False Accusations Exposed and Refuted
in the Light of the Scriptures
We have recently been accused of holding various heretical errors, such
as modalism, pantheistic philosophy, the “cosmic Christ,” and Eastern mystical
practices. Moreover, we are charged with being a “nonChristian cult.” In answer
to these accusations we submit the following:
- Modalism in the second and third centuries passed through several
changes and then reached its clearest expression with Sabellius. Sabellius taught that God
was not at the same time Father and Son, and that the revelation of the Son ends with the
ascension. The permanence of the Father, Son, and Spirit was denied by modalism.
But the Bible, which we believe, says in Matthew 3:1617, “He (the
Son) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and
lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I (the Father) am
well pleased”; and in John 14:1617, “I (the Son) will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the
Spirit of truth…” These words reveal clearly that the Father, Son, and
Spirit exist at the same time. The coexistence of the Father, Son, and Spirit is also
definitely revealed in 2 Corinthians 13:14, which says, “The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ (the Son), and the love of God (the Father), and the communion of the
Holy Spirit be with you all”; and in Ephesians 3:14, 17, which says, “I bow my
knees unto the Father....that he would grant you to be strengthened with might by his
Spirit in the inner man, that Christ (the Son) may dwell in your hearts.”
Therefore, believing in the pure Word of God, we strongly reject any kind of association
with modalism.
- Pantheistic philosophy is the error of equating God with nature and
worshipping it. The Bible says–and we believe it–“The Lord has prepared His
throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all” (Psa. 103:19). Again,
“Christ… Who is over all, God blessed forever” (Rom. 9:5). Christ is
not one with nature; He is “over all” nature. The Lord Jesus while on earth
spoke of Himself clearly, saying, “I am the bread…” (Jn.6:35);"I am
the light….”(Jn.8:12); “I am the door…” (Jn.10:9). He was also
referred to as “the lamb” (Jn.1:29). Only those who are grossly foolish and
erring in heart would equate Christ, the Almighty Creator, with the physical, material
substance of bread, light, a door, a lamb, etc. These are only types and figures of the
reality. Christ is the real bread, light, door, etc. He is the reality of every positive
thing. We worship Him, the living Person, the Son of the living God. Furthermore, the
Bible reveals that there is only one, unique God (1Cor. 8:4). And Isaiah 45:5 says,
“I am the Lord…there is o God beside me.” And this God is triune—the
Father, Son, and Spirit (Mt. 28:19).
- We have been evilly charged with believing in a “cosmic
Christ.” This is a very subtle, cruel, and damaging insinuation. We understand from
the current connotation and usage of “cosmic” that we are assumed of equating
Christ with an ethereal, mystical, impersonal influence that pervades all. This is far
from the truth. We know Him, we love Him, and we worship Him not as an influence, power,
or force, but as the very Lord Jesus Christ who walked in the flesh among men and is now
seated at the right hand of God.
- Our slanderers accuse us of indulging in “Eastern mystical
practices” similar to Sanskrit chanting. We strongly assert that we do nothing that
is not supported by the clear Word of God. We pray, we read the Bible, we give testimonies
of the Lord's working in us, we call on the name of the Lord. This latter practice,
calling on the Lord's name, is fiercely and slanderously condemned by our opposers. But we
would refer them to Scriptures too numerous to mention regarding calling upon the name of
the Lord. For example, Timothy was exhorted to “follow after righteousness, faith,
love, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Tim.
2:22). Saul had “authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon Thy
name” (Acts 9:14). We neither teach nor do we practice a vain mouthing of the Lord's
name or any other words or phrases. We call on Him “out of a pure heart,"
sincerely, honestly, from the depths of our being, calling out to Him that we may have
personal contact with Him. We find that indeed He is “rich unto all that call upon
Him” (Rom. 10:12).
- Finally, we are cruelly and unjustly maligned as being a
“nonChristian cult.” A nonChristian does not believe as we do that every word of
the Bible is inspired by God, that He is the Triune God Father, Son, and Spirit, that God
was incarnate in the flesh in the Person of the Lord Jesus, that He died upon the cross
shedding His blood for our sins, that He resurrected from the dead the third day, that He
ascended to the right hand of God, that He also indwells us as our life, and that He is
coming again to receive His own to Himself. This is the faith once for all delivered to
the saints. We would fight for it. If we are not Christians, then no one is. But we know
that all those who truly believe in the Person and redeeming work of such a Christ are the
bloodwashed, bornagain children of God, true Christians.
We hereby refute all the above accusations and plead with the reader to
judge honestly from a pure conscience and in the light of the Scriptures the truth of the
case.
© Living Stream Ministry. All rights reserved. Reproduced by permission.
