If you want to quickly spot any form of “Christianity” gone south, watch for three specific telltale signs—a hat-trick of errors that, in whole or in part, characterize virtually every single Christian-sounding group that is off the reservation.
When you encounter a group you suspect may be theologically questionable, find out their answers to this trio of key questions. First, “Who or what is your spiritual authority?” Second, “Who is Jesus?” Third, “What must I do to be saved?”
The answers to these questions separate the wheat from the chaff, theologically. Invariably, aberrant groups falter on either their ultimate source of spiritual authority, or the person of Christ, or the work of Christ. Usually, they err on all three.
The first pitfall—adding some additional authority to the Word of God—is the most important one since mistakes about revelation compromise the foundation, frequently leading to the next two theological failures (and often a host of others). With virtually every group using the name “Christian,” the Bible plays a role of some sort in their theology. However, when other “authorities” are added on par with Scripture—either explicitly or implicitly—it’s the first indication that there’s trouble ahead.
There’s a reason for this. In my observation, whenever a group adds another equally weighty authority to the mix, God’s Word ends up in the back seat, allowing serious errors to gain a foothold.
With Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society rules over the text for its faithful, even authorizing their own corrupted New World Translation to advance its non-Christian theology.
Your Mormon friends at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) add the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price to their revelation mix—along with the authoritative pronouncements of their leadership.
Mind sciences like Christian Science, Religious Science, and Unity Church of Christianity each add their own “prophetic” sources—the writings of Mary Baker Eddy for Christian Science; Ernest Holmes for Religious Science; and the pronouncements of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, along with the “sacred books” of other major religions, for Unity. Progressive “Christian” churches substitute the authority of self over Scripture as the ultimate guide for doctrine and ethics.
Even groups well within the Christian fold falter at this stage. The Roman Catholic Church considers their teaching magisterium, holy tradition, and the Pope speaking infallibly ex cathedra as on par with the divine inspiration of Scripture. This admixture of authorities has, over the centuries, led to an array of heterodox teachings.
The presence of “apostles” or “prophets” peddling divine pronouncements and exercising ultimate authority in a local church should also alert you to the possibility of serious theological deviations. The so-called New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)—e.g., Bill Johnson of Bethel Church and his ilk—is thick with spiritual idiosyncrasies and theological error. Protestants keen on “hearing from God” stumble here, too, often embarking on destructive forays in both practice and theology, convinced that God has spoken to them.
The answers that false Christian groups give to the second question, “Who is Jesus?” are filled with theological mischief that’s completely at odds with Scripture.
For example, Mormons teach Jesus was the preexistent spirit brother of the devil and not the everlasting second member of the Trinity. Jehovah’s Witnesses hold that Jesus was the first creation of God, a finite creature who was used by God to create everything else. Unity teaches that Jesus was a mere human who did not literally die and rise from the dead but was “raised from the dead” spiritually to attain “Christ consciousness.”
Regarding the question “What must I do to be saved?” a simple summary is adequate. All groups that claim the name “Christian” yet are doctrinally aberrant deny that Christ’s death fully atones for all our sins. According to them, then, we save ourselves, one way or another. Contrast that with Paul’s unambiguous answer to the same question by the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:30–31). Paul simply said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
Stay on the alert for these three telltale signs of doctrinal danger. If you’re ever unsure about the biblical soundness of any new group, ask those three questions. Your vigilance will protect you and any flock God has given you to guard. Further, these consistent failures of aberrant groups alert us to the three areas of sound doctrine we need to be most biblically equipped to address.