The deception distorts the truth about who Jesus is.

If any person, group, or church tries to tell you that Jesus was not God, that He was only a man (or anything other than God), then they are false teachers concerning Christianity.

As Christians, that is the one point that we cannot disagree on. Many groups claim to be Christian, but if they deny the divinity of Jesus they are false teachers. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that Jesus was and is God. Also, if any group or person says that we too can become a god someday, then they are false teachers as well.

I'm going to share with you several key verses of scripture that support the divinity of Jesus. I encourage you to mark these verses in your Bible, so that when you are approached by any of these groups or individuals, you will be equipped to defend your faith.

Many Christians are spiritually shredded by cults because they don't know how to explain what they believe. Simply saying, "well I believe because it says so in the Bible" won't cut it when they challenge you to show them where. Here are a few very important verses concerning the divinity of Jesus:

John 8:58 - "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (compare this verse to Exodus 3:14 which says, "God said to Moses, "I am who I am." This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.")

Matthew 1:23 - The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel - which means, "God with us."

Hebrews 1:7-8 - In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire." But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."

See also John 10:30-33, John 1:1, Micah 5:2, 1 Timothy 3:16, and John 5:18 just to name a few. It is kind of hard to argue that Jesus is not God when the Father himself says to Jesus in Hebrews 1:8, "Your throne, O God." That is one verse that tongue ties the cults every time.

The deception claims that salvation is based upon works and not grace.

All Christians are saved by the grace of God and not by what we do. We have never, nor will we ever be able to do anything to deserve salvation. It is only by accepting the finished work of Jesus on the cross that we are saved.

Next... How To Avoid Being Deceived by False Teachers Part 3