What is heresy?

What is Heresy?

 

James asked how I would define heresy, and as with all of James’ questions, he started me thinking. This thread, then, is an attempt to open up the discussion, and reveal and explain why I find the accusations so ludicrous when directed at those who espouse the Word of Faith paradigm for biblical hermeneutics.

 

What heresy isn’t

 

The first thing to discuss is what heresy isn’t. My experience in the body of Christ has led me to almost as many different denominations as I can handle. I have been sprinkled by New England Congregationalists before the UCC, confirmed by an agnostic Episcopalian bishop in a parish that experienced the Charismatic renewal through the ministry of Dennis Bennett, dunked by a Pentecostal Jamaican in a tea-colored pond, taught for two years by a Charismatic Lutheran who found Jesus and revival through the ministry of Kathryn Kuhlman. I was a member of the AoG in seminary. As a missionary, I worked with two militantly anti-charismatic churches. I was in two Brethren churches in Paris and Nazareth, Israel. I’ve never been asked to leave any Christian body, except in Morocco, where I got put up against a wall by two Muslim clerics for discussing Jesus with a rug salesman who initiated the conversation, and the rumors got back to the Christian missionaries, who don’t exist in Morocco unless they can remain completely invisible and ineffective.

 

The point is, I haven’t seen it all, but I’ve seen much. I’ve heard much, and I’ve been criticized much. I’ve also criticized. Every single box, where Christians meet to celebrate the sacrificial love of our mutual savior, the death and resurrection of Christ was celebrated, the gospel was preached to varying degrees, and a distinctive doctrine was taught. Error was also taught. The Christians in each box reflected both the degree of the doctrines taught in their box, and, to some extent, the error. No box was error-free. As Apollos came to Ephesus and taught perfectly the things concerning the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John, a preacher today with the same blind spot would not know his own blind spot unless he had the humility to allow Priscilla and Aquilla to take him aside and teach him more perfectly the way of God.

 

Heresy, therefore, isn’t ignorance. It is not error based on ignorance. There isn’t a man alive today who could not eventually learn more perfectly the way of God. In fact a true teacher is not defined by perfection of doctrine, but transparent humility and a willingness to grow.

 

Heresy recognized

 

Heresy is more easily recognized than defined. Apollos can be teaching that there is not Holy Spirit, because he has never even heard that there was a Holy Spirit. Apollos is no less a teacher, and he certainly is no heretic; and his doctrine is not heresy, because his love for the way of the Lord drives him eventually into the doctrine of the Spirit. He neither continues in his error, nor does he spend the rest of his days criticizing those who don’t see it as it has been revealed to him. In fact, Apollos immediately goes to Achaia, the place where Priscilla and Aquila acquired the knowledge, to avail himself of the experience there. And there he made many friends. This is the promise of the gospel through Jesus, when He said, “You will drink any deadly poison, and it will no wise harm you.” I’m not minimizing the deadly nature of error, but I’m magnifying the power of the gospel, able to save us, even from error.

 

Heresy can be seen by the opposition it creates to the spread of the gospel. Heresy knows more. Heresy knows better. Heresy attacks groups, and rejects groups. Heresy cannot see beyond the group, into the heart of the individuals within that group. Heresy seeks to stir up parties, create factions and foster strife. Heresy recognizes no member outside the doctrines of it’s own small group. Heresy resists; heresy opposes; heresy accuses.

 

Heresy withholds the right hand of fellowship, until the other party conforms his doctrine to the heretic’s own.

 

Those who espouse heresy can be equally recognized by their claim of authority. Their appeal is always to an extra-biblical authority. Joe Smith appealed to private revelation and a fantasy novel. The followers of Charles T. Russell appeal to the Watchtower, and base their authority on the memorized interpretations of that society. The fatal error of the papists is their constant appeal to the authority of their traditions, which in part nullify the promises of God in favor of the traditions of man.  Where tradition trumps the scripture, there heresy’s seed is sown. Error, on the other hand, where it is not heresy, appeals to scripture, and it’s source can be clearly seen in scripture misconstrued.

 

Heresy defined

 

Heresy, therefore, is any doctrine that requires the disciple to place that doctrine above obedience, and reject the commandment of love. If the pastor stands in the pulpit proclaiming the righteousness of his box over that box over there, because in his box they clap/do not clap, dance/do not dance, prophesy/do not prophesy; if he leads his “lively” body to rejoice over the error of a “dead” body; if he points the finger at the pastor who serves coffee, uses lights, and declares them lost in light of him and his box, that pastor is in danger of heresy, and blasphemes the body to which he’s one member merely called. If he teaches his body to mistrust another, instead of reaching out in love, that pastor has rejected his own call, and has accepted the call as adversary.

 

Jehovah’s witnesses teach heresy, because they are told to remove themselves from prayer and spiritual fellowship with believers. Mormon’s are taught that the church left the true gospel in the first century, and Joe Smith restored it. Roman Catholics are told that all truth proceeds from Rome. Those who are stuck believing the commentaries they have chosen for their indoctrination, have not sought the Holy Spirit, sent to teach us all.

 

True teachers recognized

 

Paul says this of himself: 1 Tim 1:12-15

 

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. NKJV

 

Ignorance and unbelief are not incurable…but they can be deadly if not recognized and repented of. When a pastor enforces ignorance and unbelief, even when that ignorance and unbelief hearken to centuries=old traditions of ignorance and unbelief, that pastor has removed himself from the call of God, and has taken an adversarial role in the body. When a pastor’s claim to authority rests in his conformity to tradition, and not in conformity to the apostles of God, that pastor’s claim is tenuous at best. There is but one Spiritual authority, given to the church, and that is the Word of God through the Spirit of God, sent to teach.

 

All doctrine is measured by the fruit thereof, whether it produces obedience unto an answer to Jesus’ prayer in John 17, and a revelation of the working of the Body of Christ, or merely another sect and an excuse to withhold the right hand of fellowship. True teachers, with a real, supernatural revelation of the real, supernatural gospel of Jesus Christ, extend grace to those who are without, whether they are without the body, or merely without the particular revelation that teacher has received. True husbandmen work to strengthen the grafting to the vine, they speak the testimony of Jesus to those who are without, and they edify and comfort whom they can, exhorting them to love and to good works.

 

The heretic stands at the tree with pruning shears, ready to cut away anything that looks remotely wild...after he has defined the term "wild" to his own satisfaction.