- The Bible Believer's Handbook of Heresies -

Copyright © 2002 James L. Melton

Used by permission

Published by Bible Baptist Church, Sharon, TN

The Bible Believer's Handbook of Heresies is written, and copyrighted by James L. Melton. We are honored to be using this information on our website by permission from the author.

Index of Terms:

Introduction:

Over the past few years, I have received many requests for a booklet on "the cults." I have never written such a booklet, because there are simply too many cults in our midst. It would take a sizable BOOK to properly expose the many cults and heresies that exist. Besides, other fine authors have already produced some very good books on this subject that have been a blessing to Christians for many years. I really have not seen a NEED for a new BOOK on the cults.

However, I do see a need for the kind of booklets that we've been publishing all along. I see a need for brief and inexpensive booklets that can be read through quickly and distributed widely. Assuming you've taken the time to read Walter Martin's Kingdom of the Cults, how many copies have you given out to others? Perhaps you've read Larson's Book of Cults, but have you capitalized on a way to give this valuable information to your family and friends? Probably not, because these books run hundreds of pages in length, and it would be very expensive to distribute multiple copies. Furthermore, most people wouldn't take the time to read through such a book if they had it.

That's where we "come in." As a local church ministry, we believe in propagating truth. We believe in making it easy for you to give the truth to others. Thus far, our handbooks and tracts have enjoyed a wide circulation. Sunday school teachers order them for their students. Pastors order them for their members. Missionaries use them on the fields. Individual Christians order them for friends and family members. We distribute them while street preaching, as well as door-to-door, and to local jail inmates. We will probably never become very involved in publishing books, but, Lord willing, we will remain very involved in publishing booklets and tracts that can be widely distributed without great expense. We're "getting the word out," and we're doing it God's way: through the local church.

We realize that many will be greatly offended by this booklet. This is largely because most people have never learned to take God's side against themselves. It is my conviction that God's word is RIGHT, and anyone who disagrees is WRONG, even if it's my wife, my mother, my best friend, or myself. I receive many letters from people who like to complain about my "attitude" and the way I have "attacked" them. My attitude can be found in Isaiah 8:20, and the only thing I attack is FALSE DOCTRINE. (Please read that statement again.) There is a large difference between attacking a person's BELIEFS and attacking the person. If I wanted to attack YOU, then I'd write about your weight, your wife, your unruly children, your clothing, or your bad credit. This booklet deals with FALSE DOCTRINE--not personal attacks. If more preachers would expose false teachers, like they have been commanded to do, then booklets such as this wouldn't seem so arrogant and abrasive to so many. We are only obeying God's word by warning others about false teachers. In Romans 16:17-18, the Apostle Paul exhorts the church to MARK and AVOID those who do not teach sound doctrine:

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."

If Bible-believing Christians had faithfully obeyed this command for only the past one-hundred years, then our generation would be well informed about false teachers, and the heresies in our midst would be very minor. We're only doing what Christians should have been doing all along. We fully realize that sincere Christian people can be found within the membership of any church, and that no church is absolutely flawless in every way. This booklet is simply our effort to warn people about many of the false doctrines that are being taught in these last days. It should serve as a good reference tool for finding quick and accurate information about the main heresies in our midst. If you find it helpful, please understand that it can be just as helpful to your friends and family members. Order a few copies and do your part in warning others about the many heresies that make up the broad way to destruction.

"To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." (Isa. 8:20)

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A Study of Heretical Teachings, Teachers, and Terms:

A-Millennialism:

This is the false belief that there will be no millennium--no one thousand year reign of Christ and His saints on earth. Revelation 20:1-7 plainly tells us that there WILL be a millennial reign. Other interesting references can be found in II Timothy 2:11-13, Luke 19:17-19, and Revelation 5:10 (just to name a few). Most a-millennialists steal God's kingdom promises to Israel and apply them to the church today.

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Anglo-Israelism:

Also called British-Israelism, this is the belief that the Anglo-Saxon people make up the ten "lost tribes" of Israel and are the heirs of God's covenant promises to Israel. Naturally, this belief has lost some weight since the days when "the sun never sat on the British Empire."

However, thanks to Herbert Armstrong, who taught that England is Ephraim and the United States is Manasseh, this heresy is now embraced by a great number of people.

The notion that the ten northern tribes are lost is unscriptural. Revelation 12:4-8 plainly tells us that God will seal 12,000 Jews from each tribe in the coming Tribulation. No mention is made here of America, England, or any anglo-saxon people. In fact, such people would be found in verse 9, totally separate from the Jews.

Also, there is no scriptural basis for teaching that the ten northern tribes will form NATIONS. Hosea and Amos , who prophesied mostly to the ten northern tribes, declared that these tribes would be scattered "among the nations" (Hos. 8:10; 9:17; Amos 9:9). God never said that He would permit them to form independent nations of their own.

Advocates of the anglo-Israel heresy insist that "Jews" are only those from Judah, while "Israel" is the ten northern tribes. Any reader of Scripture knows this just won't do. In Matthew 10:6, Jesus told His disciples "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," yet we never read of the twelve going north and preaching to the ten "lost tribes." They preached in Palestine. It wasn't until after the resurrection that Christ commissioned them to go elsewhere (Acts 1:8-9). The words "Jew" and "Israel" are used interchangeably throughout the Bible, especially in Ezra and Nehemiah. Peter was from Galilee, some eighty miles north of Jerusalem and over fifty miles north of Samaria, yet Paul still titled him a "Jew" in Galatians 2:14. The Bible is filled with promises like Zechariah 8:13 and Acts 26:7, which tell us that all Israel (all twelve tribes) will be restored and saved. Also see Jeremiah 30:3, Amos 9:14-15, Romans 11:26, Isaiah 66:8, Matthew 19:28, and James 1:1.

Even in eternity, God distinguishes between the twelve tribes and other nations (Rev. 21:12, 24-26). Anglo-Israelism is a gross mis-application of the Scriptures.

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Annihilation:

This false teaching is very popular with people like the "Jehovah's Witnesses," who do not believe in a literal and eternal lake of fire for the punishment of the wicked. Annihilation is the belief that the wicked will be totally destroyed at some point in the future, and that no ETERNAL place of torment exists. The Lord Jesus Christ believed otherwise (Mat. 25:41; Luke 16:24).

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Apostolic Signs and Wonders:

In Mark 16:17-18, Jesus said to the Apostles, "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."

Because of their inability and refusal to rightly divide the word of truth (II Tim. 2:15), the Charismatics operate under the false assumption that these signs are still in effect today and that it is THEIR duty to fulfill them.

In their haste to make a dollar, the Charismatics consistently ignore the fact that Jesus said these were SIGNS, and that I Corinthians 1:22 tells us that SIGNS are for the JEWS. Israel began with signs (Rom.

4:11; Exo. 4:8 ,9, 17, 23, 28, 30; 7:3; 8:23; 10:1-2; 13:9; 31:13, 17; Deu. 4:34; 6:22), lived by signs (Deu. 11:18; Jos. 4:6; I Sam. 10:7; II Kgs. 19:29; Isa. 7:14; 38:7, 22; Eze. 4:3; 20:12, 20), and demanded signs from Christ (Mat. 12:38; 24:3). There is more scripture to support the doctrine of signs being for Israel than there is to support the Virgin Birth and the Inspiration of Scripture combined! Anyone who ignores this truth is absolutely unqualified to teach, preach, or write anything about the Apostolic Signs. If you'll take a look at Hebrews 2:3-4 you will see that the signs were used to CONFIRM the word of God, and you will also see that the signs are spoken of in the PAST TENSE. They are also spoken of in the past tense in II Corinthians 12:12. Those who insist that we should practice the signs today because they were practiced throughout the New Testament haven't been reading (or believing) their Bible. They were not practiced throughout the New Testament. In fact, Paul left Trophimus SICK at Miletum (II Tim. 4:20); he gave Timothy medical advice instead of healing him (I Tim. 5:23), and he had infirmities of his own from which he could not be healed (II Cor. 11:30; 12:5-10). Now why all this sickness if the Apostolic Signs were still in effect? Answer: They WEREN'T still in effect, because they were only needed in the early ministry of the Apostles for the purpose of confirming the truth to Israel.

Now we firmly believe that God can still work miracles and heal anyone He chooses, and we believe that the prayers of God's people can move Him to work miracles, but let's not confuse answered prayers with Apostolic Signs, because there's a vast difference. We believe in healing; we just don't believe in healers.

As for unknown tongues, people have done this for thousands of years. The Tower of Babel in Genesis 11 was the first instance, but this was certainly no outpouring of the Holy Ghost! When the Church of Satan speaks in unknown tongues (which they do), is that a work of the Holy Ghost? Most any good psychologist can teach you to speak in unknown tongues, but this isn't a work of the Holy Ghost! Too many people have the idea that if something is highly abnormal or miraculous that it MUST be of God. The coming Antichrist will have a field day with such feeble minded people, because HE will work such "signs and lying wonders" that the entire world will follow after him (II Ths. 2:8-12; Rev. 13:13-14).

Nowhere in the New Testament did God command anyone to speak with unknown tongues. We do read about "new tongues" (Mar. 16:17), "other tongues" (Acts 2:4) and "divers kinds of tongues" (I Cor. 12:10), but these are all FOREIGN LANGUAGES, not senseless gibberish! There are no unknown tongues in Acts 2, and there is no baptism of the Holy Ghost in I Corinthians 14. Instead of rightly dividing the word of truth, the careless Charismatics wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction by ignoring the set divisions and doctrines that the Holy Spirit has inspired in the scriptures. The Apostolic Signs are not for today, because they were only for confirming the word of God to the unbelieving Jews in the first century. The Bible warns us to beware of anyone who professes to practice these signs today (II Cor. 11:13-15; Mat. 7:15; 24:11; I Tim. 4:1-2), and the Lord commends the church at Ephesus for trying out some professing apostles and finding them to be LIARS (Rev. 2:2).

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Armstrong, Garner Ted:

Outcast son of Herbert W. Armstrong who founded the Worldwide Church of God. Garner Ted assisted his father in spreading the Armstrong "gospel", and he hosted The World Tomorrow telecast. That is, until his expulsion in 1978 for his philandering with money and women.

Today he heads up his own cult in Texas: The Church of God International. His beliefs are very similar to those of his father.

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Azusa Street Mission:

Located at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles, the ASM served as a meeting place for the beginning of the modern Charismatic movement. It was from here that Pentecostalism began to spread throughout the nation. See Charismatic Groups.

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Baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire:

Most Charismatic groups teach that a person receives the Holy Ghost sometime AFTER they've received Christ as Saviour, but this is plain heresy. Romans 8:9 tells us that a person does not even belong to Christ if that person doesn't have the Spirit of God, so salvation and the baptism of the Holy Ghost are SYNONYMOUS, not separate.

To further the confusion, such groups also refer to this event as a "baptism of fire". The only baptism of fire in the Bible is the one that John spoke of when he spoke of Christ burning sinners in UNQUENCHABLE fire (Mat. 3:11-12). The only time a person is baptized in fire is when he is cast into the LAKE of fire (Rev. 20:14-15). Believers are baptized with the Holy Ghost, but sinners are baptized with fire.

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Baptist Bride:

A "Baptist Brider" is an extreme Baptist who believes that "The Baptist Church" is the Bride of Christ. All other Christians supposedly make up the FAMILY of God, but are not part of THE BRIDE. The details of this heresy differ from one group to the next, but the general teaching is that The Baptist Church (whatever that is!) has existed since the time of Christ (or perhaps John the Baptist) and that "approved" water baptism actually places a believer into the bride. Water baptisms that are not approved are considered "alien" baptisms and are not honored by the Baptist Bride churches. This leaves "aliens" like Bob Jones Sr., John Wesley, George Whitfield, and Martin Luther out of the bride, while the Bridegroom rides off into the sunset with His proud and conceited Baptist sweetheart. However, finding someone who will ADMIT to being a "brider" is not an easy task. Just like the Campbellites, they hate the name, but love the doctrine.

There are a number of careless steps that Baptist Briders usually take before promoting this outrageous heresy:

1. Ignore II Timothy 2:15 where we are told to RIGHTLY DIVIDE THE WORD OF TRUTH. This will allow one to go anywhere in the New Testament to find "proof texts" for his theory.

2. Ignore Matthew 3:11 where John speaks of Christ's HOLY GHOST baptism in CONTRAST to his water baptism. This allows them to pretend that water baptism is also the context of I Corinthians 12:13, Romans 6:3-4, and Galatians 3:27. This is convenient because this would mean that water baptism puts one INTO the body of Christ.

3. Now ignore Matthew 20:22-23 where Jesus speaks of a FUTURE baptism for his disciples which is not a WATER baptism.

4. Ignore the fact that John's baptism was a special baptism of repentance which accompanied the preaching of the KINGDOM message to ISRAEL (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Acts 13:24; 19:4; Mat. 3:1-6; John 1:31).

5. Ignore the fact that Paul said he wasn't even sent to baptize, but to preach the Gospel (I Cor. 1:17). (If baptism puts one into the body and bride of Christ, why would Paul make such a statement? We realize that Paul did baptize some, but it wasn't part of his commission.)

6. Assume that the term "church" means an organized denomination with a name and a history, as in The Catholic Church, The Episcopal Church, or The Baptist Church. This assumption will allow the brider to add his own special touch to passages like Ephesians 5:30-32, and Ephesians 4:4.

7. Now he can grab Matthew 16:18, just like the Catholics and Campbellites, and pretend that Jesus was speaking about His BAPTIST church. After all, He DID take over after John the BAPTIST, so the brider can teach that it MUST have been a BAPTIST church.

8. Ignore the fact that the Kingdom was being offered to Israel all through the Gospels and clear through Acts chapter seven when Israel made her final rejection of the Kingdom by killing Stephen.

9. Ignore the fact that immediately after Israel rejects the Kingdom God picks Paul and gives him a special commission which does NOT include the water baptism of repentance since his gospel message is not a KINGDOM message (Acts 8-9; I Cor. 1:17; II Cor. 5:18-20).

10. Ignore the fact that if "The Baptist Church" started with John or Jesus, then there wasn't any point in God giving a special commission to Paul since the whole thing was already established and operating anyhow!

Now the Brider is all set. Now he can teach that his church started with John. Then John gave the bride away to Jesus who promised that the gates of Hell wouldn't prevail against His church. Then Jesus turned his duties over to the twelve and commissioned them to go into all the world teaching and baptizing, which is what The Baptist Church has been doing ever since. How nice. Don't you just love a happy ending? Too bad Wesley and Whitfield couldn't come along.

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Calvinism:

A Calvinist is a person who subscribes to the theological beliefs of John Calvin, the Swiss Protestant reformer of the sixteenth century. There are five main points in Calvinism, four of which are false teachings. The five points of Calvinism are usually represented by the letters T.U.L.I.P.

The "T" is for TOTAL DEPRAVITY. This is the false doctrine that man is so depraved that he cannot even see his sinful condition and call upon God for salvation. It is true that all men are natural-born sinners (Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Psa. 51:5), but it is also true that God COMMANDS all men to repent and receive Christ (Acts 17:30-31; I John 3:23; Luke 13:3). Man is indeed depraved, but he isn't so depraved that he has no free will of his own (II Pet. 3:9; Jn. 1:12; 3:16; Jos. 24:15; Exo. 35:5, 21, 22, 29). Total Depravity is heresy.

"U" stands for UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION, which is a heresy derived from perverting verses like Ephesians 1:4-5 and Romans 8:29. The Calvinists believe that God predestinated everyone way back before Genesis 1:1, totally ignoring their free will to choose for themselves. That is, He supposedly decided who would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell long before anyone was even born. If you'll read Romans 8:29 and I Peter 1:1-2 you'll see that God's election is based on FOREKNOWLEDGE. He didn't elect to save or damn anyone against their free will. God knew all along who would choose Christ and who would not, and He made His "elections" based on that information.

Then we have the "L" for LIMITED ATONEMENT. This is the belief that only a limited number of people can be washed from their sins in the precious blood of Christ, because only "the elect" will be saved anyhow. The idea is that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it (Eph. 5:25); so the blood of Christ was only shed for the church. This is foolishness. I Timothy 2:6 says that Christ gave Himself a ransom for ALL, not just the elect. ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:23); so He died for ALL, and He saves "as many as" receive Him (John 1:12).

The "I" stands for IRRESISTIBLE GRACE, which is also false doctrine. This teaching says that God the Holy Spirit overpowers the sinner and grants him the new birth without his submission or positive response. As we've already seen, man DOES have a free will and no one is saved without CHOOSING to believe on Christ as Lord and Saviour. There is no such thing as irresistible grace. God has given us all the ability to resist anyone or anything we choose (Acts 7:51; II Tim. 3:8; Jas. 4:7). There are times when the convicting power of the Holy Spirit is so strong and real that a sinner sees no choice but to give in to God and receive Christ as Saviour, but the sinner always has a choice. No one is saved against their will, and no one is saved without first choosing to receive Christ.

The last letter is "P," which represents the PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. This is the only point in "T.U.L.I.P" which is anywhere near correct. Once a sinner receives Christ, he is predestinated to be conformed to Christ's image (Rom. 8:29). That is, as Christians, we are eternally secure and cannot lose the salvation which God has freely given us.

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Campbell, Alexander:

The "master spirit" of the "Church of Christ." He was appointed preacher of the "First Church of the Christian Association of Washington" in 1811. By 1830, Campbell was a very strong and stubborn advocate of baptismal regeneration. See Church of Christ.

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Campbell, Thomas:

Father of Alexander Campbell. He established the "Christian Association" which later became the first Campbellite church where he served as an elder. See Church of Christ.

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Campbellite:

Followers of Alexander Campbell. This is the appropriate name for devout members of the so-called "Church of Christ."

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Celibate Priesthood:

The teaching that Catholic priests must remain single. See Papacy and Priesthood.

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Charismatic Groups:

The Pentecostals, the Church of God, and the Assemblies of God have been the traditional standard bearers of Charismatic doctrine, although their teachings are also promoted by various groups such as "Full Gospel" churches and "Praise and Worship Centers". These groups do differ in some practices and beliefs, but their basic doctrines concerning the ministry of the Holy Spirit are the same and are false.

It is important for the Bible believer to know and remember that there were NO CHARISMATIC GROUPS AROUND BEFORE 1900. The whole mess began in the year 1900 when Charles F. Parham established the Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas. He taught his students that speaking in tongues was the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. On January 1, 1901, Agnes Ozman, a student at BBC, spoke in tongues. From that day forth, Pentecostal groups have taught that speaking in tongues is the "evidence" of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

In 1906, W. J. Seymour, a student of Parham's, began holding meetings at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles. Regular meetings were held here for three years, and it was from here that the movement spread across America with the establishment of churches and denominations.

The principle errors found within the Charismatic movement are listed below. Each of these errors are covered in more detail elsewhere in this booklet.

1. Apostolic Signs and Wonders

2. Baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire

3. Denial of Eternal Security

4. Unpardonable Sin

5. Women Preachers

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Christian Science:

Founded in 1879 by Mary Baker Eddy, the Christian Science cult is based upon her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. This book borrowed heavily from the writings of Dr. P. P. Quimby without giving him due credit. Mrs. Eddy is the mother of Christian Science, but many have suggested that the father is none other than Quimby himself.

Eddy had visited Dr. Quimby in 1862 with a spinal inflammation. At the time, she credited Quimby with healing her sickness, but later spoke against him while stealing his ideas and words for her own writings.

That's not all she stole. Appealing to intellectuals and mystical-minded people with her "mind-over-matter gospel," Mrs. Eddy raked in large sums of money from her members. At the time of her death she was worth around three million dollars. None of this money was left to charity.

During her life, Mrs. Eddy ruled the Christian Science empire without any internal opposition, but after her death in 1910, the fight began for her empty throne. The Christian Science Parent Church was formed with Mrs. Annie C. Bill of London assuming control and Mr. John V. Dittemore leaving the Board of Directors to support Mrs. Bill as Eddy's successor. The Board of Directors in Boston fought against this effort and eventually the "parent church" faded away.

Today, Christian Scientists are directed from the "Mother Church" in Boston. "Sermons" are prepared by a central committee and issued quarterly to all Christian Scientists throughout the world. Their congregations have "readers," but not pastors. The readers read from Science and Health and from the Bible.

The Christian Scientists are much into publishing with the Christian Science Monitor having a circulation of over 150,000.

There heresies are many:

1. Denial of Blood Atonement

2. Denial of Deity of Christ

3. Denial of Deity of Holy Ghost

4. Denial of Eternal Security

5. Denial of Literal Burning Hell

6. Denial of the Physical Resurrection of Christ

7. Denial of Literal Second Coming of Christ

8. Denial of Sin Nature from Birth

9. Denial of the Trinity

10. Denial of the Virgin Birth

11. Multiple Authorities

12. Salvation through Works

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Church of Christ:

Properly called "Campbellites", the so-called "Church of Christ" did not appear on the pages of church history until the early 1800's when Thomas Campbell, and his son, Alexander, left the Presbyterian church to restore the "true" church.

Thomas Campbell first organized the "Christian Association" which later became an independent church in 1811. Thomas was appointed elder, Alexander was "licensed" to preach, and four deacons were elected. At this time, none of the members had been baptized by immersion. The first Campbellite church wasn't named the "Church of Christ." It was named the "First Church of the Christian Association of Washington."

Having strong argumentive abilities, Alexander, became involved in a number of public debates, and was often corrected by his father for his conduct in these debates. Alexander's theory was that "a week's debating is worth a year's preaching." (Memoirs, Vol. 2, p. 90). Paul's theory was slightly different (I Cor. 1:18, 21; Rom. 1:29). Needless to say, this same spirit of debate is still very present among his followers.

The Campbells weren't baptized by immersion until June 12, 1812--a whole year after starting their "church." Being unable to find a Church of Christ preacher (since there were none before 1811), they convinced Matthias Luce, a Baptist preacher, to perform the service. Luce himself was later rejected by his Baptist brethren.

Several years later (1825-1830), the Campbell clan (also called the "reformers") was joined by Walter Scott, a traveling preacher who believed in baptismal regeneration. The Campbells embraced his views and were later joined by Barton Stone (another ex-Presbyterian). Together, the "big four" were ready to take on the world with the "true Gospel." The Baptists took the position that it was the "reformers" who needed to be reformed, and that remains our position to this day.

Today the "Church of Christ" teaches a number of heresies:

1. A-Millennialism

2. Baptismal Regeneration

3. Denial of Eternal Security

4. Denial of a Sin Nature from Birth

5. Lord's Supper Required Weekly

6. Musical Instruments Forbidden in Worship

7. Salvation through Works

8. True Church Theory

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Deity of Man:

The foolish belief that man can become God, or that God is "reproducing Himself" in man. According to God's word, those who believe on Jesus Christ can become "Sons of God" (John 1:12), but never God Himself.

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Denial of the Blood Atonement:

The Blood Atonement of Jesus Christ is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, yet many deny that it is necessary for salvation, while others deny it altogether.

The Blood Atonement is the doctrine that the blood of Jesus Christ, the sacrificial Lamb of God, was shed to atone for the sins of lost mankind (John 1:29; Heb. 9:22), and that this sinless blood was applied to the mercy seat of God the Father in Heaven (Heb. 9:11-12). All of the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament FORESHADOWED the Blood Atonement of Christ. The innocent animal that was slain in Eden for Adam and Eve's covering (Gen. 3:21) pictured the slaying of our Lord Jesus Christ for our sins. Abel's accepted offering, the firstlings of his flock (Gen. 4:4), was also a type of the Blood Atonement of Christ. There are many pictures of the Blood Atonement in the Bible, but probably the greatest is found in Exodus chapter twelve, where God REDEEMS His people by the BLOOD of the passover lamb.

Today, with the completed Blood Atonement behind us, all sinners have access to God THROUGH Jesus Christ, and through Him alone. Acts 20:28 says that God PURCHASED the church "with his own blood." Revelation 1:5 assures us that Christ can WASH us from our sins in His blood. Romans 5:8-9 says that we are JUSTIFIED by His blood, and we can have PEACE through His blood, according to Colossians 1:20. Salvation was made possible, not by the DEATH of Christ alone, but by His Blood Atonement which takes away our sins.

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Denial of the Deity of Christ:

The Deity of Christ is the doctrine that Jesus Christ is GOD. Naturally, the heretics will "bail out" on this one. Some reason that Christ couldn't be God if He was God's "Son", while others insist that He was only a prophet or good teacher. The Scriptures declare otherwise.

God is a Trinity (I Jn. 5:7), and the second Member of that Trinity is the Lord Jesus Christ. John 1:1 says that "the Word was God," and John 1:14 tells us that "the Word was made flesh." Jesus Christ is the Word incarnate, and John 1:1 tells us that the Word was God; so Jesus Christ is God.

Jesus allowed Thomas to address Him as "My Lord and my God" in John 20:28. In Isaiah 9:6, He is called "The mighty God" and "The everlasting Father," and we read in Micah 5:2 that Jesus is "from everlasting."

Our Lord allowed people to worship him in John 10:38 and in Matthew 14:33, and since He is "God with us" (Mat. 1:23) He also has power to forgive sins (Mk. 2:5).

The Deity of Christ is one of the main fundamentals of the Christian faith, because the Bible is very clear in emphasizing the fact that Jesus Christ is more than just a great man. He existed long before He came to this earth to be born of a woman, because He is ETERNAL. He's God.

This fundamental doctrine is denied by most cults.

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Denial of the Deity of the Holy Spirit:

Many also deny that the Holy Spirit is Deity by teaching that he is only a "force" like electricity or wind.

God's word states that He's the third member of the Holy Trinity (I Jn. 5:7). In Acts 5:3-4, Peter accuses Ananias of lying to the Holy Ghost, and in doing so he tells him that he had lied to GOD. The Holy Ghost is God. The Holy Ghost says in Acts 13:2 that He had CALLED Barnabas and Saul, which only God could do, and He does many other things that only God could do (John. 14:16, 26; 16:8-14; Job 33:4; Psa. 104:30; I Cor. 6:11; Eph. 1:13, 4:30, etc.). The Holy Spirit is OMNIPRESENT (Psa. 139:7-8), OMNISCIENT (I Cor. 2:10-11), and ETERNAL (Heb. 9:14). He inspired the Scriptures ( II Pet. 1:21), and He gives life (John 6:63; 3:6). The Holy Spirit is God, for only God could perform such tasks.

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Denial of Eternal Security:

Since most heretical groups believe in salvation through good works, it is also believed that a loss of salvation comes through a lack of good works. For this reason, eternal security for the believer is commonly rejected.

Actually, it is very logical and very scriptural to embrace the eternal security doctrine. My eternal security in Christ is based on my RELATIONSHIP with God, not my fellowship with Him. I am not saved because I fear God and serve Him, but rather because I have entered into a Father/Son relationship with Him through the Lord Jesus Christ. I was once a child of the Devil and a child of wrath (Jn. 8:44; Eph. 2:3), but now I am a son of God (John 1:12; I John 3:2; Rom. 8:14; Gal. 4:5). Upon receiving Christ as my Saviour, I was SEALED with the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30; II Cor. 1:22), and I am KEPT by the power of God (I Pet. 1:5), not by my own power. Jesus will never leave me nor forsake me (Heb. 13:5; Mat. 28:20), because He BOUGHT me with His own blood (Acts 20:28; I Cor. 6:19-20).

If I choose to be a disobedient child, then my Father in Heaven will CHASTEN me (Rev. 3:19; Heb. 12:4-8; I Cor. 11:30-32), but I will remain a saved and sealed son of God (John 5:24; I John 5:11-13; Rom. 8:38-39; Phi. 1:6; John 6:37; 10:28-29). True Christians are eternally secure in Christ.

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Denial of a Literal Burning Hell:

We call it to the reader's attention that it was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ who first used the term "hell fire" (Mat. 5:22), and it was Jesus Christ who said in Matthew 25:41, ". . . Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." When someone attacks the Hell Fire doctrine they are attacking the very words of Christ.

A Jehovah's Witness, for example, believes that Hell is only the grave that everyone goes to at death. He believes that the saved ones in the graves will be given eternal life on earth after the White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15, while the unsaved in the graves will be annihilated once and for all in the Lake of Fire. These people refuse to believe that God will punish the wicked forever in the Lake of Fire. Of course, the Scriptures say something entirely different:

1. There is no FIRE in the grave, but there certainly is fire in the "hell" of the Bible (Luke 16:23; Deu. 32:22; Mat. 5:22; 18:9; Jas. 3:6).

2. No one PRAYS from the grave, but they certainly do in Hell (Luke 16:24; Jon. 2:2).

3. Hell was originally made for the Devil and his angels (Mat. 25:41), but the grave was not.

4. A Christian's SOUL does not go to the grave at death (Phi. 1:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; 1 Ths. 5:10). Only the BODY goes to the grave. An unsaved man's body also goes to the grave at death, but his SOUL goes to a place of TORMENT and FLAMES (Luke 16:22-23).

5. The grave cannot possibly be Hell because Jesus said it would be better to enter into life (eternal life) without a hand, a foot, or an eye, than to go to Hell (Mat. 18:8-9). How could it be "better" if Hell is only the grave where there is no suffering at all? According to Jesus Christ, Hell is a lot WORSE than losing a hand, a foot, or an eye forever.

6. Annihilation cannot be true because the Bible uses such terms as "shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2) and "torment . . . forever" (Rev. 14:11). Shame and torment are sufferings that are experienced by a LIVING BEING--not an annihilated corpse.

God is an ETERNAL Being, therefore, an eternal payment is required for sin (Mar. 9:44-48; Isa. 66:22-23). You can have a FAIR TRIAL at the White Throne Judgment, or you can have a FREE PARDON right now by receiving Jesus Christ as your Saviour. In a fair trial before God, you will be eternally damned to Hell because you are a sinner against a Holy God. God will have no choice but to sentence you to Hell forever.

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Denial of Literal Second Coming of Christ:

If the Lord Jesus Christ was resurrected literally and physically from the dead, and if He appeared physically to His disciples, then His Second Coming must also be literal and physical.

Acts 1:11 tells us that Jesus will return "in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Jesus ascended into Heaven literally, physically, and visibly, so He will return "in like manner."

Some deny this by insisting that the Second Coming of Christ will be SPIRITUAL, rather than literal and physical:

The word of God says otherwise. Paul says in Titus 2:13 that we should be LOOKING for that blessed hope and the glorious APPEARING of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Revelation 1:7 says, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." In Matthew 24:30, Jesus Himself says, "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Zechariah 14:4 says, "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." The literal and physical feet of Luke 24:39 will literally STAND upon the literal, physical, and very visible mount of Olives. That's perfectly clear to anyone with reading ability.

There's nothing spiritual or invisible about the Second Coming of Christ. The "clouds" will be literal (Rev. 1:7), as will the "fire" (2 Ths. 1:8), the "saints" (1 Ths. 3:13), the "mountains and rocks" (Rev. 6:16), and, of course, the thousand-year reign (Rev. 20:1-7). A "spiritual" or "invisible" Second Coming is totally foreign to the written revelation of God.

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Denial of Physical Resurrection of Christ:

The Bible speaks of a literal and physical resurrection, but some teach that He only rose from the grave spiritually.

According to the words of Jesus Christ Himself, He is NOT merely a spirit being. He is a literal and physical risen Saviour. In Luke chapter twenty-four, beginning at verse thirty-six, the disciples see the risen Christ and they suppose they had seen a spirit (vs. 37). Then Jesus cleared the matter up for everyone when He said, ". . . Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." (Luke 24:38-39) He then SHOWED them His hands and feet, and they believed.

When Jesus appeared to Thomas He said, ". . . 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." (John 20:27) The risen Christ had the crucifixion scars in His body to PROVE that He had been physically resurrected from the dead.

If Jesus didn't rise physically, then He lied in John 2:18-22 when He said that His "body" would rise in three days. He didn't say His spirit would rise. He said that His BODY would rise. When He arose His disciples actually REMEMBERED this prophecy and believed.

The bodily resurrection of Christ is a fundamental Bible doctrine. The salvation of a person's soul rests upon this doctrine, because if Jesus didn't physically rise from the dead AS HE SAID HE WOULD, then we're all lost and going to Hell according to 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.

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Denial of a Sin Nature from Birth:

Although the Bible declares the reality of sin from cover to cover, some spiritualist groups insist that sin is only a concept of the mind, and that "mind-over-matter" is the only solution to this "problem" that doesn't really exist.

Another angle comes from the "Church of Christ," which teaches that men are not born with a sin nature, but rather BECOME sinners later in life. Such a suggestion is almost funny to anyone who has taken time to read their Bible (Psalm 51:5; 58:3; Romans 3:10; 3:23; 5:12).

Men are BORN sinners with a sin nature, which is why Jesus said we must be born again (John 3:3).

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Denial of the Trinity:

The Trinity doctrine is the doctrine that God consists of three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. Those who deny the existence of the Trinity usually do so because they can't understand it. Those of us who accept the Trinity doctrine don't fully understand it either; we just BELIEVE what God said about it.

What did He say about it? He said, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (I John 5:7) He said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Mat. 28:19) He said, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." (II Cor. 13:14) You can see all three members of the Holy Trinity present at the baptism of Jesus in Matthew 3:13-17. Jesus said when you've seen Him, then you've seen the Father (John 14:9), and Peter said that when you lie to the Holy Ghost you are lying to GOD (Acts 5:3-4). God the Father is God, God the Son is God, and God the Holy Ghost is God. See Deity of Christ and Deity of the Holy Ghost.

Psalm 19:1-6 and Romans 1:20 tell us that we can learn of God through nature. Have you ever studied nature? The Trinity doctrine is manifest everywhere. Time consists of THREE parts: past, present, and future. Space consists of THREE parts: length, breadth, and height. Matter consists of THREE parts: energy, motion, and phenomena. The sun consists of THREE types of rays: alpha, beta, and gamma. Man consists of THREE parts: body, soul, and spirit. A family consists of THREE parts: Father, mother, and children. You see, the truth of the Trinity is everywhere. We don't have to fully understand it, and God never told us to understand it. Our job is to BELIEVE it. God is a Trinity. Three in One, and One in Three, and the One in the middle died for me.

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Denial of the Virgin Birth of Christ:

Many deny the virgin birth of Christ, although this is a fundamental doctrine of Christianity. The doctrine of the virgin birth is the doctrine that the Lord Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of a virgin, without a man being involved. The original prophecy of the Virgin Birth was given in Isaiah 7:14, over seven hundred years before Jesus was born. Luke 1:34-35 and Matthew 1:24-25 tell us that Joseph took Mary to be his wife, but that he "knew her not" until after Jesus was born.

It was needful for Jesus to be conceived of the Holy Ghost, because if He had been conceived of a man, He would have had a sin nature (Psa. 51:5; Rom. 5:12). This would have disqualified Him from being the perfect Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world. The Virgin Birth is absolutely essential for New Testament salvation.

Many cults prefer the new Bible translations which deliberately change the wording of Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:25, and Luke 2:33 in an attempt to downgrade the virgin birth of our Lord, but thanks be to God, the King James Bible can be trusted to preserve this doctrine without compromise.

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Ecumenical Movement:

This is a wicked twentieth-century unity movement of religious modernists and liberals. It is Satan's desire to unite the world so that all will be in subjection to the coming Antichrist (Rev. 13:3; 12:9); therefore, religious unity is considered a must. Most ecumenicals have no real convictions, and they generally deny the fundamentals of Christianity, the infallibility of Scripture, and the autonomy of local churches.

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Eddy, Mary Baker Glover Patterson:

Founded the Christian Science movement in 1879 and relied heavily on the writings of Dr. P. P. Quimby. She authored Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which is still a valued authority to Christian Scientists today. See Christian Science.

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Evolution:

This is Charles Darwin's theory that men have evolved upwards from lower life forms. In the mid 1800's, Darwin wrote The Origin of the Species and The Descent of Man. In these two books, suppositions like "we may suppose" are found over 800 times. It is clear that Darwin was not as "certain" of this theory as are the modern evolutionists, yet there is not in existence one single piece of scientific evidence which proves that man has evolved upward from animals. It is impossible to prove any theory of origins "scientifically," because the very essence of the scientific method is based upon OBSERVATION and EXPERIMENTATION, and no scientist has ever observed or experimented with the origin of the universe.

All scientists know this, including L. Harrison Matthews. In his forward to Darwin's 1971 edition of "Origin of the Species", Matthews says, "". . .Belief in the theory of evolution is thus exactly parallel to belief in special creation--both are concepts which believers know to be true but neither, up to the present, has been capable of proof." In other words, the theory of evolution is a theory based on FAITH, rather than scientific fact.

Evolutionists have their entire lives and reputations resting upon Darwin's theory, so most of them are not open to anything other than "evidence" to prove their theory. All evidence which proves CONTRARY to this theory is discarded and ignored. A fine example of this behavior can be found in the work of Dr. George Wald, Nobel Prize winner for Science in 1967. Dr. Wald says the following: "When if comes to the origin of life on this earth, there are only two possibilities: creation or spontaneous generation. There is no third way. Spontaneous generation was disproved 100 years ago, but that leads us only to one other conclusion: That of supernatural creation. We cannot accept that on philosophical grounds; therefore, we choose to believe the impossible: that life arose spontaneously by chance." (Dennis Lindsay, "The Dinosaur Dilemma," Christ for the Nations, Vol. 35, No. 8, November, 1982, pp. 4-5, 14.)

So Darwin's theory is commonly accepted as a scientific fact, NOT because it can be proven, but rather because it is the ONLY ALTERNATIVE TO BELIEVING THE GENESIS ACCOUNT OF CREATION.

Over the years, being hard-pressed for real evidence, the evolutionists have managed to conjure up a number of "proofs" that Darwin's theory is a scientific fact. This so-called "evidence" is worshiped by all evolutionists, while all contrary evidence is ignored.

VESTIGIAL ORGANS are believed by evolutionists to be parts of the human body that are no longer needed. Therefore these useless body parts must be "left-overs" from our ancestors, the monkeys. These "useless" body parts include the appendix, the coccyx (tail bone), the pineal gland, the plica semilunaris, the tonsils, and the ear lobes.

Naturally, the facts are ignored. Many medical doctors agree that all of these organs have important functions in the human body, and aren't "vestigial organs" in any sense. The appendix contains a rich blood supply which serves as some defense against cancer. The tail bone isn't where your monkey tail used to be, as Darwinians believe, but it instead provides support for the muscles which control elimination. The pineal gland contains important hormones which the body needs. The plica semilunaris helps to keep foreign particles out of the eye, and the tonsils help to keep foreign particles out of your child's throat. The tonsils also help to keep infection from spreading. Yes, even the ear lobe has a purpose, for it's blood supply helps to keep our ears warm during cold weather.

EMBRYOLOGY is another field of study. This is where unborn embryos are studied in order to detect the preformed shape of humans and animals. This is the field where we find Haeckel talking about "ONTOGENY RECAPITULATES PHYLOGENY." This is the belief that every individual passes through the many evolutionary stages while still in the mother's womb. That is, your body took on the shape of an amoeba, then a paramecium, then a jelly fish, then a fish, then a bunch of other creatures during the nine months prior to your birth. Of course, this theory ignores the fact that respiratory systems develop LATE in the human embryo. So how did early mammal life exist without breathing? They've also ignored the fact that the head of an unborn baby is larger than the body, which is NOT the case with fish. Professor Waldo Sumway, of Stephens Institute of Technology, says that "There is never a time in the development of a mammal when it could have been mistaken for a fish or reptile."

TAXONOMY is where "cartoon" charts are used to artificially classify bones in order to "prove" evolution. This is where evolutionists develop a "disneyland" mentally and construct a char