The Christadelphians

[Garland-Green]

Jude 1:3
Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.


The Christadelphian cult was founded by Dr. John Thomas, who was born in England in 1805.2 He was the son of a Congregational minister, so like many other cult leaders he came from a Church background. As a young man he studied medicine at St. Thomas' Hospital in London. Upon his graduation he emigrated to America. During his voyage to America, the ship on which he sailed was wrecked. He made a vow to God that if he ever came out of the disaster alive, he would devote his life to religion. He was eventually rescued, and when he reached America he gave up his medical career and became involved with a religious group known as the 'Campbellites', (known in Australia today as "The Churches of Christ.") However, he did not remain with the Campbellites for very long. He left them in the year 1838 and started his own movement, which he called 'Christadelphianism'. His ideas are set forth in the book which he wrote, entitled, Elpis Israel.





John Thomas returned to England three times, and during these visits he established a number of Christadelphian centres in England, the main one was located in Birmingham. By 1865 Dr. Thomas had about a thousand members throughout the world.4 The Christadelphian cult flourished in Britain more so even than in America. One of Dr. John Thomas' earliest converts in England was a man by the name of Robert Roberts. When John Thomas died in 1871, Roberts assumed the position of leadership in the cult. He wrote the book - Christendom Astray, which has become an important textbook for the cult. He also founded the magazine - The Christadelphian, through which the teachings of this cult have ever since been disseminated.

Although no official membership figures are published, the Columbia Encyclopedia gives an estimated figure of 50,000 Christadelphians, who are spread across approximately 120 countries.

More to come on doctrine and error.  

[Garland-Green]

According to the Christadelphians, Jesus was a fallen and unholy created thing that needed to save Himself. But how is it that such a fallen creature can be the savior of sinners? Does it make any sense? No. The Christadelphians are wrong.

Following is an outline that should help expose the error of the Christadelphians. Note that the references are from Christadelphian authors.

1. Jesus had a fallen and unholy nature according to the Christadelphians.
God has a sinless and holy nature.

2. Therefore, according to the Christadelphians, Jesus was not divine.
Jesus never sinned according to the Christadelphians.
But, how is it possible for a fallen and unholy person to not sin?
If the Christadelphians say that Jesus, with a fallen and unholy nature, was able to keep the Law of his own power and will, then on what basis do they justify that claim, especially since Adam, who had a sinless nature, failed to do it?

If the Christadelphians say Jesus never sinned because "God was working in Him," then it isn't really Jesus who kept the Law, was it? It would have been God working in Christ and not Christ himself. This would mean that the person of Christ was not keeping the Law of his own accord.
If it wasn't Jesus who was keeping the Law, then he had nothing righteous to offer as a sacrifice.

That would mean that the sacrifice had no value and there is no redemption for the Christadelphians.

If the Christadelphians say it was the power of God working in Jesus to keep the Law and that Jesus really did keep the Law of his own accord, then on what basis do they claim that God doing the work in Christ is really Christ's work?

3. Jesus needed to save himself according to the Christadelphians.
If Jesus needed to save himself, then why?

The Christadelphians teach that Jesus was sinless. If he was sinless, he needed no redemption because sin causes a separation between God and man (Isaiah 59:2) and it is sin that brings judgment (Rom. 1:18; James 2:9).
In addition, our very nature also brings judgment. Eph. 2:3 says we are by nature children of wrath. This means that we are fallen and unholy by nature.
If Jesus was fallen and unholy by nature, then how can his sacrifice be of sufficient value since it is by nature fallen and unholy?
If the Christadelphians say the sacrifice has value because Jesus never sinned, then see #2 above.

If Jesus needed to save himself then from what did he need salvation?
If the Christadelphians say the judgment is of God, then it can only be that the judgment of God would reside upon Christ because Christ has a fallen and sinful nature -- since the Christadelphians maintain that Jesus never sinned.
This would mean that the sacrifice of Christ was, by nature, also unholy and fallen because Jesus was, by nature, unholy and fallen. The value of the sacrifice is derived from the nature of the sacrifice.

If the Christadelphians say the sacrifice was not fallen and unholy because Jesus never sinned, then see #2 above.

4. The Bible says the sacrifice must be without blemish
Deut. 17:1 says, "You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep which has a blemish or any defect, for that is a detestable thing to the Lord your God." (See also Ezekiel 43:22-23, 25; 45:18, 23 for the same theme.).

Having a sin nature is a blemish.
Jesus offered Himself on the cross. "Himself" includes His nature since that is part of Himself. This is in contradiction to the Christadelphians who teach that Jesus only offered up His "works" to God the Father.
"[Jesus] who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself," (Heb. 7:27).
"How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:14).
"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many," [Matt. 20:28].
"looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds," (Titus 2:13).
See also Eph. 5:2 and 1 Peter 2:24.
If Jesus offered up Himself, which had a fallen nature, then the sacrifice was unholy and the Christadelphian Jesus cannot save anyone. Therefore, the Christadelphians are lost.
For the Christadelphians to hold their position that Jesus' nature was not offered on the cross, then they will need to establish how when the Bible says that Jesus offered up "Himself," that "Himself" somehow excluded Jesus' own nature.

The truth
Jesus, the man, was also divine in nature and, therefore, holy and sinless. Because he was both God and man [John 1:1,14; 20:28; Col. 2:9; Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 1:8], His sacrifice was, by nature, pure and holy. Because He was also a man who kept all the Law and because He was pure and holy by nature, the righteous sacrifice He offered was truly His to offer. Because it was His to offer and it was pure and holy, it is sufficient to cleanse us from all our sins.
The Sacrifice of Christ was substitutionary.
1 Pet. 2:24, "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed."

2 Cor. 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."
Jesus was never a fallen and unholy creature who Himself needed salvation. He is the Savior, God in flesh.
Exodus 3:14, "And God said 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."
John 8:58, "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.'"

John 8:24, "I said therefore to you, that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you shall die in your sins."