelphians cult is deceived into thinking that Jesus is only a man, just like Muslims claim. Christians have always believed Jesus Christ is a real Man, but He’s also God because He took unto Himself a human nature; this is called the Hypostatic Union. In addition to the 2 erroneous doctrines they hold to there are more, therefore, they cannot be saved as long as they keep these false teachings. We’ll touch upon those other teachings in a later article, Lord willing.

Jesus Christ is God (John 17:3, 1 John 5:20)

Jesus Christ is God

There are groups out there which call themselves Christians while denying the One in which they would say they believe in. When the subject of Jesus Christ and His deity are spoken of among believers the orthodox belief from the very beginning has stated that Christ is equal to the Father therefore, He (Jesus Christ) is God (John 5:18, Philippians 2:6). While others affirm the same but take the position that the Father and Jesus are the same person. This debate between Trinitarians and oneness/unitarians concerning the Godhead/Triune God being 3 distinct persons has been ongoing for a long time. That’s a subject for another time, today I want to focus on the deity of Christ.

Previous article Jesus Christ is God Hebrews 4:14

We’re plagued with groups who masquerade as Christians but really aren’t. The apostles warned us that these things would happen, individuals who claim to be followers of Christ but really believe devilish doctrine (2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Timothy 3:5, 3:13, 4:3-42 Peter 2:1, 1 John 2:26-27, 4:1-6, Jude 1:4). Even our Lord warned of the coming of such men who would look to draw away others from the truth.

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

These groups aren’t Christian at all but are really cults (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventists) who use the same biblical terminology while holding completely different definitions. Today I want to focus on an argument the Jehovah’s Witnesses often bring up when confronted with the fact that Jesus is God. If any Christian states to a Jehovah’s Witness that Jesus Christ is God the Jehovah’s Witness will deny this and may bring up this scripture to refute Christ’s deity.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

They’ll say see Jesus says that “Jehovah” is the only true God, and upon first glance of this verse one may think that’s correct. But if we look at the construction of this verse what it’s really saying is that the Father and Jesus Christ is the only true God. In Greek, the copulative kai stands for “and”.

Kai is the conjunction in the construction of that verse. What is a “conjunction”? A conjunction is an act of joining or condition of being joined. Kai is the root word (Etymology) Apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force. Knowing this when we read the verse again we see that the only true God is the Father and Jesus Christ.

According to the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ theology, the Father alone is the only true God and they say Jesus Christ is a lesser “god” according to their New World Translation. If that’s true then we must ask this question. Is Jesus a true God or a false “god”? When we press this question the Jehovah’s Witness is stuck because if they say Jesus is a false “god” then they will be contradicting the scriptures. And if they say Jesus is the true God then they’re contradicting the Watchtower. Additionally, they also forget verses such as this one from John’s epistle.

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Even if you direct them to this verse in the NWT while the rendering of the verse reads a little differently you’ll still see that John is calling Jesus Christ the only true God and knowing Him is eternal life. Who else can give eternal life but God Himself?!

I hope this was helpful and encourage you to reach out to these people who are lost in cults, they have been led astray and are in danger of being lost in hell for all eternity. We have to approach these people in the love of Christ while still being rooted and grounded in the truth. If you bring these verses to a Jehovah’s Witness press the question “is Jesus Christ the true God or a false “god”?” Because we know there’s only one God, therefore, any “additional gods” would be false and I don’t think they’re prepared to claim such a blasphemous statement. If they say Jesus is “god-like” just ask again is Jesus the true God or false “god”?

They won’t have a straight answer and will try to divert your attention to other scriptures to avoid answering this question.

Common Traits Among The Cults (Christadelphians)

Cult Literature Worldwide

2 Corinthians 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

We live in a day and age where the truth of God’s word is not held in the highest regard. Attacks on Christianity rages on with the infiltration of those who claim to be Christian but spread false doctrine; false teachers as the apostle Peter mentioned (2 Peter 2:1). The Lord Jesus warned us that wolves in sheep’s clothing would come to deceive (Matthew 7:15, 10:16, Luke 10:3).

Paul the apostle even grieved for the believers in Miletus and saying “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.” Acts 20:29. The early believers had to deal with those who tried to bring us into bondage with false doctrine, those who would claim to be brethren.

Galatians 2:4 And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:

For the next few posts, we’ll refute the false doctrine of the Christadelphians. As believers, we have fellowship (κοινωνία) when our doctrine is the same because of God’s word, not because we choose to place differences aside. True fellowship is something we automatically have not something we agree to have.

Let’s look at one claim made by the Christadelphian cult, we’re going to spend some time going through them one by one. As we test the spirits we will start to see how false doctrine cannot endure when we use God’s word to bring all falsity down.

2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Here’s a direct quote from the Christadelphian site under “our beliefs” and “Nature of Christ”.

“The fundamental truth of the Bible is that God is One. Any teaching that in any way appears to deviate from or undermime this profound truth must be very firmly substantiated. The doctrine of the Trinity pretends to be such a teaching, yet it is entirely absent from the entire Old Testament. This doesn’t make sense.” – christadelphia.org

I love how God shows the true child of God that such claims as these are not true, God has indeed shown us time and time again even in the Old Testament that God is comprised of 3 distinct persons in the Godhead. A common trait of cults is the attack on the “Trinity”, let’s have scripture do the talking.

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…

A classic verse which proves the plurality in the Godhead “Let us make” shows communication within the Godhead (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). When the scriptures speak of “God” it’s referring to the being of God; God in His totality. Christians who believe in the Godhead never deny that God is one we completely believe in one God as the Shema states.

6:4 שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָֽד׃

6:4 καὶ ταῦτα τὰ δικαιώματα καὶ τὰ κρίματα ὅσα ἐνετείλατο κύριος τοῗς υἱοῗς Ισραηλ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ἐξελθόντων αὐτῶν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἄκουε Ισραηλ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν

Let us (plural) because I’m not here writing to myself but to anyone else who’s reading this, just as God is not talking to Himself, He doesn’t have a split personality disorder. Therefore who is God speaking with when stating “Let us make”? Angels have no hand in creation, therefore, it’s not the angels God is speaking too, who is God speaking with?

Another Old Testament verse which proves the plurality in the distinction of persons within the Godhead is found again in Genesis. When the tower of babel was being constructed and mankind at the time was one language, they refused to obey the LORD by not scattering themselves and inhabiting all the lands. Instead, they looked to exalt themselves building a tower to reach heaven. Then the LORD came down to see the city and tower (Genesis 11:5)

Genesis 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

The verse here says the LORD is speaking and says “let us go down”, once again who is the LORD speaking with? We can derive from these verses that there’s a conversation taking place between persons. Another verse I would like to bring to your attention is one in Isaiah. The prophet Isaiah saw the Lord in all His glory on the throne.

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

And if you’re familiar with the book of Isaiah, when he comes face to face with the Lord he becomes aware of his sin and says he’s undone. Isaiah is not the only one who had this experience Job felt the same way as well as John the apostle. When John came face to face with Christ in the book of Revelation it says he “fell at His feet as dead” (Revelation 1:17).

Isaiah goes onto say that he is a man of unclean lips he recognized his sin as he saw the Lord. Just as we all came to that same conclusion before the Lord that we too are sinners and have sinned against God.

Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

If Isaiah saw “the King, the LORD of hosts” which speaks only of God Himself then who did He see? Because the scriptures say that no man has seen God, and we know that God’s word never contradicts, therefore, who did Isaiah see?

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

He didn’t see the Father because no man can see the Father and live, He dwells in unapproachable light which no man can see.

1 Timothy 6:14-16 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Who did Abraham see when he was told Sarah would bare him a son and she laughed? Who did Jacob wrestle with when it’s stated Jacob wrestled with God? It’s easy for Christians to explain because we know that God is one but God is 3 distinct persons, therefore, we can prove that the Father was never seen but the Son was. This is why it’s very easy to break down the cult teachings of the Christadelphians or Jehovah Witnesses who only affirm God is one, but they fail to see the distinction of persons in the Godhead.

Question#1 for Christadelphians

If Christadelphians still want to deny Jesus as being God then they need to answer these 3 questions. God alone is the creator of all things as I’m certain they believe then why is Jesus Christ given the same attributes in scripture which belongs to God alone. The Psalmist when praying to God Almighty spoke these words.

Psalm 102:1, 25-27 [[A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD.]] Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto thee. … Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

We also have the writer in the epistle to the Hebrews making this direct claim about the Lord Jesus in the 1 chapter when it speaks about how Christ is better than the angels and attributing creation to Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:10-12 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

These 2 scriptures are in harmony with the gospel of John speaking of the Word being God and that nothing was made without the Word. John said all things were created by the Word another name for Jesus Christ.

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The book of Colossians applies the same attributes which only belong to God to the Lord Jesus. Therefore if Jesus shares the same attributes of deity with the Father you must conclude that Jesus Christ is God, just as the Holy Spirit is God. All three distinct persons of the Godhead are co-equal sharing the same divine nature.

Colossians 1:14-17 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Question#2 for Christadelphians

Cults such as Christadelphians or Jehovah Witnesses say that Jesus was the first creation of God and through Jesus was everything else made. They normally cite the verse in Colossians 1:15 saying the mention of the word “firstborn” proves He was created. The problem with this is “firstborn” doesn’t mean actual birth.

Firstborn in Greek is prōtotokos which means also preeminence or position, it is because Jesus created all things He is before all things in position “firstborn”. We read later just a few verses down how Jesus is the “firstborn” of the dead.

Colossians 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Now we know when something is dead it’s not born therefore we must conclude that it means Jesus Christ was the first to be resurrected from the dead. Notice also that at the end of that verse it mentions “that in all things he might have the preeminence” meaning that He’s first in all things. God also calls king David His “firstborn” in Psalm 89 because he was chosen of the LORD, but as we know David was not the firstborn among the sons of Jesse.

Psalm 89:20-27 I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him: With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him. But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted. I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

Question#3 for Christadelphians

In the Old Testament to “call upon the name of the Yĕhovah” (יְהֹוָה) is a phrase only used in reference to God. The Greek Septuagint is the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek translated by the Hebrews at that time around 200-250BC.

The phrase “call upon the name of the Yĕhovah” is used in prayer worship and adoration only. The Jews translated that phrase into Greek as reading “call upon the name of the LORD” this phrase is used by Paul the apostle in reference to Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Why is Paul the apostle applying the same phrase to the Lord Jesus Christ?

Conclusion

If you’re part of the Christadelphian cult this is to warn you of the erroneous teachings you’re being indoctrinated with. We pray you’ll look into this for yourself open your Bible and see if these things be so. Don’t let this cult rob you of your eternity in heaven.

Christadelphians are not Christian. Like all cults, Christadelphianism denies one or more of the essential doctrines of Christianity: Jesus is God, the physical resurrection, and salvation by grace. In this case, it is the deity of Christ and salvation by grace through faith that are the problems with this group.

They teach heresies such as…

  1. Jesus had a sinful nature (The Christadelphians, What They Believe, by Harry Tennant, The Christadelphian, England, p. 74 – this is a Christadelphian book.)
  2. Jesus needed salvation, (Christadelphian Answers, ed. by Frank G. Jannaway, The Herald Press, p. 25 – another Christadelphian book).
  3. Jesus is not God in flesh (Answers, p. 22).
  4. That Jesus’ atonement was not substitutionary (Answers, p. 25; What They Believe, p. 71).
  5. Baptism is necessary for salvation (What They Believe, p. 71,72, 207-210)

Again if you’re part of this cult read the Bible alone without any of the Christadelphian books/magazines and you’ll quickly start to see how their doctrine is of the devil.

1 Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;

It’s your choice your eternity, will you place it in the hands of a group of men or God?

Why The Christadelphians Are A Cult.

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2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Christology: The Preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ

All our hope, faith and salvation hinges on who is the Lord Jesus Christ. Was He who He claimed to be God in the flesh, or was He just a man? If the Lord Jesus truly is God then we have hope and all eternity to look forward to as believers in Christ. But if He’s just a man (creature) as many cults believe then we’re all lost and dead in our sins.

1 Corinthians 15:14, 17 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. … And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Christology is the study of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who He is, His claims, the miracles He’s done. The greatest attack on Christianity is from cults and world religions who try to refute His (Jesus) claim as the Son of God, being in the very nature of God and saying He’s anything less. Today we will look at the heretical claims of one such cult called the Christadelphians.

If you’d like to know more about how they came to be here’s an earlier post about the history of the Christadelphians

What do the Christadelphians believe?

To quote directly from their home page.

The Wrested Scriptures Page lists passages commonly used to defend the erroneous views and outlines the correct understanding of these passages.

In referring to ‘Mainstream Christianity’, we speak of the principal Christian groups, such as Catholics, Baptists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, etc.

Please excuse the directness of the sections below; due to the nature of the media, we felt it was best.— Christadelphians

There’s one thing to note before delving into what they believe. All cults have similar things in common but what they all have in common is they say “they’re the only true church” or “they alone hold the truth”. Christadelphians, Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Oneness Pentecostals and Catholics all make this “truth claim”. The Jehovah Witnesses also say that Christendom is all false as well as the Christadelphians, therefore by each of these groups saying “all Christendom is all false” also means that Jehovah Witnesses and Christadelphians would have to say they’re both wrong. Maybe that’s a topic for another post. Let’s get to it.

The bulk of all Christianity teaches unequivocally that Jesus is God. This claim is made without qualification. Typically, it is said that Jesus is 100% man and 100% God: that Jesus was fully God, and never ceased to be God while on earth. And usually, when it really gets down to the nitty-gritty, it is said the whole issue (the Trinity) is a mystery. — Christadelphians

To begin Christianity didn’t teach that Jesus Christ is God, the Lord Jesus Christ said He’s God and the Bible teaches that He’s God that’s where we get our theology straight from God’s word. As Christians, we believe what Jesus said to be true. Not only does the New Testament give direct evidence that Jesus is God, but it also provides indirect evidence. There are many indirect references that could be cited. Some of these include.

Jesus Possesses The Attributes Of Deity: According to Scripture, Jesus possessed certain attributes that belong to God alone.

Jesus Is All-Knowing:

God’s word says that Jesus is all-knowing. He knew the thoughts of people.

Luke 6:8 But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.

Jesus was able to tell the Samaritan woman her past history without previously meeting her before.

John 4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

The Samaritan woman went back and said to the people in her village.

John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?

A mere man wouldn’t be able to know the thoughts of others. It shows forth God’s ability to be all knowing. The disciples themselves also recognized that the Lord Jesus knew all things.

John 16:30 Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

We praise God for His divine understanding His Omniscience because He knows all things better than any of us can (Psalms 147:4, Isaiah 40:28, Jeremiah 1:5, 23:24).

He’s Both Fully God and Fully Man

Mortality and Immortality are mutually exclusive characteristics. If Jesus is God, he couldn’t have really died, for God is immortal by nature. Likewise, if Jesus died, he couldn’t really be God, for God cannot die. Immortality is not a fluctuating quality! A being is either mortal or immortal. You can’t have it both ways with this. Either Christ died, and he was mortal during his time of ministry 2000 years ago, or he’s God and could have never died. Pick one alternative, as holding both is simply untenable. Traditional Christians typically respond to this point with the idea stated above in the introduction, that Jesus was fully human and fully God. But look at the next point. — Christadelphians

The Christadelphians reject the divinity of Christ, they cannot grasp the foundational truth that Christ always existed before time. He is eternal and shares the same nature as the Father. Christadelphians demoted the Lord Jesus to a mere man in their theology one who has no power to save; another Jesus as Paul the apostle said (2 Corinthians 11:4). As Christians, we reject this idea that the Christ Jesus was a powerless man.

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The word of God shows that the Lord Jesus was God manifest in the flesh, both fully God and fully man. Speaking of the Jesus the writer to the Hebrews wrote of Christ preexisting all of creation without beginning.

Hebrews 7:3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

John the Apostle also wrote in one of the most well-known verses in the Bible speaking of His divinity.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

when looking into the Greek language it says that He (Jesus) was face to face with God (Father), He (Jesus) was always there.

πρός prós, pros; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward (with the genitive case, the side of, i.e. pertaining to; with the dative case, by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the accusative case, the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is predicated) In the comparative case, it denotes essentially the same applications, namely, motion towards, accession to, or nearness at.

John goes on to say in his Gospel that all things were made by the Lord Jesus in pertaining to creation.

John 1:2–3 The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

We can also connect these verses to others which say that God alone created all things by Himself.

Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

The question must then be asked if God says He created all things by Himself then are their two Creators? Of course not that’s because when the Bible speaks of God it’s referring to His being. We also see the plurality and the distinction of Persons in the Godhead, therefore it makes sense when Jesus is attributed to be the Creator of all things.

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

The Temptation of Christ

For the temptations of Christ to have been in any way real, there had to exist the possibility that he could sin. If Christ is God, it is impossible that he could have sinned, for God is perfect by nature. Jesus pointed this out in Mt 19:17, marking the distinction between himself and God (only ONE is good…).
If Christ was God, and therefore couldn’t sin, all his ‘temptations’ were faked, and his identification with mankind a cruel sham! And for those affirming the “fully God/fully man” idea, do you really see God locking Himself into a nature that could potentially sin? Finally, James explicitly states that God cannot be tempted by evil (1:13–15). — Christadelphians

What the Christadelphians are saying is because satan attempted to tempt the Lord Jesus means that He couldn’t have been God? This makes no sense just because satan tried to foil God’s plan doesn’t take away the fact that Jesus Christ is God. Do they really expect that satan was going to sit back and not at least try even though he would never be successful?

The temptations were not “faked” just because Jesus is God, satan in his failing attempts try to get Christ to display His power as a result of pride. The nail in the coffin is that the writer to the Hebrews addressed this saying.

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

The Lord Jesus was like us in the sense that He felt the same things we did, He experienced the same emotions and knows the same hardships we face. He took on the likeness of sinful flesh.

Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

The scriptures say that He took on our nature that is human nature, the seed of Abraham. This also speaks to the virgin birth.

Hebrews 2:16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

Let’s not also forget that the Lord Jesus is in the order of Melchizedek, He’s our great high priest and has the eternal priesthood.

Hebrews 7:21 (For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:)

But God the Father Himself in talking with the Son He calls the Son God, if God the Father can call the Lord Jesus God then why won’t the Christadelphians?

Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Jesus Christ is God because mankind is a fallen creature through the downfall of Adam sin came into the world and death by sin, therefore every human being born is a sinner by nature we cannot escape the fact that we we’re in bondage to sin.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

2 Peter 2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

Since the Lord Jesus is God He alone was able to purchase is from the slave market of sin, He alone had the means necessary to accomplish this redemptive act. This is why we can sing the song, “Redeemed, How I love to Proclaim it!”. We were redeemed with incorruptible things His blood which is precious and cleanseth us from all unrighteousness.

1 Peter 1:18–19 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

All those believers who are blood bought by the Lord Jesus Christ will sing and proclaim in Heaven the great truth of His redeeming power.

Revelation 5:9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;

It goes to show that Jesus had to come in our likeness under the law to redeem us who couldn’t save ourselves. An angel cannot die for our sins nor any other creature, only human life had to be given for human life. While at the same time our Redeemer had to be in the position or have the means by which He could purchase us, and being God in the flesh His blood was spotless and pure without sin. How glorious is our Saviour!!!

The Power of Jesus Christ

God is undeniably all-powerful, while Jesus always acknowledged that his power was received from God, not inherently his own (ie. John 7:16, 8:28, 12:49–50, 14:28). He said this about his teaching as well, in many places. Why would he say this if he and God were the one and same? In addition, when the disciples requested to sit at his right hand and at his left, he said that this was not his to give, but the Fathers’ to decide (Matt. 20:23). The usual response to this is that the different persons of God have different domains of authority; but there you would venture out onto thin ice indeed, as it is very difficult to be One, yet have multiple and distinct personhoods, with distinct levels of authority. — Christadelphians

Another mistake the Christadelphians argue is that Jesus acknowledged His power being received from God. This is where the Humanity of Christ is displayed in its splendour. The apostle Paul when addressing the saints at Philippi brought the human nature of Christ to their remembrance.

Cults like the Christadelphians always overlook the book of Philippians and this wonderful passage of scripture which speaks of His Humanity and Divine nature; fully God and fully man.

Philippians 2:5–8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

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He (Jesus) is equal to the Father but even though He humbled himself and took the form of a servant made in the likeness of men and was obedient unto the death of the cross. God came off His throne stepped into His own creation that He might take the punishment we deserve because of our sins. He paid the ultimate price for us that we could be set free from sin and death. The prophet Isaiah also made mention of this redemptive act.

Isaiah 53:3–7 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

God Is By Nature Invisible

God is by nature invisible and never seen (Jn. 1:18, I Tim. 6:16, I Jn. 4:12); Jesus was of course seen. To say that God was never seen, and then to continue that Jesus is God just doesn’t make sense. The idea that Jesus is God isn’t a mystery or some profound biblical truth too deep to understand — it just doesn’t make sense. — Christadelphians

At least the Christadelphians are saying they don’t understand and that’s ok but just because you cannot understand something doesn’t make it not true. When the Bible speaks of God not being seen that’s speaking of the Father. Moses asked to see God and was told He would die.

Exodus 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

It makes perfect sense that when the scriptures speak of Jacob wrestling with God, Isaiah being undone when seeing Christ in His glory, and John in Revelation falling at His feet as dead. The power and majesty and Holiness of God because He’s so pure reveals our sin in us, how unclean we are.

Genesis 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:

This cannot go without saying that the apostle Thomas said speaking of the risen Christ.

John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

God the Lord Jesus Christ was standing in the midst of them, we have a personal God one who’s interested in His creation and loves us so very much!

God the Father

In the Bible, God = the Father, and no other. See Rom. 1:7, Col.3:17, I Thes. 1:1, II Tim 1:2 and many more (for example, the introductory words of almost all Paul’s letters). The appelations “the Father” and “Jesus” are never used interchangeably in the Bible. — Christadelphians

They miss the fact that the Son shares the same divine nature of the Father, just as the Holy Spirit shares the same divine nature as well. As Christians, we never believed that the Father is the Son are the same Persons in the Godhead; we believe in 1 God who has revealed Himself in 3 distinct persons who all share the same divine attributes.

On a number of occasions, Jesus is associated with God in an equal manner. For example, in baptism, He’s put Jesus on an equal level with God the Father. This is also true of the apostolic benediction.

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

As we also know that a name also bares authority, when a police officer says stop in the name of the law he’s coming in the authority of the law. It’s why the Pharisees asked the apostles Peter and John the question:

Acts 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?

Notice the Pharisees asked by what power or name they associated a name with authority, this is why later in the scriptures it says:

Philippians 2:10–11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Notice 1 Timothy 3:16 says “God was manifest in the flesh”, God came in the form of a man. How can the Christadelphians deny such truth? It’s because they’re a cult and that’s what cults do.

As we can plainly see that the Christadelphians are not Christians, a cult is a group which would claim to be Christian but deviates from one or more foundational doctrines from God’s word. There are many more erroneous teachings the Christadelphians believe which are heretical. They share the same views as Arius of Alexandria which was deemed heretical by the early church fathers.

Arius of Alexandria was cast out of the church as a heretic during the council of Nicea in the early fourth century AD. One of the earliest and probably the most important item of debate among early Christians was the subject of Christ’s deity. Was Jesus truly God in the flesh, or was Jesus a created being? Was Jesus God or not? Arius denied the deity of the Son of God, holding that Jesus was created by God as the first act of creation and that the nature of Christ was anomoios (“unlike”) that of God the Father. Arianism, then, is the view that Jesus is a finite created being with some divine attributes, but He is not eternal and not divine in and of Himself.

We still are seeing the effects of Arianism in the likes of Christadelphians, Jehovah Witnesses, Islam and Mormonism. Just like the early Christians then we as Christians today must stand up against this heretical teaching. The epistle of Jude puts it this way.

Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

If you’re part of the Christadelphians this is to show you the errors you’re holding onto, our hope and prayer would be that you would come to know the real Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible and not the false Jesus you currently believe in. If you have the right Jesus you’ll be right for all eternity, but if you have the wrong Jesus you’ll be wrong for all eternity.

Church Universal and Triumphant New Age Cult

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1 John 4:1 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

Beginnings

Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) now called Summit Light House is an international New Age religious cult founded in 1975 by Elizabeth Clare Prophet. Their beginnings started as “The Summit Lighthouse” an international spiritual organization founded by Mark L. Prophet in 1958.

This New Age group contorts Christian scriptures as well as mixing it with teachings of world religions such as Buddhism, Iranian “prophets”, Catholicism, Ancient Wisdom etc. The teachings of this cult are dangerous and strange indeed along with their main teaching “Ascended Masters”.

What are the teachings of the Ascended Masters?

They (CUT) believe that the “ascended masters help us become aware of the Paths back to the Source”. They believe that there’s more than one path to what they call “Christ consciousness” which comes from an white light. This reminds me of a verse in the bible which states:

2 Corinthians 11:14 “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.”

Satan has deceived these people disguising himself as “white light”. These “paths” consist of seven rays leading to their god. It’s definitely not the One true God of the bible.

Here’s a quote directly from them.

To be a chohan on one of the seven rays means that this master defines the law on that ray; through him that energy of the Christ and of God flows to mankind, to all who are evolving on that particular path. — Church Universal and Triumphant

According to Summit Light House there’s 7 “chohan” or the ascended masters of these 7 rays.

El Morya (wisdom), Lanto (education of the heart and the illumination), Paul the Venetian (divine love), Serapis Bey (teaches the path to the ascension), Hilarion (science and religion), Lady Master Nada (service and peace), Saint Germain (freedom, mercy, transmutation and ritual), The Maha Chohan (representative of the Holy Spirit).

Paul the apostle when writing to the Corinthian church warned them of a false Christ, spirit or gospel. It’s possible for people to be deceived in believing a counterfeit Christ who didn’t say “He’s the way”.

2 Corinthians 11:4 “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

He also mentions to the church in Galatia that if an angel or anyone else brings another gospel because there can only be one gospel let them be accursed.

Galatians 1:8 “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.”

Doomsday October 2, 1989

Elizabeth Clare Prophet prophesied that the United States would suffer a nuclear attack. Elizabeth and her faithful followers decided to labour for 18 months, building an enormous underground bunker from metal tubes. When the prophecy didn’t come true they lost a lot of their members. There isn’t any need for prophets today as we have all that God wanted to reveal through His word.

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In checking what The Church Universal and Triumphant falsely prophesied, shows they meet the standards of a false prophet. False prophets are condemned in the Scriptures and we are told to reject them. The Bible has a test in dealing with someone who comes in the name of a prophet.

(1Kings 13 , Ezekiel 14:10, Revelation 19:20, 20:10, Jeremiah 23:16, 26, 34, Zephaniah 3:1–4, Zechariah 13:1–7) Words that sum up the fate of a false prophet include condemned, punishment, cast into the Lake of Fire, treacherous.

Deuteronomy 18:22 “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.”

What are their Basic Doctrines?

Does the Church Universal and Triumphant’s doctrine line up with the Bible? That’s the question we’re looking to answer.

Church Universal and Triumphant believe: that there is in each person a higher self and a lower self. The higher self is unchanging, connected to all matter, space, and time. The physical body is the lower changing self. This dual nature reflects the duality of God.

What does the Bible say? God created man in His image but shortly after we’re not exactly how long but man sinned in the garden and death came upon all men, so that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We do have a soul but we do not have a “higher self” we’re sinners who by the grace of God are able to escape the wrath of God by trusting in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible.

Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”

Church Universal and Triumphant believes: that the power of the higher self cannot be transferred to the lower self until the individual has achieved worthiness. This process takes place through multiple lifetimes during reincarnation. Through reincarnation (literally, to come to life again) one may experience multiple rebirths until their soul reaches a state of perfection and becomes one with the Universal Soul or “God.”

What does the Bible say? God in His word warns us that our life is nothing but a vapour which appears for a while and then vanishes away. That we’re as the flower of the field which fades away.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

1 Peter 1:24 “For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:”

Karma is one of the many beliefs of Church Universal and Triumphant. A person has more than one life and accumulates “debt” depending on the good or bad committed in that person’s life. Storing up bad Karma leads to being reincarnated in an undesirable form. While good Karma and good deeds provide a desirable reincarnation. All of the “Ascended Masters” attained this end goal according to CUT that goal being perfection and union with “God” the Divine Consciousness.

What does the Bible say? We only get one life, we don’t get “do over’s” God has given us one life to get right with Him. There’s no such thing as “reincarnation” the concept of coming back as something else is a Hindu belief. The book of Hebrews in the Bible puts it this way.

Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

No coming back as a dog or frog or anything else. One chance at life and once this life is done then you’ll stand before God in judgement to answer for all the good or evil you’ve done.

Church Universal and Triumphant teach the principle of “I AM” command. They believe when an individual makes a statement such as “I AM successful” it is believed they are summoning the “God” or their higher selves thus making it come true.

What does the Bible say? Only GOD can use this divine name for Himself, no created being can use this, for one to do so would be utter blasphemy. God alone is the self-existing one.

Exodus 3:14 “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”

John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

Therefore we must reject these nonsensical teachings which prove how far gone the members of this cult are to believe something so blasphemous.

What do they believe about Jesus Christ?

They (CUT) believe that Jesus Christ is one of many Ascended Masters. They claim the Bible does not contain all of Jesus’s teachings saying much of his teachings have been lost and must be revealed to followers of the Ascended Masters. They also teach that Jesus reached the age of thirty, He had reached perfection and merged with the Real Self in the Christ. Thereby accelerating to the level of “I AM” the Eternal Presence.

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They do not believe in the true God of the Bible as it’s clearly seen here, reading God’s own words He says:

Matthew 24:35 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Luke 21:33 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

God promises His word will never pass away meanwhile CUT says the Lord Jesus “teachings have been lost”. Clearly, only one is telling the truth and its not Church Universal and Triumphant. What these cults aim to do is control by means of saying all important “teachings have been lost” and you need is to help you find that truth. These cult leaders have a false truth because there’s no light in them.

1 John 1:5, 6 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1 John 2:3, 4 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Not to mention the most obvious observation is that the place is littered with idolatry. Statues of Mary, Buddha, Ishtar and angels all things which are condemned in the scriptures.

Exodus 20:3, 4 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

This place is not of God and I would warn anyone to steer clear of this new age cult which is masquerading as a church. It’s most certainly a cult and will have to give account to God one day. We should pray for those who have fallen for the deception that they would wake up and leave this cult. Jesus Christ is the only truth, we don’t need anyone else He (Jesus) said:

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

EXAMINING CULTS (Cooperites)

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1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.”

This one’s a special write up for me, a few years ago I moved overseas from North America to a faraway land in the southwestern Pacific ocean; the country of New Zealand. The country of New Zealand is comprised of 2 land masses, the north and the south island.

I lived in Wellington overlooking the Cook Strait towards the south island. Never knowing that mere 8-10 hours distance was a cult located in Haupiri.

GLORIAVALE

Gloriavale is a small isolated cult group and has an estimated population of over five hundred. They own a small airline called Air West Coast the airport the plane frequents is right across the water from where I lived, it’s a good chance I’ve seen it before.

Haupiri is located in the West Coast region of New Zealand’s South Island.

While the group keeps isolated to themselves they own a variety of businesses in order to keep the community going, from what I know they run a small airline, milk and cheese production, they also put on shows for anyone interested in visiting.

New Zealand’s landscape is beautiful full of lush green trees, misty mountain ranges, valleys, meadows and crystal clear water, plenty of places to relax and be among wildlife. The community complex is located in a peaceful valley one may not realise its the home of a cult far removed from the world.

WHO ARE THE COOPERITES

The group was founded in 1969 by the late Neville Cooper (aka “Hopeful Christian”), an Australian preacher who came to New Zealand. He made what became known as the Springbank Christian Community near Christchurch.

The community grew too large for the property and bought land on the West Coast and later moved there in 1995. They named their new property in the Haupiri Valley “Gloriavale” and established the Gloriavale Christian Community.

Gloriavale leader dies Tuesday 15 May, 2018 at age 92 

Cooper was a known sex offender and was brought up on charges in 1995 he and served 11 months in prison. Former member Yvette Olsen said Cooper sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions at 19 years of age. She said he’s a man of “unbridled lust”, a “dirty old man”.

His son Phil Cooper a former member of Gloriavale escaped the cult taking his then-wife along with him only for his wife to return forsaking him and their children in order to come back to the cult. Phil Cooper mentioned he also was sexually abused by his dad when he was a teenager, the memories of what transpired still trouble him years later.

A former member of Gloriavale said most of the families living in the secretive cult are not aware of their leader’s sex abuse conviction and believe he was jailed for preaching the gospel.

Elijah Overcomer was evicted from Gloriavale after questioning leader Christian over his conviction for indecent assault on young women.

GLORIAVALE BELIEFS

The secretive group heavily relies on communal living everything they know of is in the community of Gloriavale. All of their families, friends, work every part of their life is invested in Gloriavale they know nothing else.

Salvation

GV says: We believe that the Church at Gloriavale is one local church in the whole body of believers, wherever they may be. And while we know that we are not the only Christians around, we still want to be only Christians, and nothing more. We do not believe that this is the only Church where people can gain salvation, but it is our local church, and part of the body of Christ…

Bible says: We have salvation through the ransom sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, it’s because of Him, He is the author of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9). This statement alone qualifies them as a cult because they place their faith in a church and not in the Son of God.

Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Head coverings 

GV says: Head coverings such as scarves are worn as a sign to the angels that a woman has placed herself in submission to the authority of the man.

It has been the custom among Christian people for centuries for men to remove their hats when entering a place of worship, and for women to have their heads covered. Only in the last century did these traditions start to change with the fashions of the world, but the scriptural basis for it is something we acknowledge and obey. In the same chapter of Corinthians, we are taught that men should have short hair while the women should grow their hair long.

Bible says: Gloriavale teaches that a woman must cover their head, I also agree with that but the difference is that the woman in the cult remain covered at all times. This is not a requirement the only time a woman should be covered is when the church comes together. In the case of Gloriavale the members are always together living in a community. While that may be so they’re not always worshipping God, that’s when a woman is required to cover her head. Is she always praying 24/7? Even the most spiritual must confess that they’re not always praying to God.

1 Corinthians 11:3–5 “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman [is] the man; and the head of Christ [is] God. Every man praying or prophesying, having [his] head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.”

It goes unto say in the same epistle “…is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?” (1 Corinthians 11:13) This proves the men and women of Gloriavale are a cult relying on their own works to merit favour from God.

Do you have to live in a community to be a Christian?

GV says: No, but our community life has many advantages for Christians, who should live together in order to keep the commands of the Sermon on the Mount and other scriptures. Why would a Christian not want to live among others who share the same faith? In heaven, we will all live together in the mansions Jesus is building for us, we will all wear the same kind of clothes, and will all be perfectly submitted to the Word of God. Shouldn’t we then be doing these things as much as possible now? We have found that any arguments against living in community come down to arguments in favour of selfishness, self-will, or love of the world. One of the greatest blessings of community life is having brethren available to help and strengthen each other. If people can show us a better way of keeping the commands that Jesus has given us, we will be very happy to see it.

Bible says: The above statement has some truth but dig deeper there’s more under the surface. Yes, there are advantages for Christians being around one another (fellowship), but the Bible speaks “community life” or “wearing the same clothing”. The church comes together not lives together “If therefore the whole church be come together into one place” (1 Corinthians 14:23). The context of the verse is when believers come together. Additionally, the Sermon on the Mount has nothing to do with any of these topics.

Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3–5:48, Matthew 6:1–6:34, Matthew 7:1–7:27 ). 

GV says: Our source of authority on all matters of faith and life is the New Testament of the Bible.

Bible says: This is simply not true, their source is the Bible filtered through one man Neville Cooper who has taken the word of God and twisted it in order to have complete control over these individuals.

ESCAPED FROM GLORIAVALE, A RELIGIOUS CULT

Lilia Tarawa is 27 years old, Cooper’s granddaughter she grew up in Gloriavale most of her life and has left the cult with her parents. It’s a sad story because here’s a child who was raised in a cult that when under the guise of Christianity and has caused damage and tainted what true Christianity is to the point of pushing her away from God.

After leaving Gloriavale Lilia wrote her own book titled “Daughter of Gloriavale: My Life in a Religious Cult”. What’s become of Lilia Tarawa after leaving the cult and submerging herself in the ways of the world? I think the next few phrases will sum it up.

My life’s work Liberation, courage & purpose (www.liliatarawa.com)

“At heart I am a freedom-seeking, ever learning student of life who loves spreading messages of life-altering liberation.”

“Shackle-breaking, mind-bending, life-giving freedom.”

“For the first time in ages, I felt peace. Yoga saved me.”

“My business coach introduced me to Dr John Demartini, a gifted human behavioural specialist, with modalities to rebalance psychological imbalances and heal unhealed wounds.”

“I invested thousands of hours and dollars in courses, coaching and resources to answer one burning question, Who am I? You are the answer to your question, Danielle La Porte reminded me.”

Dreams & Aspirations All that is to come

“During worship meetings, I tuned out of boring sermons by reading Old Testament Bible stories.”

“I read encyclopedias to learn about life outside Gloriavale.”

“Yoga has a dedicated place of honour on my Instagram. Each time I visit the mat, my practice is a mirror for my past, present and future.”

“I plan to complete a yoga teacher training to supplement my practice, then teach retreats across the world.”

“During my adventures, I encountered thought leaders who greatly influenced me.”

“Oprah Winfrey, Brendon Burchard, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Sam Harris, to name a few.”

“I would love to speak on-stage with Danielle La Porte or Oprah Winfrey or any of my mentors.”

How I live life By Lilia Tarawa

“I have no desire to fit into what society wants me to be. I am cultivating a mindset of bravery by living on the edge.”

“The universe second chanced me a life I never dreamed possible.”

“Today I am sitting at my kitchen table in ripped tights and a woollen sweater over denim shorts.”

“I am sporting Tommy Hilfiger eye-wear on rouge coloured cheeks framed by an edgy fringe.”

“My ring-embellished fingers flit across the keyboard of a sleek Mac.”

“The picture screams 21st-century modern woman. That is accurate!”

“I am an indie rock-loving, whiskey drinking, sci-fi obsessed, agnostic with a deep interest in human potential.”

“Shortly, I shall be boarding a flight to teach audiences about leadership, self-respect and confidence.”

“As my fellow TEDxChristchurch speaker, Dr. David Galler says in his talk A touching glimpse into the mystery of death, ‘Too often we put our eggs in an afterlife basket.”

“We waste entire lives waiting for utopia and forgetting that heaven and hell are both here in the present moment.”

“Life is part of dying and death is a part of living. It is the two-sided coin of reality.”

“One day the grim reaper will collect. That reality check is the reason I phone my best friend, Grace Hoover, each morning to say; I love you.”

“I would hate to lie on my deathbed regretting what I did not do.”

Life after Gloriavale Finding my feet 

“The thought was foreign to me. That is when I realised, [insert profanity]! I am free.”

“I got cosy with brands like L’Oreal, Victoria Secret, Levi, MAC, Chuck Taylor, Tommy Hilfiger and Adidas.”

“I was wearing figure-hugging jeans, lipstick and stilettos.”

“The world was my oyster, but I had not a clue where to go.”

I grew up in a cult. It was heaven — and hell.

Beliefs Religious & spiritual

“My beliefs changed immensely in the years following our departure from Gloriavale.”

“I remained a Christian, tried a few churches, found one I was comfortable with and made friends there.”

“I settled for a while, but curiosity tugged me. My life was mine to choose now.”

“I wanted to find the real Lilia who’d hidden behind uniforms and downcast eyes.”

“Womanhood ran hot in my blood. My body took me to places the church forbade me. The loss of my virginity liberated me from the shackles of church rules.”

“My shelves filled with books by Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Grant Cardone, J.R. Ward and Tony Robbins.”

“I read biology, psychology, theology, spirituality, philosophy and physics.”

“Music was my Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe. I listened to 50 Cent, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Metallica, Celine Dion, and Hillsong.”

“I travelled abroad to experience the cultures of other humans.”

“I was breaking many Christian laws, such as befriending gays.”

“My wholesome friendships with them forced me to recognise the many Christian doctrines which separated, rather than united humanity.”

“No creed is flawless, but I met too many Christians who professed theirs to be.”

“They ignored the defects of Christian teaching, using the word ‘faith’ as an excuse for non-thinking and dogma.”

“Is God even real? Also, if he is incomprehensible, how did we stuff ‘him’ in a gender box?”

“How can the abuse of children, which is an inherent part of Christian doctrine, be condoned? Spare the rod, spoil the child, the Bible read.”

“I do not live by conservative Christian doctrine. I have a science-based worldview.”

“In 2017 I attended a conference where Lyle MacWilliam proclaimed, Contrary to common belief. Science is not a truth cast in stone. It is a way of thinking.”

“As I have learned, science is a mindset that says, We can always ask a better question to find a better answer.” — Lilia Tarawa

It’s quite evident the damage Neville Cooper’s cult caused in this one individual, while she was always confused as to what true Christianity is because Gloriavale is not Christian by any means, she went from one wrong extreme to the other wrong extreme.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

How true this is to see a young woman who at one time in her life really thought she was living for God but was deceived into a life of legalism and cultic ways e.g. matching uniforms navy-blue, ankle-length dresses and white headscarves (Women), blue trousers and shirts (Men), mini versions of the compulsory garb (Children).

This experience changed her into a person (in her own words) who’s now practising fornication, yoga, who placed her faith in science and atheist. How far the pendulum has swung! How many others have found themselves in the same situation as she or will soon find themselves because of this cult?

As a Christian is saddening because at one time she genuinely cared about reading the Bible and knowing about God but it was tainted by a man who had an agenda and that was to rule with an iron fist.

Lilia during her baptism at Gloriavale Christian Community at 10 years old.

CONCLUSION

Just as other cults many innocent individuals are being damaged by false doctrine. These victims were once zealous and sincere about what they believed but they were deceived by wicked men and sincerely wrong. This is why it’s of the utmost importance to be born again and remain in God’s word so that when you come across false doctrine.

We need to reach out to individuals who’re entrapped by these groups, many of them truly want a relationship with God but have fallen for another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel. They’re completely unaware and are in need of the true Gospel of Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:4 “For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.”

My hope is that Lilia Tarawa and others come to know the true God of the Bible, that He gave Himself as a ransom for their sins that they may live. This world is plagued with many distractions which satan uses keep people in bondage and away from the true gospel. Religion doesn’t save, only a person saves, one perfect person and that’s the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 11:28–30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

God bless

Examining Cults (Christadelphians)

Christadelphians_into

Jude 1:4 – For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

WHAT IS A CULT?

First, we need to understand what’s a cult, a cult is a group which deviates from God’s word, denying the foundational biblical truths once delivered to the saints by our Lord Jesus Christ, the prophets and His Apostles. Cults have many different beliefs which would be too many to list here but we will take a look at each of them, Lord willing as this series “Examining Cults” continues.

Many cults exist today Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Christadelphians, Christian Science, Oneness Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventist, church of god etc. And while they have a set of different beliefs they all share the same beginnings and heretical teachings, that’s the denial of who the Lord Jesus Christ is God in the flesh just as the word of God says 1 Timothy 3:16 “…God was manifest in the flesh…”. Let’s take a close look at one of these cults called the Christadelphians. 

EARLY BEGINNINGS

As with all cults they always have a founder(s) or a group who claims to have new revelation from God which, they try to add to the scriptures and at times will even say that their teachings are equal with God’s word or higher which is utter blasphemy. The Christadelphians founders are two men one called John Thomas and the other Robert Roberts. He (John Thomas) was a London born physician turned “Bible teacher”, they both denied the teachings from the bible of eternal damnation and punishment along with eternal reward. They also taught annihilation of the soul in which the soul is completely destroyed ceasing to exist. 

These two men also denied the Godhead (Trinity), the Deity of Christ and His pre-existence from eternity and the existence of the Holy Ghost. If you’re a little familiar with cults you’ll notice similarities, we’ll touch upon some of those shortly. But first, let’s look a little more closely as to how the Christadelphians came to be. 

John Thomas (Christadelphian)John Thomas M.D., born in Hoxton Square, Hackney, London, on April 12, 1805,[1] was the son of a Dissenting minister, also named John Thomas. He traveled overseas to Cincinnati, Ohio where he became convinced by the Restoration Movement of the need for baptism and joined them in October 1832. He became involved with Alexander Campbell, a prominent leader who encouraged him to become an evangelist. He then traveled around the eastern States of America and eventually settled down as a preacher in Philadelphia.

Dr. Thomas was the editor of the Apostolic Advocate in May 1834. This is where he began to propagate his teachings. devoting himself in the interested of prophecy and biblical eschatology. During this period is when he generated the foundational beliefs known as Christadelphianism. He also believed orthodox Christian beliefs were blatantly wrong. Thomas eventually rebaptised himself and rejected his former beliefs and associations, he was formally disfellowshipped in 1837.

Robert Roberts (Christadelphian)Robert Roberts, Aberdeen, Scotland, was the son of a captain of a small coasting vessel. His mother was a strongly religious Calvinistic Baptist, school teacher. He was raised in a well disciplined, and strictly religious environment. His mother took him as a boy of 10 to hear John Thomas speak in Aberdeen, Scotland. He formally and briefly, became a member of his mother’s church at age 12. Shortly afterward he came across a copy of a magazine, belonging to his sister, entitled the Herald of the Kingdom and Age to Come, by Thomas, who knew Roberts’ mother.

Roberts then began his Bible studies in earnest after reading Thomas’ book Elpis Israel, he became convinced of its soundness, and ceased attending chapel with his family. He was baptised in 1853 aged 14 as part of the “Baptised Believers” (11 years before the name ‘Christadelphian’ was coined by John Thomas; he was re-baptized in 1863 “on attaining to an understanding of the things concerning the name of Jesus, of which he was ignorant at his first immersion”).

Two quotes from these heretics against the doctrine of the Trinity are:

“Moses and the prophets do not teach that “there are three persons, three essences, three somethings, or three anythings, in the Godhead; and that these three distinct units, or unities, constitute only one unit or one Unity — and that that Tri-Unity is the God of Israel.” They do not teach this. This is the foolishness of the Old Man of the Flesh.” – John Thomas

“The endeavour is to show that they are not three co-equal powers in one, but powers of which one is the head and source of the others. The Father is eternal and underived, the Son is the manifestation of the Father in a man begotten by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is the localisation of the Father’s power.”- Robert Roberts 

It’s important to note that most of these cults which deny the deity of Christ all stem from the heresy of Arianism. An influential heresy which denies the divinity of Christ, originating from the Alexandrian priest Arius. Arianism maintained that the Son of God was created by the Father and was, therefore, neither coeternal with the Father, nor consubstantial.

Arius (Arianism) Arius was a pupil of Lucian of Antioch at Lucian’s private academy in Antioch and inherited a modified form of the teachings of Paul of Samosata. He taught that God the Father and the Son of God did not always exist together eternally.

Arians taught that the Logos was a divine being begotten by God the Father before the creation of the world, made him a medium through whom everything else was created, and that the Son of God is subordinate to God the Father. A verse from Proverbs was also used: “The Lord created me at the beginning of his work” (Proverbs 8:22–25).

Therefore, the Son was rather the very first and the most perfect of God’s creatures, and he was made “God” only by the Father’s permission and power. Is any of this starting to sound familiar? These same beliefs are held by Jehovah Witnesses as well as Christadelphians and have perverted God’s word. Let’s not stop there because just like because they also share a common theme, just as Charles Taze Russell the founder of the Jehovah Witnesses had his start as a Millerite, so does the founders of the Christadelphians also. 

In 1843 Thomas was introduced to William Miller, the leader of the Millerites. He admired their willingness to question orthodox beliefs and agreed with their belief in the second coming of Christ and the founding of a millennial age upon His return.

William Miller (Millerites) William Miller was born on the east coast of the United States. As a young man he was a farmer and during the war of 1812 served as a captain in the American armed forces. In 1833 is when he started his preaching. After studying the Bible for two years, in 1818 Miller announced that in 25 years (March 1844) Jesus Christ would return to the earth.

At the height of his ministry, Miller gathered a large following, who’d also became known as “Adventists.” When March 1844 came and went with no sign of Jesus Christ’s return, Miller recalculated the new date to October 22, 1844. When Jesus Christ did not return on that date the entire Millerite movement ended as his follower’s faith was destroyed. Miller revamped his doctrine to say that Christ had returned, but that Miller didn’t understand that Christ first had to come to the “Heavenly Sanctuary,” and cleanse it. Once the Lord Jesus cleansed things in heaven, He would come back to the earth.

The remaining faithful bought into this lie formed the Advent Church and in 1845 Miller became its first president. The name was later changed to Seventh Day Adventists and after the death of Miller in 1849 a new false prophet came on the scene, Ellen G. White. With a fair enough background in understanding how the Christadelphians came to be lets now examine their beliefs to see if they hold up to the truths of God’s Holy word. 

WHAT DO CHRISTADELPHIANS BELIEVE?

Christadelphians say: They believe the Bible is the infallible and inerrant word of God, if this is true why do they not have the same beliefs or anything closely resembling orthodox Christianity?

Answer: The Christadelphians do not believe God’s word to be infallible and inerrant (without error) by following man’s tradition namely John Thomas and Robert Roberts. In the mind of a Christadelphian, these two men who’s beliefs are radically opposing and contradict the Lord Jesus Christ own words.

Matthew 4:4 “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”

Here are scriptures which are in direct opposition against Christadelphians (Psalms 12:6, 119:89, Isaiah 8:20, 40:8, Matthew 4:4, 5:18, 24:35, John 17:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, 2 Thessalonians 2:14-15, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 6:18, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Revelation 22:18-19)

Psalms 12:6 “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”

Psalms 119:89 “LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.”

Christadelphians say: They teach that Jesus had a sin nature.

Answer:  Christadelphians think because of the virgin birth through Mary He (the Lord Jesus) was somehow given a sin nature, that’s blasphemous and completely erroneous. What does the Bible say about Christ Jesus?

John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

1 John 3:5 “And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.”

Hebrews 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet] without sin.”

More scriptures which speak on the perfect Lamb of God the Lord Jesus Christ who has no sin and never will (John 14:10, Romans 6:23, 8:3, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 5:8-9, 9:14, James 1:13, 1 Peter 1:19, 2:22).

It’s abundantly clear that the Lord Jesus is sinless, spotless and without any sin so why do the Christadelphians teach anything otherwise? It’s because of ungodly men who have turned the grace of God into lasciviousness as the epistle of Jude mentions (Jude 1:4).

Christadelphians say: teach that Jesus needed to save himself before he could save us.

Answer: To say that the Lord Jesus needs salvation is complete utter blasphemy and it’s certain the 2 founders of this cult are in hell if they never repented of their wicked ways; these 2 men are dragging others into the pit of hell along with them. The Lord Jesus is both fully God and fully man is without any sin and never needed to be saved as the Christadelphians would teach. He (Jesus Christ) is the Saviour of the world, the Holy One, the great I AM. The Lord Jesus said no man takes His life from Him in the book of John:

John 10:17, 18 “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.”

The Lord Jesus is the Prince of Life death can never have hold or dominion over Him, He defeated death and is forever victorious (Acts 3:15, 4:12Revelation 1:18).

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Christadelphians say: They believe that there has been an apostasy and that Christianity is a false religious system.

Answer: This is the kettle calling the pot black, while there are those who may not have a complete solid biblical foundation. Cults always will state that they are the “only truth” and that all others are false, the Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Seventh Day Adventist all claim the same. The Lord Jesus rebuked this line of thinking called sectarianism.

Mark 9:38-40 “And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.”

Luke 9:49, 50 “And John answered and said, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.”

Christadelphians say: They believe annihilation of the wicked.

Answer: The Bible says that the wicked will be tormented in Hell for all eternity if the wicked are to be annihilated as Christadelphians claim then they’re calling God a liar, and God cannot lie (Titus 1:2). The book of Revelation their torment will be for ever, the book of Matthew mentions everlasting punishment and fire. Seems the teachings of Christadelphians directly contradict God’s word tremendously.

Matthew 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”

Matthew 25:46 “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”

Revelation 14:11 “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Christadelphians say: They believe that baptism is necessary for salvation.

Answer: If baptism is necessary for salvation then what would Christadelphians about the thief on the cross who never had a chance of being baptised? What would they tell the Lord Jesus who told the thief:

Luke 23:42, 43 “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

Christadelphians say: They believe that it is possible to lose one’s salvation.

Answer: The Bible is clear that salvation is everlasting, forever then how can they say you can lose it, that would make it not everlasting. The Bible says anyone who’s born again has eternal life and they shall never perish, we can have full assurance of salvation (John 17:3, 20:31, 1 John 5:13).

John 10:27-29 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

Christadelphians say: They deny the doctrine of the Trinity.

Answer: The Apostle John warned us of those who would deny the God that we would know those who deny the Son (the Lord Jesus) are anti-christ. When a believer comes to know the one true God they would never go against the deity of Christ because they love Him with all their heart and know Him.

1 John 2:22, 23Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

Most are familiar with the word Trinity (biblical word for Trinity being Godhead), while the Bible never uses that word it does show all throughout the scriptures this wonderful truth (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 3:16-17, John 1:1-51, 10:30-36, 14:16-17, 15:26, 1 Corinthians 8:6, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Ephesians 4:4-6, Philippians 2:5-8, Colossians 1:15-17, 2:9, 1 Peter 1:2, 1 John 5:7-8).

Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

John 14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

What’s a Christadelphian to do with all these scriptures which proves the doctrine of the Godhead? Well just like all cults do they just blatantly deny the truth through their unrighteousness; if they continue to follow these ungodly men they will die in their sin and will be condemned. Of course, I wish that those deceived by this cult would wake up and come to Christ Jesus our Lord for salvation. Let’s continue.

Christadelphians say: They deny that Jesus is God in flesh.

Answer: We can easily prove this to be untrue through God’s word, the book of John, Timothy and Titus straightly gives us the truth concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as God. When the Apostle Thomas saw the risen Lord he said:

John 20:28 “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.”

There are also scriptures which plainly state that the Lord Jesus Christ is God, how can anyone calling themselves Christian flat out deny these truths? I’ll tell you how because they’re not of God, they are of their father the devil just as the Lord Jesus proclaimed.

1 Timothy 3:16 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”

Titus 2:11-13 “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

Christadelphians say: They deny that Jesus existed prior to his incarnation.

Answer: God’s word says that many would be deceived following false prophets and vain philosophies, how true this is when someone looks to deny the plain truth of the Lord Jesus Christ’s pre-existence. He being God 1 of the 3 persons of the Godhead was never created He’s always existed and is before all things. The most obvious scripture is the first verses in the gospel of John.

John1:1-3In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

It’s really sad that a person can look at this simple plain truth try to deny His deity. You littery have to suppress the truth in unrighteousness as the book of Romans states (Roman 1:18). Verses all throughout scripture speak of the Lord Jesus Christ being eternal without beginning or end.

John 1:30 “This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.”

John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

Colossians 1:15-18 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Here are a few more scriptures proving He’s God (Isaiah 9:6, Daniel 7:9, John 17:5, Philippians 2:6,7, Revelation 1:8, 22:13). Christadelphianism is definitely not of God it’s a cult and those who are trapped in this deception need to come out, no one who denies the Lord Jesus has salvation that’s just the truth.

Christadelphians say: They deny the personhood and deity of the Holy Spirit.

Answer: The Holy Spirit is God, the 3rd person of the Godhead. The scriptures speak of not grieving the Holy Spirit, not to blaspheme the Holy Ghost. The scriptures prove He is a person that speaks. The book of Acts shows that the Holy Ghost was lied to by Ananias; only a person can be lied to.

Acts 5:1-4 “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”

He (the Holy Ghost) speaks only a person can speak, therefore we must admit the personhood of the Holy Spirit the 3rd person of the Godhead.

Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”

Hebrews 3:7-11 “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)”

The Lord Jesus said that when He goes away He would send the comforter (Holy Ghost) and that He (the Holy Ghost) would bring all things to remembrance. Only a person can be referred to as He.

John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 15:26, 27 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”

John 16:13, 14Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to comeHe shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

(Matthew 3:16, Luke 3:22, John 1:32)

Christadelphians say: They deny the substitutionary atonement of Christ.

Answer: The denial of the Lord Jesus’s sacrifice will send all those who don’t receive the free gift of salvation straight to hell, that’s one of the foundational primary truths of the Bible. We as sinners deserve death and hell but the perfect spotless Lamb of God, a real man, both fully man and fully God bore our sins in His body took them to the cross taking upon Himself the wrath of God that we could have salvation by trusting in Him.

Isaiah 53:3-7 “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

Romans 3:25 “Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;”

1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the sins of] the whole world.”

1 John 4:10 “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son [to be] the propitiation for our sins.”

Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

What a tragedy it would be to reject the free gift of eternal life because of pride. The wonderful gift is provided for all there’s nothing to do, the work has been finished fully and completely by Christ Jesus. Nothing in my hands I bring simply to the cross I cling. (John 3:16, 3:36, 2 Corinthians 5:19, 5:21, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 3:5-7, Hebrews 2:17, 5:9, 1 Peter 3:18).

Christadelphians say: They deny salvation by grace through faith alone.

Answer: Do they even read the Bible because they directly contradict God’s word every time, God says it’s by grace, they say it’s not. Who’s right them or God?!

Ephesians 2:8, 9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Titus 3:5 “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”

Christadelphians say: They deny the immortality of the soul.

Answer: God’s Spirit is eternal when God created man He breathed into him the breath of life, from that point on man even though he hasn’t always existed have begun an existence that will live on forever either in Heaven or Hell.

Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

Revelation 14:11And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

Christadelphians say: They deny that a person exists after death.

Answer: Other than the scriptures provided directly above we have an account of life after death from the Lord Jesus Christ, a true story in Lazarus and the rich man in the gospel of Luke.

Luke 16:19-31 “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Christadelphians say: They deny the existence of hell and eternal punishment.

Answer: Again it’s silly to say that hell doesn’t exist, I notice that cults love the idea of heaven and they don’t deny that but don’t believe in hell because that would force them to realise they aren’t “good people” and don’t deserve to go to heaven. Again it comes down to pride. The Lord Jesus said:

Matthew 18:8, 9 “Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.”

Christadelphians say: They deny the existence of the fallen angel Lucifer as the devil.

Answer: What does the Bible say about Lucifer?

Isaiah 14:12 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”

CONCLUSION

Christadelphians really have to try hard to deny all of these great truths in order to suck people into their false doctrine, It’s earthly and devilish (as the Apostle James stated James 3:15) to be involved with this cult who’s on the wide road to destruction. If you’re an individual involved with the Christadelphian movement or know of someone who is I would implore you to run away or share this post with them.

They’re leading people straight to hell. John the Apostle told us that there would be many anti-christ in the world (1 John 2:18, 3:8). Christadelphians need the gospel so that they can believe in the true God, the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible.

Romans 10:9-13 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Written by Jason