IGLESIA NI CRISTO

A presentation of its roots, doctrines,

and a Christian response
by Rena Gail Betansos

January 15, 2020

BACKGROUND
 One of the most controversial cult in the Philippines
is the INC or Iglesia ni Cristo (Tagalog translation of
“Church of Christ”. It is an indigenous sect founded
only on July 27, 1914 in the Philippines (not in
Jerusalem), this was founded by Mr. Felix Manalo
born May 10, 1886 in Barrio Calzada, Tipas, Taguig
(Transferred to Rizal province in 1901 and now part
of Metro Manila).

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Felix Y. Manalo
Founder

• Baptized Roman Catholic.

• His real name was “Felix Ysagun”, but for some personal hidden
agenda he changed it to “Felix Manalo”, taking the family name of
his mother.
• He was raised in a rural setting by his devout Catholic parents
Mariano Ysagun and Bonifacia Manalo but dissatisfied with Roman
Catholic theology.
• Sought various denominations
• Colorumism
• Methodist
• Presbyterian
• Christian Mission
• Seventh-day Adventist

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Felix Y. Manalo
Founder

• November 1913, After a three-day period of fasting and meditation,

he concluded that the conflicting doctrines of various Christian
groups could be resolved only through a fresh examination of the
Bible from a non-Western perspective.
• He proposed the formation of a new 'Church of Christ' seated in
Asia.
• In the same year, Manalo and his wife started preaching in Punta,
Santa Ana, Manila, launching Iglesia ni Cristo.

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THE RISE OF IGLESIA NI
CRISTO

 The INC was duly registered with the Philippine government on

27 July 1914 as a religious corporation, and by year's end it
embraced around 100 converts. (One day after World War I)
 Left the congregation in Manila, started to evangelize in Taguig.
 Ridiculed and stoned in Taguig locals, but baptized a few
converts and persecutors.
 1916, started building congregation in provinces.
 1919, first three ministers were ordained.

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MAIN DOCTRINES
AND ITS REFUTATION
1. God the Father, Jesus Christ, and
the Holy Spirit:
• Believes in oneness of God the Father,
Creator and only true God. (John 17:3)
• Rejects Trinity and adheres Unitarianism.
• Jesus Christ and the Apostles did not
teach that Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ
are God.
• Jesus Christ, mediator between the
Father and men, and was created by the
Father. Gave him titles such “Lord” and 7

“Son of God”, denies his deity.

John 17:3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
3 
This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

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 REFUTATION
• John 17:3, αυτη δε εστιν η αιωνιος ζωη ινα γινωσκωσιν σε τον
μονον αληθινον θεον και ον απεστειλας ιησουν χριστον (ton monon
aletheinon theon kai on apesteilas iesoun christon, “… the only true
God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”). The INC here focused
only on what Jesus said “that they may know You, the only true
God …” and disjunct/leaves the next phrase which is “and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent” which is very illogical and misleading
(see also John 17:5 and compare John 1:1). We Christians should
believe Tota Scriptura (all Scriptures, see 2 Tim. 3:16).
• The word “and”/kai in John 17:3 conjuncts or simply links the
elements together (“additive sense”). Thus, eternal life can be
obtained by having personal knowledge of God the Father and
Jesus Christ. 9
 REFUTATION
Trinity (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy
Spirit):
• “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the
love of God and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14
• “Thomas answered and said to Him (Christ),
‘My Lord and my God’! ” John 20:28,
Lord/kyrios is used supremely of Christ the Lord, the
sovereign over all creation who is the Creator (cf. Jn
1:3; Col 1:16,17).
• “In the beginning was the Word, and the 10

Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

 REFUTATION
• Scripture reveals the mystery of God eternally existing in three distinct
Persons, in one indivisible Godhead (showing His absolutely simple
being). God the Father in Scripture is particularly associated with the
intentions (thoughts, plans) about our salvation. God the Son speaks
(declares) these, as the eternal Word. God the Holy Spirit illuminates
these and reveals them to believers through faith – executing the
operations of the triune God by mediating them to us on the earth.
• For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks
in you. Matthew 10:20
• The Holy Spirit is not merely a divine power ("influence") which INC
believes. The Holy Spirit has real personality (Jn 14:17,26, 15:26, 16:13).
• The Holy Spirit is divine – the third Person of the holy Trinity (Mt 28:19;
Ac 5:3-4; 1 Cor 3:16).  Accordingly, the Spirit is referred to as the
Lord/Yahweh (cf. 2 Cor 3:17). 11
 2. ONE TRUE CHURCH
• First church (RC Church) was apostatized in the 1st or 4th century due to false
teachings.
• Fulfillment of the Bible verse : Isaiah 43:5 “east” as Philippines where founded
the Church of Christ.
• “elect of God”, no salvation outside Iglesia ni Cristo. (2 Cor. 5:21)
• Faith alone is not sufficient for salvation but in church membership.
• Romans 16:16, “churches of Christ” and Acts 20:28, “feed the church of Christ
which he has purchased with his blood.”
• Felix Manalo, restorer of the church of Christ and God’s last messenger, Sugo.
He was referred as “angel from the east”, Revelation 7:1-3, “ravenous bird from
the east” Isaiah 46:11, “worm Jacob” Ps. 22:6-7, “one shepherd” John 10:16,
and “the last Elijah” Matthew 17:10-11; Malachi 4:5.

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Isaiah 43:5 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
5 “Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
And gather you from the west.

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 REFUTATION
• Isaiah 43:5 was the return of the Jews to their
homeland under Zerubbabel (also the surrounding
nations). (Compare Ezra 2:1 with Isaiah 49:12)
• Romans 16:16, “churches” here is the true “Church
universal” (Matt. 16:18, Ac. 2:47, Ac. 5:11) and local
churches (1 Cor. 7:17, Gal. 1:2, Philemon 2). There is
only one body of Christ which includes all believers
(OT, NT), regardless of their local church affiliation.
 See Eph 2:19, 3:6, 4:4-5.
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 REFUTATION
SALVATION:
• 8 
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one
may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk
in them. Ephesians 2:8-10
• 12 
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under
heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
• 6 
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one
comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6

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 3. EXCOMMUNICATION
• Members who are not following the doctrines of INC are
admonished first and then when deliberate, excommunicated
or expelled from INC. Thus, lose salvation. (1 Cor. 5:12-13;
Jn. 15:6)
• Examples of violations are: eating blood, marrying or
having a romantic relationship with a non-INC member.

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1 Corinthians 5:12-13 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge
those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside,
God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

John 15:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch
and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and
they are burned.

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 REFUTATION
• And I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them
out of my hand. John 10:28
• who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those
who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal
life; Romans 2:6,7
• He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My
son. 8 But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and
immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake
that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Revelation 21:7,8
• "The sober warnings above demonstrate a believer always remains free "to choose
otherwise," i.e. the Lord always allows them to reject His Lordship.  Here they return
to their former condition, i.e. again without redemption.  This is no reflection on the
faithfulness of God.  Rather it is the result of the unfaithfulness of the believer who
insists on vacating their relationship with the Lord not in the Church of Christ (INC).
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 4. GOD’S MESSENGER IN THE LAST
DAYS: Brother Felix Y. Manalo
• Felix Manalo, restorer of the church of Christ and God’s last messenger, Sugo.
He was referred as “angel from the east”, Revelation 7:1-3, “ravenous bird from
the east” Isaiah 46:11, “worm Jacob” Ps. 22:6-7, “one shepherd” John 10:16, and
“the last Elijah” Matthew 17:10-11; Malachi 4:5.
• He is the chosen servant with a covenant to deify God while claiming the verse
Isaiah 41:9-10. (Manalo, 54)
• The Protestantism and Catholicism are being referred to by the prophecy as the
north and the south which restrained the people to whom Brother Felix Y.
Manalo was sent (Isaiah 43:5-6). (Manalo, 55)
• It is said that Felix Manalo would snatch people away from these false religions
to save them from the punishment of fire (Jude 1:23) (Manalo, 56).

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 REFUTATION
• “… You are my servant, I have chosen... ” in Isaiah 41:9 is pertaining to
Israel (2 Peter 1:10) through Isaiah’s prophecy that became the preacher
of the Divine election (Ellicott). Israel was taken from Ur of the Chaldees,
and from Egypt, and to the Palestine. Isaiah views Palestine as Israel’s
true habitat, whatever may its temporary abiding place; not even when in
exile was Israel “cast away” still God extended His care over them
(Pulpit).
• The north and the south were the places where Israel was exiled. Isaiah
prophesied to conduct and escort them from places of their abode to their
own country (Ezra 8:22 and Nehemiah 2:7).
• It is absurd and unbiblical to claim that the south and the north was the
Protestantism and Catholicism whereas the prophecy happened before
Christ was born.
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 5. VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS
• They believe that it is God who gave the command to
contribute and give thanksgiving offerings to support the
needs of the church. Thus, to fulfill these obligations is to
lay up a good foundation for the attainment of eternal life.
• Giving contributions is an obligation or responsibility to
God and to fail this is to commit a sin.

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 REFUTATION
• It is ironical when they said “voluntary contributions” while
believing that it is an obligation of a Christian to give. Apostle Paul
said, “cheerful giving” which describes spontaneous (non-reluctant)
giving (2 Corinthians 9:7). It is voluntary yet a commitment to God.

• Nowhere we can find in the Bible that failing to giving alms to the
church is a sin. It may be an activity of non-submissive and self-
centered that made it a sin but not giving in and of itself is not a sin.
Further, it is not a good work to attain eternal life but rather a
voluntary yet commitment to God as an overflow of one’s love to
Him.
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 References
• Manalo, Erano G. Fundamental Beliefs of the
Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) Series 1989.
Quezon City: Philippines, 1998.
• www.pasugo.com.ph, Pasugo: God’s Message.
• Tuggy, Arthur Leonard. Iglesia ni Cristo: A
Study in Independent Church Dynamics. Quezon
City: Conservative Baptist Publishers, 1976.

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THANK
YOU!
RENA GAIL BETANSOS