Heresy is often defined as simply 'error' and classified more or less as 'theological heresy' and 'moral heresy'. However, heresy is more than that. It is rebellion. That is the heart of all heresy. All rebellion leads to illegitimate authority and a lust for power. For heretics not only seek to justify themselves, but also want to have the power to do so. They seek to use the Law of God which has a spiritual power, and manipulate and twist it, to justify their evil.
Show me a heresiarch, and I will show you a person full of rebellion, and all kinds of lust, not least, the lust of power.
Rebellion is not simply about going against God, though that is certainly what it is. It is driven by lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, combined together with the desire to justify one's theology.
This attempt to justify one's own theology is precisely the problem - one seeks to define the truth, and not only that, manipulate God when one is at it. A true follower of Christ will not seek to justify his or her own theology. Rather, he or she will seek to understand the true meaning of Scripture and Church teaching. He will affirm the authoritative Church teaching. He will accept no self-proclaimed theologians or pastors as true theologians or pastors as reliable, most of whom are pseudo-intellectuals or fanatics. He is a follower of Christ who obeys proper Church authority.
Beware of anyone who disobeys or denies the very idea of Church authority. They are the ones who love to set up 'independent churches', or attend such churches. They are the ones who set up their own ministry independent of any Church authority, to push their own ideas about what they personally think, spreading ideas that go against orthodox church ideas, or fixated on only one theme, building their entire heretical theology on it, be it marriage and family, or predestination.
True Christian theology is based on the doctrines of the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed. Anyone who does not affirm even one creed of either of these is a heretic. Even these two creeds alone are not a test for whether a person's doctrine is sound. These two Creeds alone do not screen out moral heretics, those who believe in a moral heresy, such as that homosexuality is not sin, usury is not sin, or that religious liberty (which is really anarchy) is good.
Even if a person affirms all the creeds of both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds respectively, and affirms all moral teaching of Scripture, does not mean that he or she is not a heretic. For heresy can and always does twist what is fundamental truth, which is precisely the goal of 'sola scriptura'. Even the undeniable absolute creeds of the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed can be twisted by heretics.
One notoriously deceptive heresy is that of "oneness pentacostalism". Oneness pentacostals claim to believe in Jesus, and most are genuine in their belief in Jesus. There are in fact entire denominations of "oneness pentacostals" who claim to believe in the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed, and often do believe in these creeds - but misinterpret the Trinity.
Knowing Jesus Christ must begin with having a right understanding of who God is, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to claim to know Jesus, and another to actually truly know Jesus. To truly know Jesus necessarily requires one to have the right concept of Jesus. That one is genuine in knowing and having one's understanding of Jesus does not make one know who the true Jesus is. The true Jesus is God in the flesh, fully God fully man at the same time, co-eternal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity, the second person of the Trinity, who died for the sins of the world, was crucified, dead and buried, and resurrected on the third day, and who will come to judge the world in the time to come.
It was Jesus Christ Himself who founded the Church. Indeed, Jesus proclaimed: And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). The true Church, the holy universal Church was founded by Jesus Himself. Any so-called church that is not in the line of succession of the early Church is not a true church. Such churches are not founded on Jesus, and are founded on a mere person.
Show me a heresiarch, and I will show you a person full of rebellion, and all kinds of lust, not least, the lust of power.
Rebellion is not simply about going against God, though that is certainly what it is. It is driven by lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, combined together with the desire to justify one's theology.
This attempt to justify one's own theology is precisely the problem - one seeks to define the truth, and not only that, manipulate God when one is at it. A true follower of Christ will not seek to justify his or her own theology. Rather, he or she will seek to understand the true meaning of Scripture and Church teaching. He will affirm the authoritative Church teaching. He will accept no self-proclaimed theologians or pastors as true theologians or pastors as reliable, most of whom are pseudo-intellectuals or fanatics. He is a follower of Christ who obeys proper Church authority.
Beware of anyone who disobeys or denies the very idea of Church authority. They are the ones who love to set up 'independent churches', or attend such churches. They are the ones who set up their own ministry independent of any Church authority, to push their own ideas about what they personally think, spreading ideas that go against orthodox church ideas, or fixated on only one theme, building their entire heretical theology on it, be it marriage and family, or predestination.
True Christian theology is based on the doctrines of the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed. Anyone who does not affirm even one creed of either of these is a heretic. Even these two creeds alone are not a test for whether a person's doctrine is sound. These two Creeds alone do not screen out moral heretics, those who believe in a moral heresy, such as that homosexuality is not sin, usury is not sin, or that religious liberty (which is really anarchy) is good.
Even if a person affirms all the creeds of both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds respectively, and affirms all moral teaching of Scripture, does not mean that he or she is not a heretic. For heresy can and always does twist what is fundamental truth, which is precisely the goal of 'sola scriptura'. Even the undeniable absolute creeds of the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed can be twisted by heretics.
One notoriously deceptive heresy is that of "oneness pentacostalism". Oneness pentacostals claim to believe in Jesus, and most are genuine in their belief in Jesus. There are in fact entire denominations of "oneness pentacostals" who claim to believe in the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed, and often do believe in these creeds - but misinterpret the Trinity.
Knowing Jesus Christ must begin with having a right understanding of who God is, who Jesus is, and who the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to claim to know Jesus, and another to actually truly know Jesus. To truly know Jesus necessarily requires one to have the right concept of Jesus. That one is genuine in knowing and having one's understanding of Jesus does not make one know who the true Jesus is. The true Jesus is God in the flesh, fully God fully man at the same time, co-eternal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity, the second person of the Trinity, who died for the sins of the world, was crucified, dead and buried, and resurrected on the third day, and who will come to judge the world in the time to come.
It was Jesus Christ Himself who founded the Church. Indeed, Jesus proclaimed: And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). The true Church, the holy universal Church was founded by Jesus Himself. Any so-called church that is not in the line of succession of the early Church is not a true church. Such churches are not founded on Jesus, and are founded on a mere person.
A true Church is founded on the Apostolic doctrine of the Church founded by Jesus Himself, and is a successor of it. It is founded on Apostolic doctrine, that is, the doctrines of the Apostles' Creed. It is not founded on "the Scripture alone", making it a "sola scriptura" "church" which doctrines is based on its own interpretation of Scripture with its own method of exegesis.
This is not to say that a church must be 'traditional' 'high church' to be a true church. A church may be one that observes traditional liturgy but deviate from true doctrine. Do not be deceived by the appearance of a church, thinking that a 'traditional' one is a true church based on Apostolic doctrine while one that is not so liturgical, and 'low church' is not. Discern the spirit of the church's teaching. Ask yourself, not only whether the teaching is true, but also whether the spirit behind its teaching is borne out of the Holy Spirit, and not legalism, rebellion, hatred or fleshly anger. Use your discernment. Exercise wisdom.
Beware of churches obsessed with only miracles and healing and who have no solid proper theology (2 Timothy 1:13; 4:3), but also beware of churches which fear prophecy, visions and powerful spiritual revelation (1 Thessalonians 5:20-21). While such churches could not seem to be more different from each other, both types have the same view of Scripture. They both do not take the true understanding of Scriptural seriously. It is just that the former appears with a charismatic face, while the other appears with a more doctrinal face.
Both are not simply 'extreme' but have a fundamentally wrong attitude towards Scripture. Both are "sola scripturists", but that the former loves to interpret Scripture to justify false manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit and often ignores it, while the latter interprets Scripture to justify their own preferred theology, often using it to justify certain sins, under the guise of "the Bible".
Both types of churches are heretical churches full of error. Indeed, the Scriptures have indeed testified:
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
(2 Timothy 4:3-4)
We are now living in such times where the churches are full of people who lack the fear of God, and who even adhere to their beloved pet heresies and attempt to use Scripture to justify them! We are living in times where people use Scripture and listen to preaching to affirm their sins, including all manner of lusts, and shun true understanding of Scripture where it rebukes such sins.
The root of heresy is always rebellion, borne out of a desire to shun truth, because it rebukes one's sins. In such rebellion, one seeks to twist and pervert truth, in an attempt to justify one's sins, particularly lust, and delude oneself into thinking one's belief makes it truth. One thing about heretics is that they tend to be filled with all manner of lust, be it for sex, money or power.
Such rebellion leads to illegitimate authority, whereby one seeks the authority to define what is or is not true doctrine. Illegitimate authority is more subtle than it appears. It does not just manifest in the household where the wife takes control. That is only one type of illegitimate authority which people love to focus on. The attempt to define what is a true doctrine or not true doctrine, and build an entire theology, based on one's own personal preferences, desires, will or lusts is itself illegitimate authority. All heresiarchs exercise illegitimate authority by their very nature as founders of heretical sects or cults.
Truth is truth, irrespective of whether it rebukes one's sin and consequently makes one feel uncomfortable. Truth is not subjective. Truth is Jesus Christ. To have a wrong view of Jesus and claim to believe in Him, is itself rebellion. Teaching purported doctrines of Christianity based on a wrong view of Jesus is illegitimate authority.
Heresy is a hatred of Truth, who is Jesus. Anyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ and have a right view of Him is a heretic.
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