Cult Profile Expansion:The Christadelphians

The Christadelpians: What do they Believe?
by the McGregor Ministries
This page in a glance:The Background Of The ChristadelpiansView On The GodheadChristadelphian View Of JesusChristadelphian View Of Satan The DevilChristadelphian View Of SalvationA Parting Thought
The Background Of The Christadelpians
The Christadelphians have been with us since about 1848. They rose up after the Mormons, but prior to the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Seventh Day Adventists. A man name John Thomas founded the group. The Disciples of Christ denomination attempted to discipline this man for his "strange doctrines," but the discipline was not accepted by him. John Thomas drew off his own followers under their original name, "The Royal Association of Believers in New York", now known as the "Christadelphians".
John Thomas' book, "Elpis Israel" (Hope of Israel), and his successor's book, "Christendom Astray from the Bible", by Robert Roberts form the basis for the group's beliefs.
View On The Godhead
The Christadelphian publication, "Key to Understanding the Bible", page 13, reads under "The Godhead:"
"God is one, not three. He has revealed Himself as the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and of all who are related to Him in Faith."
God is therefore believed to be ONLY God the FATHER. Christians do believe there is only one God. However, whereas we agree that the Father is called God, the Son, Jesus Christ, is also called God. Therefore He is likewise a manifestation of the One God of Scripture.
Prophecy calls Jesus God - Matthew 1:23
The Disciples called Jesus God - John 20:25-28
The Father called Jesus God - Hebrews 1:8
Christadelphian View Of Jesus
Again, we quote from "Key to Understanding the Bible", page 14.
"Jesus Christ is not God the Son, but is the Son of God, begotten of the virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit. He was a man of our race, identical in nature with all mankind."
Jesus Christ is therefore presented by the Christadelphians as being the son of God ONLY, having no existence prior to his birth to Mary and being only a man by nature. However, the Bible plainly teaches the preexistence and eternal nature of Jesus Christ. For example, John 1:1 states,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God." (NAS)
Verse 14 continues, regarding Jesus,
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (NAS, c.f. Revelation 19:13)
The Word, Jesus Christ, was plainly there "in the beginning". In fact, He is "before all things" according to Colossians 1:17, which chapter of the Bible portrays Him as Creator of all.
The prophecy in Micah is of special interest. Micah 5:2 reads,
"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity."
The key word here is "eternity", also translated "everlasting". This is the Hebrew word "olam." This word was never used for any creature, or product of creation. It is ONLY used for GOD. This same Hebrew word is used of the Father in Psalm 90:2,
"...Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God."
The eternal nature of Jesus Christ is also evident from 1 Timothy 1:17,
"Now to the King ETERNAL, immortal, invisible, THE ONLY GOD, be honor and glory forever and ever, Amen."
Jesus Christ did function on this earth as a man to perfectly redeem us, but this did not detract from His eternal Deity. Colossians 2:9 says of Christ, "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form."
All is all, full is full. Jesus Christ, even in the flesh never ceased to be truly and fully God.
Christadelphian View Of Satan The Devil
Under the heading "Devil" and "Satan" in the Christadelphian publication, "Key to Understanding the Bible", on page 15, we find,
"Devil.....Its general meaning is sin or lawlessness, whether manifested individually or politically. It is also applied to the unlawful lusts and tendencies of human nature which invariably lead to sin. It is not a supernatural being. Satan is a Hebrew word signifying "adversary", "enemy", or "accuser"."
Christadelphians therefore reduce the Devil to our own sinful lusts, and make every adversary in the Bible a "Satan". Both views are in error, as we shall see.
In Zechariah 3:1,2, we see Satan standing before the angel of the Lord, and God Himself speaks to Satan, rebuking him. Was God rebuking His own lustful thoughts? Ridiculous. Likewise Jesus carried on quite a conversation with the person of Satan the Devil in Matthew 4, verses 1 through 11. Jesus, who was perfect, certainly did not have a sinful nature talking to Him! He was speaking to a real personage, Satan the Devil. Jesus went on to call him, the "father of lies" and a "Murderer" in John 8:44. These are titles for a real person, not abstract feelings.
Christadelphians need to know that there is a real person in the world called "Satan the Devil" and he delights in having people deny his existence, for then they never gain the mastery over him.
Christadelphian View Of Salvation
According to the booklet, "Christadelphians" by L. Hutchins, a Christadelphian gains salvation by
Accepting the gospel preached by Jesus Christ and His apostles, as interpreted by Christadelphians.
Being baptized by total immersion.
Obeying the commandments of Christ.
The Bible, on the other hand, promises us salvation by GRACE alone. Ephesians 2:8,9 puts it this way
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God, NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS, that no one should boast."
We as Christians should have good works, but they are a RESULT of our salvation, not a CONDITION for our salvation.
A Parting Thought
No doubt there will be sincere Christadelphians reading this tract, as well as Christians, so I want to add this personal note.
I understand so well how many hours you have given to your faith, always striving to improve, for I was once in a group similar to yours. I was a Jehovah's Witness for 15 years before the Lord set me free. Friends, please do not stumble over salvation by grace alone, because it seems too easy. First off, begin by praying an honest prayer to God, asking Him to reveal the truth to you through the pages of the Bible alone.
Set aside your Christadelphian publications for a time and really seek Jesus Christ through the pages of the Bible, and personally in prayer. You will find out that He is far different from what you have been taught. Nevertheless do not stop seeking until you find Him. After all, if you have the right Jesus Christ, you are right for all eternity, but if you have the wrong Jesus Christ you are wrong for all eternity. Please write to us in total confidentiality if we can assist you in any way in your search for the real truth.
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Answering a "refutation" of "Is Christadelphianism Christian?"

It is quite a complement when the groups I tackle on CARM attempt to answer the charges of them not being Christian. Following is one of the papers I found on Christadelphian website that attempted to refute my paper titled "Is Christadelphianism Christian?" It is located at http://www.biblebeliefs.net/carm/Page3.htm. I will respond to the "refutation" of my paper. His comments are in brown. Mine are in green.
Christadelphian: The C.A.R.M. has an interesting approach to the condemnation of various cults. A religious system is either 'Christian,' and therefore able to save despite minor errors, or 'non_Christian,' which cannot save because of major errors. The Christadelphians, they say, are non_Christian. The Christadelphian faith cannot save.Why not? The mind behind the C.A.R.M. has taken it upon himself to conjure up the 'Three Essential Doctrines' of Christianity. Any group which denies any one of these doctrines is non-Christian. These three doctrines are: Jesus is God, the physical resurrection, and salvation by grace through faith.
My Response: No cult member considers himself to be false. But, Christianity by definition states Christadelphianism to be false. The Essential Doctrines that I have on my website are not "conjured up" by me or anyone else. These essentials are essentials proclaimed by the Bible. I have merely brought them to peoples' attention. For this Christadelphian author to state that I have conjured them up tells me that he did not read the article where I give ample biblical references establishing their essential nature.
Christadelphian: Now where did the C.A.R.M. get the idea that these are the three essential doctrines of Christianity? Certainly not from the Bible. The Bible teaches that the gospel is 'the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ' (Acts 8:12).
My Response: Again this person fails to cite the scriptures that I have listed in that article. Therefore, I will briefly list them here:
Jesus is God in flesh
1 John 4:2-3: "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
The above verse needs to be cross referenced with John 1:1,14 (also written by John) where he states that the Word was God and the Word became flesh. In 1 John 4:2-3, John is not simply stating that Jesus existed, for that would be too obvious. Rather, he is dealing with the issue of Jesus’ incarnation.
Likewise, Jesus said in John 8:24: "I said, therefore, to you, that you will die in your sins. For if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins."
"I AM" is a phrase God used to describe Himself in Exodus 3:14.
Salvation by Grace
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Eph. 2:8-9, NIV). "You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace" (Gal. 5:4).
The Resurrection of Christ
"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith" (John 2:19-21), then your faith is useless.
Christadelphian: The C.A.R.M. says that Christadelphians deny the essential doctrine that Jesus is God in flesh. Christadelphians believe that Jesus was made of the same fallen, no_good substance that composes the rest of humanity: sinful flesh. Because of this, they follow a false Jesus, and 'they are then damned' according to the C.A.R.M. However, never did Jesus preach that we have to believe he is God _ it is not an essential doctrine. In fact, it is not a doctrine at all. The Old Testament teaches One God and Father of all, not One God, a Father, a Son and a Holy Spirit. The New Testament must teach the same thing, since God does not change. I am aware that I am arguing without Biblical backup: this is because I do not want to repeat what is said in the Trinity section of this website. If you want to see proof that Jesus was made of sinful flesh, go there.
My Response: The Bible does not teach that Jesus had a sinful nature. It teaches that Jesus was sinless (Col. 2:9 says, "for in Him dwells all the fullness of deity in the bodily form." John 1:1,14 says, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God... and the Word became flesh and dwelt to among us." As far as Jesus not teaching that we needed to believe that He was God, we simply need to look at His own words in John 8:24 where Jesus said, "unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins." Again, Jesus uses the title "I am" in reference to Himself. Of course, many cultists state that Jesus was simply saying that He was the messiah. But, note that in John 8:58, Jesus said, "before Abraham was, I am." At this, the Pharisees picked up stones to kill Him, but Jesus fled. Then in John 10:30-33, they again picked up stones to kill Him and the reason they gave for trying to kill Him was because He being a man made himself out to be God (John 10:33). When Jesus said "I am" He was equating to Himself the very name of God found in Exodus 3:14 where God says to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’"
Christadelphian: The C.A.R.M. also speaks of one doctrine of Christadelphians as 'absolute heresy' and 'demonic doctrine.' This is the doctrine that Jesus Himself had to be saved. Why is this doctrine demonic? Jesus' mother required atonement for giving birth to him (1 Pet. 3:21), a covenant sign of God's work upon the heart (Col. 2:11-12)." These are flowery words with no real meaning: inward reality? A covenant sign of God's work upon the heart? You should note that when you are writing and put a Bible reference in brackets at the end of a sentence, it is supposed to back up what you have said. However, the two references they quoted have nothing to do with inward realities or the heart. What does Col. 2:11-12 say? Speaking of Christ, "In whom ye also are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:" In the context Paul is explaining that the traditions of men such as circumcision are obsolete (v. 8). Writing to the Colossian believers (mostly uncircumcised Gentiles) he tells them that through the circumcision of Christ, they have put off the sins of the flesh, and can be redeemed. What is this 'circumcision of Christ' that is required to put off sin? Read on _ verse 12: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." When a person is immersed in water, they are figuratively buried and risen with Christ. Through this act of faith, we can obtain resurrection from the dead, since God raised Christ from the dead and we are being 'buried with Christ.'
My Response: Baptism is a very important part of Christianity. All Christians should be baptized. But, baptism is not an essential requirement of salvation. We can see this when we look at the whole of scripture which tells us that we are justified (made righteous) by faith (Rom. 5:1), not faith and something we do (Rom. 4:5); that people are saved before baptism (Acts 10:44-48; that baptism is not part of the gospel which saves (1 Cor. 15:1-4); and that Paul came to preach the gospel and not to baptize (1 Cor. 1:17). For more on this please read "Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?"
Christadelphian: I should also speak of how the C.A.R.M. condemns baptism as the works of the Law. Paul speaks frequently in his epistles about how the works of the Law were not necessary to be saved anymore. The Law had waxed old as a garment; it was a schoolmaster to teach the Jews about the coming Messiah. This is all fine and good. Now look at the C.A.R.M.'s major stretch of reasoning. Rom. 3:20 tells us that "by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his [God's] sight." This is the Law of Moses, which at this point had become obsolete. But the C.A.R.M. says, in other words, we are not saved by anything we do. Where did that come from? We are not saved by the Law of Moses: we are saved by grace through faith. And as Col. 2:12 told us, baptism is the operation of our faith! Baptism is necessary for salvation.
My Response: I do not want to get into a dissertation on baptismal regeneration and its error. My previous mention of the article "Is Baptism Necessary for Salvation?" is worth reading here.
Christadelphian: C.A.R.M.'s conclusion to this section is that Christadelphianism is a false religion. They are sincere, but "sincerity does not bridge the gap between God and man. Only the blood of the real Jesus does that." I agree, sincerity cannot save us. However, the C.A.R.M. has not shown us that Christadelphianism is a false religion.
My Response: The fact that Christadelphianism denies that Jesus is God in flesh is sufficient to make it a non-Christian cult. Faith is only as good as who you put it in. The Christadelphians have a "savior" with a sinful nature who himself needed to be saved. This sinful version of Jesus cannot save anyone. The true Jesus needed no savior. The Christadelphians do not have the true Jesus and because of that their faith is misplaced and in vain.
Dear reader, do not be deceived by the Christadelphians. Jesus is God in flesh. It is only God who can save us from our sins. We have a perfect and holy High Priest, Jesus. He was sinless and will forever love us and hold us close to Him. But, the Jesus of the Christadelphians, our older brother who had a sin nature, is false. A false Christ cannot save.
Jesus said, "For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect," (Christadelphian Page
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John Thomas (Christadelphian)
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Dr. John Thomas (April 12, 1805 - March 5, 1871 ) is generally considered to be the founder of the Christadelphians.
Contents[hide]
1 Early life
2 Emigration to the United States
3 Association with Alexander Campbell
4 The birth of the Christadelphian movement
5 Summary
6 Reference:
7 External links
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Early life
John Thomas was born in London, England in 1805. His father graduated as an Independent preacher in 1812 and one of his congregations was in Chorley, Lancashire. While living there, John Thomas began his medical studies around the age of 16. His family having moved back to London, at the end of two years he went to continue his studies at Guy’s and St. Thomas’s hospitals for a further three years.
During this period of his life his father left the ‘Independents’ and joined the Baptists, caring for a small congregation in Brentford. John Thomas shared his beliefs and wrote articles in the Lancet that appear to indicate a belief in the immortality of the soul.
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Emigration to the United States
Like many people of that era, in 1832 his father made the decision to seek fresh opportunities and emigrate to America. So it was that Dr John Thomas having few ties decided to go with his family, agreeing to go on ahead and prepare for the family. He took the opportunity to further his career and accepted an appointment as ship's surgeon on the Marquis of Wellesley which was bound from St. Katherine’s Docks, London to New York.
The ship embarked on May 1, 1832 and immediately sailed into stormy weather that lasted the whole voyage. During one ferocious storm the ship lost the top of the main mast and heavy seas stove in the bulwarks, washing everything moveable off the deck. Now well off course, the ship eventually ran into shallow water and ran aground off the coast of Nova Scotia. The ship was raised up by the waves on twelve successive occasions each time the keel striking the sea bed with such force that both crew and passengers were convinced the ship would break up.
Fearing that his life was about to end, Thomas determined to die with a prayer on his lips, prayed for mercy. He was very conscious of a void in his knowledge about what was to happen to him should he die. Thus he made a vow to dedicate his life, should he be spared, to religious study and to seeking out the truth about the matter of life and death.
Aided by a change in wind direction, the captain’s efforts to turn the ship back out to sea were successful and after one final bone-jarring grounding, the ship floated free. Thomas never forgot his vow and spent the rest of his life devoted to Bible study, determined to understand the true message of the scriptures.
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Association with Alexander Campbell
The Marquis of Wellesley docked in New York and Thomas travelled on to Cincinnati, Ohio where he discovered the teachings of Alexander Campbell. After further study he eventually joined the "Reformation Movement" and in October 1832 he was baptised in the Miami Canal. Initially he became a Campbellite evangelist, spending his time travelling around the eastern States of America preaching, until eventually settling down as a preacher in Philadelphia. It was here on the 1st January 1834 that he married Ellen Hunt who became his lifelong companion and constant support throughout the trials of faith that persisted throughout his life.
Dr Thomas also wrote for and was editor of the Apostolic Advocate which first appeared in May 1834. His studies during this period of his life generated the foundation for many of the beliefs he came to espouse as a Christadelphian. However, disagreement over beliefs eventually surfaced between Alexander Campbell and Dr Thomas. Dr Thomas believed that the Bible taught the requirement for candidates to demonstrate knowledge of the scriptures before baptism and that there would be a resurrected when Jesus Christ returned. Because of these differences in belief Dr Thomas was "disfellowshipped" in 1837. However some of the Campbellite congregations agreed with his views and departed with him.
At this time the Millerite or Adventist movement was growing and in 1843 Dr Thomas was introduced to William Miller, the leader of the Millerites. He admired their willingness to question orthodox beliefs and agreed with their belief in the second coming of Christ and the founding of a millennial age upon his return. Dr Thomas continued his studies of the Bible and in 1846 travelled to New York where he gave a series of lectures covering thirty doctrinal subjects that later formed part of his book Elpis Israel (The Hope of Israel).
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The birth of the Christadelphian movement
Based upon his new found understanding of the Bible, Thomas was rebaptised in 1847 and the groups of congregations and individuals who shared his beliefs continued to grow. In 1848 the movement became international when he travelled to England in order to preach what he now saw as the true gospel message. Upon his return to America Dr Thomas moved from Richmond to New York City and began to preach there. He made a point of speaking to the Jewish community because Dr Thomas had come to believe that Christianity did not replace the Law of Moses, but rather fulfilled it. He believed that Christians must though faith and baptism become the ‘seed’ of Abraham.
It was at this time that Dr Thomas and those who shared similar beliefs became known as the Royal Association of Believers. This group of believers used the term "ecclesia", a Greek word meaning church, to describe them. Instead of having a system of clergy, all the brethren took equal responsibility on a rota to take on the role of presiding and speaking during their meetings.
When in 1861 the Civil War broke out, Dr Thomas travelled to the South and became concerned that the war had placed believers upon opposing sides. However, the movement did not have an ‘official’ name until 1864. The movement as a whole considered that the war required them to make a stand for what they believed in as conscientious objectors. However, in order to be exempted from military service, it was required that believers had to belong to a recognised religious group that did not agree with participation in war. Thus in 1864, Dr. Thomas coined the name Christadelphian to identify members of the movement. The term Christadelphian comes from Greek and means ‘Brethren in Christ’. It was during the war that Dr Thomas worked on the three volumes of Eureka which discusses the meaning of the Book of Revelation.
On May 5 1868 Dr Thomas returned to England where he travelled extensively giving lecturers about the Gospel message and meeting with Christadelphians in England. During this period of his life he found extensive support and help from Robert Roberts who had been converted during a previous visit to England by Dr Thomas. Following his return to America he made one final tour of the Christadelphian congregations prior to his death on 5th March 1871 in Jersey City. He was buried in Brooklyn, New York.
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Summary
The results of his labours were committed to several books one of which, Elpis Israel, sets out many of the fundamental scriptural principles believed by Christadelphians to this day. However the reader needs to note, that no Christadelphian would view Thomas as being anything more than a sincere man who was an avid student of God’s Word.
John Thomas was neither prophet nor a type of messiah. He was neither leader nor director of any movement. He was just a man determined to find out what the Bible really taught and was able to inspire others to read and study the Bible for themselves. Dr John Thomas’ one overriding belief was that it was vital for individuals not to simply accept what they are taught about the Bible, but rather to read, understand and believe the scriptures for themselves.
This example and his work is the legacy that he has left to all true ‘Christadelphians’.
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Reference:
Peter Hemingray, John Thomas, His Friends and His Faith (2003: ISBN Number 81-7887-012-6)
Charles H. Lippy, The Christadelphians in North America (Lewiston/Queenston: Edwin Mellen Press, 1989).
Robert Roberts,Dr Thomas: His Life and Work (Birmingham: The Christadelphian, 1873)
Bryan R. Wilson, Sects and Society: A Sociological Study of the Elim Tabernacle, Christian Science and Christadelphians (London: Heinemann, 1961; Berkeley/Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1961).
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External links
Works by John Thomas
Who are the Christadelphians?
Works by John Thomas and other Christadelphian writers
More information on the Christadelphians
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Thomas_(Christadelphian)"
Categories: 1805 births 1871 deaths Londoners
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some known Christadelphian websites

Wrested Scriptures

Christadelphia World Wide

Christadelphian Pamphlets

Booklet Selection

The Foundational Books of Christadelphianism Leader John Thomas, The Elpis Israel, 1 , 2 , 3
The Eureka

Christadelphian History

Christadelphian Resource Links 1, 2, 3, 4 (christadelphianism own explanation on what a cult is)
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Cults By Rev. Paul Seiler
4. CHRISTADELPHIANISM

Christadelphianism

THE CHRISTADELPIANS

HERESIES EXPOSEDA Brief Critical Examination in the Light of the Holy Scriptures of some of the Prevailing Heresies and False Teachings of Today
Compiled byWM. C. IRVINE
Loizeaux Brothers, Bible Truth DepotNew YorkFirst Edition, 1917 - Fifteenth Edition 1944
Christadelphianism1By A.J. Pollock

JOHN THOMAS and the CHRISTADELPHIANS

THE DEVIL IN THE MIRROR AND OTHER CHRISTADELPHIAN THEOLOGY

Truth Eternal:Christadelphian Predictions Reviewed in the Light of the Bible

Strongholds Of Satan - Part 7
"Christadelphianism"
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Signing Off
Shofar
"The Shofar Has Sounded, Hear Its Call"