Heresy

At its zenith, the Worldwide Church of God had 150,000 believers attending weekly services and received $200 million in tithes and offerings from those supporting its message.   Then came a time when church leaders abandoned foundational doctrines and converted to the belief system of the world’s religions.  Those who held on to some of the original teachings have splintered into more than 300 organizations, groups, and house churches at last count.  This division is nothing new.  In the first century, Paul warned the elders at Ephesus that such events would happen. 

Acts 20:29-30

²⁹ For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.

His prediction was that some of the men he was speaking to would rise up and twist and distort (see “diastrepho”, Vines) the truth.  The result would be that the disciples would be lured from the right way and turn aside to follow men that he characterized as savage wolves. In Galatians 5, Paul wrote about the works of the flesh – several of which are very much present when men go out and form their own church groups.

Galatians 5:19-21

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,^* fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders,^* drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Practicing works such as contentions, selfish ambitions, dissensions, and heresies is not some light and inconsequential matter.  Paul strongly warned us that if any of those are our way of life, we will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  Since we want to be in the Kingdom, it is important that we clearly understand the works that we had best not practice.  Paul cited “heresies” as one of those works.  If you were asked, could you tell someone what heresy is – or is not? 

Definition

The dictionary defines heresy as “An opinion or a doctrine at variance with established religious beliefs,” (AHD).  In the New Testament, the word heresy is a translation of the Greek word “hairesis,” which means:

NT:139 ‎ ‎hairesis (hah'-ee-res-is); from NT:138; properly, a choice, i.e. (specially) a party or (abstractly) disunion: (Strong’s Concordance)

Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words further explains the meaning.

hairesis (‎NT:139) denotes (a) "a choosing, choice" (from haireomai, "to choose"); then, "that which is chosen," and hence, "an opinion," especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to division and the formation of sects, Galatians 5:20 (marg., "parties"); such erroneous opinions are frequently the outcome of personal preference or the prospect of advantage; see 2 Peter 2:1, where "destructive" (RV) signifies leading to ruin;

Key Elements

So what are the key elements of heresy?

The Greek word indicates choice is involved.  If there is choice, then the individual making the choice has awareness of the various options.  The person knows the truth – and the alternatives.  But for some reason the person chooses to have an erroneous opinion – he chooses error and the false instead of the truth. 

Added to that knowledge is an attitude.  Anyone guilty of heresy is self-willed.  They will not submit to the truth.  In reality, they will not even submit to God Himself.  Heresy hearkens back to Adam and Eve’s actions in the Garden of Eden.  They had a choice; they knew the options. But they wanted to choose for themselves what to do.  They did not want to submit to God.  They wanted the right to make their own choice and to come up with the way that seemed right to them. They just did not want anyone telling them what to believe or what to do.

But why this stiff-necked attitude and this wrong choice?  The definition gives two reasons: 1) “the prospect of advantage” and 2) “personal preference.”  Paul warned the elders at Ephesus about those who would twist and distort the truth in order to draw disciples after themselves.  These individuals are willing to be guilty of heresy in order to gain personal advantage.   They had rather teach and believe something that is not exactly right so they can be the one in charge or so that people will look up to them or so that they can get tithes and offerings.  The lust and craving for power and overwhelming greed cause some to make a choice.  They choose heresy – false teachings – over the truth. 

Others are guilty of heresy because of personal preference.  It’s like the church of your choice philosophy that is predominant in the United States.  Some prefer high church – formal and ritualized worship, robes and chanting the same prayers week after week.  Others want to “get down with it” in their church services – have a lot of moving music and emotional messages.  Some have been drawn to the Church of God because they prefer the message of prophecy, but other teachings have not been to their liking.  The truth is that the Bible nowhere indicates that God presents us with a cafeteria approach to religious beliefs.  We cannot choose this belief or that belief and disregard or change others.  God does not give the option of preferring to have salvation while committing adultery.  That is not on the menu.  Neither is being a king and a priest in the Kingdom of God while believing and teaching your own set of ideas and doctrines.

The Fruit

What is the fruit of heresy?

Heresy leads to arguments and contentions and dissension.  Ultimately, there is division and disunion among believers. That division leads to the formation of different religious groups and organizations.  Doesn’t that describe what has happened among those who call themselves the Church of God over the past two decades?

The apostle Peter also wrote about heresies in 2 Peter 2. 

2 Peter 2:1-3

¹ But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does^* not slumber. 

Heresy destroys. It is destructive to the church and to the individual who falls for deceptive teachings and beliefs.  Peter and Paul were inspired by God to give us all strong warnings about the penalty for heresy.  You can read the remainder of 2 Peter 2 to get the full force of the message God wants us to get. Heretics and groups based on heresy will not inherit the Kingdom of God. 

Unity 

Instead of a body of believers with widely varying beliefs, God wants His church to be unified. 

Ephesians 4:1-6

¹ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you^* all.

When we humble ourselves and maintain lowliness of mind, when we practice longsuffering, and when we bear with each other in love, we can avoid the deadly work of heresy.  When we allow the one God to be in us, we can remain unified in the bond of peace.  When we avoid destructive heresies, we will inherit the Kingdom that is being prepared for us!