At the essence of heresy is rebellion, leading to confusion, and not the other way round in being confusion in essence, leading to rebellion owing to ignorance. Rebellion is always at the heart of all heresy. Heretics believe in their heresy because of their rebellion against God. Such rebellion is not mere rebellion, but arrogant rebellion which not only loves sin, but loves to challenge the authority of God, in not only who He is, but also His Word, and ultimately, His Lordship. For that is what rebellion ultimately seeks to oppose, and to usurp the Lordship of God over one's life so that one can exercise one's own lordship over one's life.
Heresies are of two kinds:
1. Theological heresy - that which denies or distorts any aspect of the Nature of God.
2. Moral heresy - that which denies, opposes, compromises on, or qualifies any Commandment of Jesus Christ in any way, shape or form.
A person may affirm all the true doctrines of the Trinity and Salvation, including the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, but yet still be a heretic. This is because as long as a person rebels against the authority of God in any way, shape or form, he or she is a heretic. A person whose doctrines concerning Salvation are sound, but denies any part of Christ's commands, including that through His Apostles, effectively denies the authority or lordship of God over him or her, and is therefore a heretic of that ground. For example, denying that homosexuality is a sin, is heresy. Anyone who affirms homosexuality is a heretic.
Believing that a sin is justified, or that a mere man-made rule is part of the Law of God is itself is heresy. For both deny the authority of God, and seek to usurp His authority over one's life, by believing in that which He is against, as is the case with the former, or by elevating oneself to His position in making one's own man-made laws to determine the worthiness of others enter the Kingdom of Heaven, a prerogative of God alone, as is the case with the latter.
Many have the impression that heretics are eccentric cult leaders who practise the grossest forms of immorality, such as incest, paedophilia and bestiality, and who torture children, and who establish their own town where they and their followers live, to avoid the outside world. This is but a naive false impression. Heretics often appear godly, but inwardly, they are full of carnality and rebellion. The professing Church of today is full of such people, many of whom are respected by a great majority of genuine Christians! Jude 1:8-11, 16-19 describes the hearts of heretics:
Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
They are full of wickedness, following all manner of the sins of the flesh (Jude 1:8,11,16,18-19). They are often very libertine, whether they are very theological and intellectual, or not theologically-oriented. One particularly evident characteristic of such heretics is that they are very libertine people, often twisting and perverting Scripture to justify all kinds of lust, be it sexual lust, lust for power, or lust for money.
They have their pet Scripture verses and doctrines they love to twist. In this age, such doctrines are that the doctrines of headship and submission in the family (Ephesians 5:23-28), the role of women as homemakers (Titus 2:5), marital sexuality (1 Corinthians 7:1-6), marriage and divorce (Matthew 19:1-12; 1 Corinthians 7:25-35) and of course, the Song of Songs. They love to use these verses to impose legalistic rules on young people, and also young women in particular, in prohibiting them from attending university, and compelling them to marry as soon as possible. There are entire denominations built on such perversions of doctrine, owing to their unbiblical emphasis on certain doctrines, and taking it too far, such as marriage and family.
They make these legalistic rules to exercise a form of illegitimate authority over others, owing to their pure love for power, and their hatred of seeing others advance or succeed more than themselves.This explains why most cults which claim to be Christian but deviate from it, are extremely oppressive, often damaging those who were raised in cults, in all kinds of ways. While not all heretics may be as extremely, they nevertheless have the same spirit of error and the spirit of religion.
Such people hate authority because they think that they are God Himself. This explains why they love independent churches, so that they can not only believe in what they want to believe concerning theology, but also so that they can formulate their own rules and impose them on people without being subject to any church authority. This is the case with many so-called 'christian' bloggers, most of whom are not worth paying any attention to at all! To justify their rebellion against authority, they speak evil of dignitaries (Jude 1:8), such as those who are truly ordained by God to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-16). They are constantly slandering, misrepresenting, harassing, or even threatening them, whenever such dignitaries rebuke them for their sins, even in the most gentle and kind way. Heretics are mentally ill!
Heretics of our times often love to use social media to spread their heresy, as well as to slander, mock, scold, denigrate, abuse or even threaten dignitaries, and anyone who opposes them for righteousness' sake. This demonstrates their utter lack of respect for their fellow man, not to say, their utter lack of the fear and respect for God. Such people are extremely evil and diabolical people, and those who fear God have nothing to fear, except God Himself, for they are righteous before God. Indeed, these heretics are extremely audacious, not in any way that is noble, right or just, in speaking evil of others, that they are even bolder than St Michael the Archangel, who did not even dare judge satan, but let the Lord rebuke him, in rebuking others (Jude 1:9)!
Heretics think that their slander, mockery, abuse or threats are all legitimate rebuke, out of their self-righteousness. Their assumption that they have the authority or right to rebuke others itself amounts to the usurpation of the authority of God. They elevate themselves to the position as teacher of the Word, out of their accord. Their very act of teaching is itself illegitimate, even where their teachings are true, precisely because it is the exercise of illegitimate authority.
For only those who have been ordained by God to teach may do so, and exercise the authority to do so: My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment (James 3:1). Being a teacher of the Word is an office that God ordains a person equip the saints and edify the body of Christ, so that the Church may be united as one body of Christ, and no longer be confused about doctrines, but grow spiritually in preparation to meet Christ when He comes (Ephesians 4:11-16). The Scripture says that not many shall be teachers, knowing that they shall restrict a stricter judgment, not because people should be cautious about deciding for themselves whether to become teachers of the Word. Rather, only a select few ordained by God may teach His Word. It is not for ourselves to make ourselves teachers of His Word.
That teachers of the Word shall receive a stricter judgment is to ensure that people will not be lead astray, and that leading people astray is itself a sin. To lead people astray is to lead people in error, not simply because of one's teachings, but also because of one's authority being exercised by virtue of teaching. Hence, it is evident from James 3:1 that teachers must be ordained by God, owing to the authority they exercise over others by virtue of being teachers of the Word.
All those who are not ordained to become teachers by God will either fail in their quest to become teachers of the Word, as orchestrated by God for the sake of their own Salvation, lest they become a false teacher by virtue of exercising illegitimate authority, or become heretics. The latter are those who are not ordained by God, but still continue to teach are plenty in the professing Church today, but who He does not stop from teaching because they are not true converts. Their doctrines are all borne out of the flesh, and seek to appease the carnal desires of those who follow them.
Heretics, whether those who are ostensibly cult leaders, or those who are well-respected by majority of the professing Church, are typically popular with people, be it the Church as a whole or their target audience. This is in contrast to those who are true teachers of the Word who are hatred by the majority of people in the professing Church. As the Lord Jesus said to His true disciples:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
(John 15:18-25)
Respectable heretics, who do not commit gross acts of immorality, but who affirm the true doctrines of Salvation, and who are even moral, but who oppose certain Commandments of Jesus or His Apostles, or make up their own false rules and hold them out as the Law of God, are loved by religious people in the Church who are not truly saved. Such people are included in Jesus' reference to the 'world' in John 15:18-25.
Similar to those who attend "prosperity gospel" churches, these religious people love to have their ears tickled (2 Timothy 4:3), except in a different way from those "prosperity gospel" followers - they likewise love to have their ears tickled by the teachings which affirm their worldview, theology, or outlook, such as the false legalistic teachings that women must be homemakers to be truly holy, or that people who are not married by a certain age are less righteous and holy than those who are.
These religious people are no different from those "prosperity gospel" followers who love to have their ears tickled, except that they love to hear negative, oppressive teachings, especially that concerning others, while those who follow prosperity preachers love to hear positive, empowering teachings. The preachers preaching these negative, oppressive teachings that are against the Word of God, are as heretical as those prosperity "preachers". They rebel against God by not only making up man-made rules, but also treating them as the Law of God that determines whether someone is righteous or unrighteous. In doing so, they deny the authority of God, by not only refusing to submit to Him, but usurping His authority.
All heresy is a manifestation of desiring to indulge in one's carnality, and to justify it by the use of Scripture, leading others to Hell. Belief in heresy is itself damnable because such belief is itself rebellion, and the denial of the authority of God over oneself. Heretics are in rebellion against God in rejecting His Lordship over his or her life. Such people do not just include those who deny the doctrines about the Nature of God, but those who oppose any part of any Commandment of Christ or His Apostles.
Repent, repent, repent. Turn to Jesus Christ.
Heresies are of two kinds:
1. Theological heresy - that which denies or distorts any aspect of the Nature of God.
2. Moral heresy - that which denies, opposes, compromises on, or qualifies any Commandment of Jesus Christ in any way, shape or form.
A person may affirm all the true doctrines of the Trinity and Salvation, including the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, but yet still be a heretic. This is because as long as a person rebels against the authority of God in any way, shape or form, he or she is a heretic. A person whose doctrines concerning Salvation are sound, but denies any part of Christ's commands, including that through His Apostles, effectively denies the authority or lordship of God over him or her, and is therefore a heretic of that ground. For example, denying that homosexuality is a sin, is heresy. Anyone who affirms homosexuality is a heretic.
Believing that a sin is justified, or that a mere man-made rule is part of the Law of God is itself is heresy. For both deny the authority of God, and seek to usurp His authority over one's life, by believing in that which He is against, as is the case with the former, or by elevating oneself to His position in making one's own man-made laws to determine the worthiness of others enter the Kingdom of Heaven, a prerogative of God alone, as is the case with the latter.
Many have the impression that heretics are eccentric cult leaders who practise the grossest forms of immorality, such as incest, paedophilia and bestiality, and who torture children, and who establish their own town where they and their followers live, to avoid the outside world. This is but a naive false impression. Heretics often appear godly, but inwardly, they are full of carnality and rebellion. The professing Church of today is full of such people, many of whom are respected by a great majority of genuine Christians! Jude 1:8-11, 16-19 describes the hearts of heretics:
Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.
These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
They are full of wickedness, following all manner of the sins of the flesh (Jude 1:8,11,16,18-19). They are often very libertine, whether they are very theological and intellectual, or not theologically-oriented. One particularly evident characteristic of such heretics is that they are very libertine people, often twisting and perverting Scripture to justify all kinds of lust, be it sexual lust, lust for power, or lust for money.
They have their pet Scripture verses and doctrines they love to twist. In this age, such doctrines are that the doctrines of headship and submission in the family (Ephesians 5:23-28), the role of women as homemakers (Titus 2:5), marital sexuality (1 Corinthians 7:1-6), marriage and divorce (Matthew 19:1-12; 1 Corinthians 7:25-35) and of course, the Song of Songs. They love to use these verses to impose legalistic rules on young people, and also young women in particular, in prohibiting them from attending university, and compelling them to marry as soon as possible. There are entire denominations built on such perversions of doctrine, owing to their unbiblical emphasis on certain doctrines, and taking it too far, such as marriage and family.
They make these legalistic rules to exercise a form of illegitimate authority over others, owing to their pure love for power, and their hatred of seeing others advance or succeed more than themselves.This explains why most cults which claim to be Christian but deviate from it, are extremely oppressive, often damaging those who were raised in cults, in all kinds of ways. While not all heretics may be as extremely, they nevertheless have the same spirit of error and the spirit of religion.
Such people hate authority because they think that they are God Himself. This explains why they love independent churches, so that they can not only believe in what they want to believe concerning theology, but also so that they can formulate their own rules and impose them on people without being subject to any church authority. This is the case with many so-called 'christian' bloggers, most of whom are not worth paying any attention to at all! To justify their rebellion against authority, they speak evil of dignitaries (Jude 1:8), such as those who are truly ordained by God to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11-16). They are constantly slandering, misrepresenting, harassing, or even threatening them, whenever such dignitaries rebuke them for their sins, even in the most gentle and kind way. Heretics are mentally ill!
Heretics of our times often love to use social media to spread their heresy, as well as to slander, mock, scold, denigrate, abuse or even threaten dignitaries, and anyone who opposes them for righteousness' sake. This demonstrates their utter lack of respect for their fellow man, not to say, their utter lack of the fear and respect for God. Such people are extremely evil and diabolical people, and those who fear God have nothing to fear, except God Himself, for they are righteous before God. Indeed, these heretics are extremely audacious, not in any way that is noble, right or just, in speaking evil of others, that they are even bolder than St Michael the Archangel, who did not even dare judge satan, but let the Lord rebuke him, in rebuking others (Jude 1:9)!
Heretics think that their slander, mockery, abuse or threats are all legitimate rebuke, out of their self-righteousness. Their assumption that they have the authority or right to rebuke others itself amounts to the usurpation of the authority of God. They elevate themselves to the position as teacher of the Word, out of their accord. Their very act of teaching is itself illegitimate, even where their teachings are true, precisely because it is the exercise of illegitimate authority.
For only those who have been ordained by God to teach may do so, and exercise the authority to do so: My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment (James 3:1). Being a teacher of the Word is an office that God ordains a person equip the saints and edify the body of Christ, so that the Church may be united as one body of Christ, and no longer be confused about doctrines, but grow spiritually in preparation to meet Christ when He comes (Ephesians 4:11-16). The Scripture says that not many shall be teachers, knowing that they shall restrict a stricter judgment, not because people should be cautious about deciding for themselves whether to become teachers of the Word. Rather, only a select few ordained by God may teach His Word. It is not for ourselves to make ourselves teachers of His Word.
That teachers of the Word shall receive a stricter judgment is to ensure that people will not be lead astray, and that leading people astray is itself a sin. To lead people astray is to lead people in error, not simply because of one's teachings, but also because of one's authority being exercised by virtue of teaching. Hence, it is evident from James 3:1 that teachers must be ordained by God, owing to the authority they exercise over others by virtue of being teachers of the Word.
All those who are not ordained to become teachers by God will either fail in their quest to become teachers of the Word, as orchestrated by God for the sake of their own Salvation, lest they become a false teacher by virtue of exercising illegitimate authority, or become heretics. The latter are those who are not ordained by God, but still continue to teach are plenty in the professing Church today, but who He does not stop from teaching because they are not true converts. Their doctrines are all borne out of the flesh, and seek to appease the carnal desires of those who follow them.
Heretics, whether those who are ostensibly cult leaders, or those who are well-respected by majority of the professing Church, are typically popular with people, be it the Church as a whole or their target audience. This is in contrast to those who are true teachers of the Word who are hatred by the majority of people in the professing Church. As the Lord Jesus said to His true disciples:
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
(John 15:18-25)
Respectable heretics, who do not commit gross acts of immorality, but who affirm the true doctrines of Salvation, and who are even moral, but who oppose certain Commandments of Jesus or His Apostles, or make up their own false rules and hold them out as the Law of God, are loved by religious people in the Church who are not truly saved. Such people are included in Jesus' reference to the 'world' in John 15:18-25.
Similar to those who attend "prosperity gospel" churches, these religious people love to have their ears tickled (2 Timothy 4:3), except in a different way from those "prosperity gospel" followers - they likewise love to have their ears tickled by the teachings which affirm their worldview, theology, or outlook, such as the false legalistic teachings that women must be homemakers to be truly holy, or that people who are not married by a certain age are less righteous and holy than those who are.
These religious people are no different from those "prosperity gospel" followers who love to have their ears tickled, except that they love to hear negative, oppressive teachings, especially that concerning others, while those who follow prosperity preachers love to hear positive, empowering teachings. The preachers preaching these negative, oppressive teachings that are against the Word of God, are as heretical as those prosperity "preachers". They rebel against God by not only making up man-made rules, but also treating them as the Law of God that determines whether someone is righteous or unrighteous. In doing so, they deny the authority of God, by not only refusing to submit to Him, but usurping His authority.
All heresy is a manifestation of desiring to indulge in one's carnality, and to justify it by the use of Scripture, leading others to Hell. Belief in heresy is itself damnable because such belief is itself rebellion, and the denial of the authority of God over oneself. Heretics are in rebellion against God in rejecting His Lordship over his or her life. Such people do not just include those who deny the doctrines about the Nature of God, but those who oppose any part of any Commandment of Christ or His Apostles.
Repent, repent, repent. Turn to Jesus Christ.
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