Request your free, three-month trial to Tabletalk magazine. You’ll receive the print issue monthly and gain immediate digital access to decades of archives. This trial is risk-free. No credit card required.
Try Tabletalk NowAlready receive Tabletalk magazine every month?
Verify your email address to gain unlimited access.
2 Timothy 3:14–17
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God … that the man of God may be complete” (2 Tim. 3:16–17a).
We have examined six features that usually mark cults. Today we will look at an additional four. Cults typically are marked by the following.
7. An extra-Biblical source of authority
Many cults have their own holy writings, which are regarded as being not just on a par with Scripture but as historically more final and definitive than Scripture. Usually these writings are used to judge and interpret Scripture. Thus, the Bible is subordinated to some other authority. The Book of Mormon may be the best example of such an authority source. It is seen as revealed and inspired heavenly writing that is intended to illumine Scripture and, in some cases, to correct it.
8. A belief in exclusive community salvation
As we have seen, a cult by its very nature tends to claim that it is the one true church. The implication for individuals is plain—there is no salvation outside the cult. Thus, unbelievers must come in if they would be saved, and members dare not leave. The official dogma of the Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses makes this claim.
9. A pre-occupation with eschatology
Eschatology is the doctrine of last things. Many cults see themselves as founded by God in the last times to be the last true witness for God before the end comes. This breeds an intense interest in the Bible’s teachings on the last days and, usually, attempts to determine when the world will end. Latter-day Saints are called such because of their emphasis on the last days. And the the Seventh-day Adventists are keenly interested in the Second Advent.
10. Esotericism
Cults often put a premium on the esoteric—that which is “hidden.” They claim to have received knowledge of truths that have never before been brought to light. In many cases, the truth is said to have come by direct revelation to the leader of the group. Latter-day Saints founder Joseph Smith’s alleged revelations from the Angel Moroni are an example of this. The danger here is that an emphasis on the esoteric can serve as the bridge that carries a group from cult to occult.
These, then, are beliefs and practices that often mark cults. Tomorrow we will look at some of the things cults do to attract adherents and spread their gospel.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Subordinating the Word of God to any other source of authority is a serious matter. The Bible is our sole authority, our only rule of faith and practice, and we must guard against placing it under any other authority, no matter how subtly. Begin to ask God that He would give you a love for His Word and a burning desire to know it and heed it.
For Further Study
- Psalm 119:160
- Matthew 24:36
- Acts. 4:12
- Romans 1:18–19