What is false religion?

 

I noticed that one of the door-to-door religious groups made their way through town recently, passing out a pamphlet that asks the question, “What is false religion?” I thought it would be good to give my answer to the question. The Bible gives some clear ways for distinguishing authentic Christianity from marginal sects. What are they?

 

1. The first one is Christology, and is based on I John 2:21-23. Does the religion confess that Jesus is Christ, or the Messiah? Real Christian groups won’t make Jesus out to be something that He isn’t.
2. The second one goes to the Bible, based on Revelation 22:18-19. Does the religious group accept the Bible without alterations? Traditional Christian groups will go by the Old Testament canon, as selected by the Council of Jamnia in 90 A.D., and the New Testament canon as named by Athanasius in 367 A.D. Unorthodox groups will have their own kinds of Bibles that no one else accepts, or will supplement the Bible with other writings.
3. The third test is one of Apostolicity, based on Galatians 1:6-9.  Does the religious group proclaim the gospel as presented by the apostles and the early church, without teaching “another gospel”? False religions will re-write Christianity, and introduce doctrinal corruptions that aren’t supported by scriptures.
4. The fourth test is one of fruit, based on Matthew 7:15-20. Do the lives and ministry practices of people in the religious group bear fruits that reflect the love of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Cult groups will have a religious zeal that displays itself in hatred. There’s a well-known one in Topeka that’s picketed the Maple Hill Church before.
5. And the fifth test is the test of fellowship: Does the religious group recognize the gospel as being authentically practiced in other churches, without teaching that “we’re the only real Christians”? Ones that do the latter are out of fellowship with Christianity in general, and fail the test of fellowship. Christ promised, after all, that He is present with His disciples in all times (Matthew 28:20).

 

Generally, Christian groups that are placed within the pale of orthodoxy are Protestant, Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox. Marginal groups that have substantially re-written Christianity include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-Day Saint groups, Christian Science, The Way International, House of Yahweh, International Church of Christ, Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, White Supremacist Groups, Unitarianism, and Unity School of Christianity.

 

There’s a lot of deception and misleading out there, but God is still good, and he’s still in control. And most churches you find out there are made up of legitimate servants of the Lord. You just have to use good discretion – as with any other part of life.

 

God bless you – Andrew McHenry, Pastor