Jesus , the Real One always separates the different religions, faiths of this world. Its why so many times the New Testaments talks about false Christs, false teachers, deceivers etc......
Some do this intentionally while others I believe are deceived into thinking they have the real Jesus. But there are many "tests" in the N.T. where we can discern the real from the fake much like trained bankers can spot a counterfeit $100 from the genuine $100.
I will quote the late Dr. Walter Martin. What we deal with most of the time is a language barrier. We read the same words in the Bible and have a different definition and vocabulary than those with a different Jesus, a different gospel. Its the semantic game being played out on a regular basis with online forums and when you answer the person knowing at your door to talk about the Bible.
Here is Dr Martin below in his summary of this issues we encounter :
"The historic doctrine of the Trinity is seldom, if ever, considered without careful redefinition. If the reader consults the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary, published by the Unity School of Christianity, he will see the masterpiece of redefinition for himself. For in this particular volume, Unity has redefined exhaustively many of the cardinal terms of biblical theology, much as Mary Baker Eddy did in her Glossary of Terms in the book Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures. The reader will be positively amazed to find what has happened to biblical history, the person of Adam, the concept of human sin, spiritual depravity, and eternal judgment. One thing, however, will emerge very clearly from this study: Unity may use the terminology of the Bible, but by no stretch of the imagination can the redefinition be equated with the thing itself. Another confusing aspect of non-Christian cultists’ approach to semantics is the manner in which they will surprise the Christian with voluminous quotations from no less authority than the Bible, and give the appearance of agreeing with nearly every statement the Christian makes in attempting to evangelize the cultist. Such stock phrases as “
We believe that way too; we agree on this point” or the more familiar, “[Mrs. Eddy, Mr. or Mrs. Fillmore, Mr. Evans, Dr. Buchman, Joseph Smith, or Brigham Young] says exactly the same thing;
we are completely in agreement.” All such tactics based upon the juggling of terms usually have the effect of frustrating the average Christian, for he is unable to put his finger on what he knows is error, and is repeatedly tantalized by seeming agreement which, as he knows, does not exist. He is therefore often forced into silence because he is unaware of what the cultist is actually doing. Often, even though he may be aware of this in a limited sense, he hesitates to plunge into a discussion for fear of ridicule because of an inadequate background or a lack of biblical information.
The solution to this perplexing problem is far from simple.
The Christian must realize that for every biblical or doctrinal term he mentions, a redefinition light flashes on in the mind of the cultist, and a lightning-fast redefinition is accomplished. Realizing that the cultist will apparently agree with the doctrine under discussion while firmly disagreeing in reality with the historical and biblical concept, the Christian is on his way to dealing effectively with cult terminology. This amazing operation of terminological redefinition works very much like a word association test in psychology.
It is simple for a cultist
to spiritualize and redefine the clear meaning of biblical texts and teachings so as to be in apparent harmony with the historic Christian faith. However, such a harmony is at best a surface agreement,
based upon double meanings of words that cannot stand the test of biblical context, grammar, or sound exegesis. Language is, to be sure, a complex subject; all are agreed on this. But one thing is beyond dispute, and that is that in context words mean just what they say. Either we admit this or we must be prepared to surrender all the accomplishments of grammar and scholastic progress and return to writing on cave walls with charcoal sticks in the tradition of our alleged stone-age ancestors. To illustrate this point more sharply, the experience of everyday life points out the absurdity of terminological redefinitions in every way of life.
A quick survey of how cults redefine Christian terminology illustrates this important observation.
Cult | Term | Cult Definition | Christian Definition |
Mormonism | God | Many gods | One God |
Jehovah’s Witnesses | Jesus Christ | Not god, created by Jehovah | God the Son, Creator of all |
Christian Science | Sin | Illusion, error, not real | Disobedience to God |
New Age | Salvation | Becoming One with the Universe/God | Reconciliation with God by means of Christ’s atonement |
Is it any wonder, then, that orthodox Christians feel called upon to openly denounce such perversions of clearly defined and historically accepted biblical terminology, and claim that the cults have no rights—scholastically, biblically, or linguistically—to redefine biblical terms as they do? "
hope this helps !!!
