A proper view of heresy

Recently we've been reconsidering many of the things we thought we understood regarding doctrine and faith. We have begun to question certain beliefs, church structures, and practices of the western church. Too often we have discovered unbiblical doctrines and activities. This causes us concern. We have deemed this our “Rethink.”

Our questions include, how did we arrive at our doctrines? Does the Bible really teach what we think it teaches? Why do churches do what they do? What is the biblical basis of church leadership structure? Why do certain traditions get entrenched?

It's easy to be spoon fed the conventional wisdom, but it's an entirely separate thing to search these things out for one's self. In the past we have read the Bible with these unexamined understandings and interpreted what we read through those lenses. We were lazy about our Bible study, assuming that pastors and theologians were telling us the truth, but we rarely checked it out for ourselves.

Therefore, these Rethinks are our attempt to remedy the situation.

We should note that we are not Bible scholars, but we believe that one doesn't need to be in order to understand the Word of God.

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The "doctrinal Police"

The word "heresy" is a familiar word in the Church. It's usually employed by Christians as an invective directed towards those who they think teach false doctrine. We call them the "doctrinal police." 

One of their most pointed claims is that false teachers are, well, false. That is, through and through they are false. Not saved, not entitled to grace, respectful correction, or the restoration prescribed in the Bible. Not even entitled to our prayers! That is, false teachers are despicable wolves, liars and deceivers, deemed beyond redemption.

Thus we note that the ire of the "Doctrinal Police" exceeds the level of mere disagreement. Merely setting the biblical record straight is not sufficient, though ironically they rarely even do that. No, for them, false teachers deserve only mocking, derision, and attack.

Our complaint is not that the "Doctrinal Police" are defending the truth, it's that they tend to view even the smallest doctrinal difference as false teaching. Perfect doctrine is the highest goal for them, and any deviation is false teaching, and by inference, is a matter of salvation.

The doctrinal hairsplitting gets to ridiculous levels, which means for them that the category of false teachers is extremely large. This has the effect of branding every sort of doctrinal deviation as "them," which means they are not "us."

This is cultic thinking.

False Doctrine vs. Doctrinal Variety

Contrary to what some of the "Doctrinal Police" profess, however, not every doctrinal difference is a critical error or false teaching. There are central doctrines we must believe if we are saved, but salvation isn't dependent on doctrines. When we get saved we are doctrinally ignorant, but through God's sanctifying work in us by His Holy Spirit, by the ministry of the brethren, and by our own study of the Scriptures, we are brought to maturity of faith. That's how we learn important truths, like how we got saved, who God is, and what our holy response to Him should be as we live our lives.

These truths form the basis of our doctrines. Doctrines come from truths found in the Bible. Doctrines are developed from what the Bible says. The Bible is not interpreted through doctrines, the Bible is interpreted to yield doctrines.

Doctrines are the product of Bible scholars, cultural influences, understanding what Greek and Hebrew words mean, denominational preferences, and historic streams of thought. We would hope that the Holy Spirit enlightens our minds to understand the truths of the Bible and thus produce accurate doctrines.

Nevertheless, there are a variety of interpretations of doctrines. Over the centuries honest and faithful people have studied the Scriptures and came to different conclusions. 

These varieties are not necessarily heresy.

In Romans chapter 14, Paul explains that people believe different things, and some of those things are "disputable matters:"

Ro. 14:1 Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters.

The whole chapter is devoted to people with different ideas of things, including what food can be eaten and what days are regarded sacred. Paul concludes that its a matter of personal conviction:

Ro. 14:5 Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

Paul also touches on this with the Colossian church:

Col. 2:16-17 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

There are things we just don't divide over or dispute about. They simply aren't important enough.

The problem is, everyone has an idea of what constitutes an important doctrine. As mentioned, if perfect doctrine is your goal, any deviation from that is considered heresy. But of course, the Bible doesn't support such a notion.

Perfect doctrine will not save anyone. There is no Scripture that tells us that God will judge us or commend us regarding our doctrinal excellence. We are to hold to the truth, but that is only a part of a persevering faith:

1Jn. 2:24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.

1Th. 5:21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.

He. 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

Unity

Jared Wilson provides a useful framework for dealing with doctrinal issues:

“First-order” doctrines, things that every genuine Christian ought to affirm to be a Christian. This includes things like the Trinity, the Incarnation, justification by faith, etc.

“Second-order” doctrines would include things that provide boundaries for Christian fellowship—meaning, we would have to agree on these teachings to be able to covenant together in a local church. This would include things like views on baptism, church governance, roles of women in the church, and in some cases perhaps views on the charismatic gifts. Thus, I can’t share church membership with my Presbyterian or Anglican friends, mainly because we differ on who is an appropriate recipient of baptism, but I can still cheerfully affirm their Christianity, just as I hope they can mine.

“Third-order” doctrines would be teachings you and I could disagree on but still be in fellowship in the same church.

We would expand and conflate second and third order doctrines to some degree, partly because Jesus calls the Church to the unity:

Jn. 17:23 May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

This is not the product of standardless ecumenicism, it is the product of the Holy Spirit working in His people to bring about a love for each other that isn't possible for the natural man. Thus we should be a able to worship and serve together as brothers despite having what might be substantial doctrinal differences.

Our personal list of "first order" doctrines (that is, doctrines crucial to be a Christian) would include:

God is the Creator, He is holy, merciful, all-powerful, and all-knowing.

Every person has sinned, and sin is death.

Jesus, the only son of God, fully God, became a man. He led a sinless life and died on the cross, all according to God's purpose.

Salvation from sin is necessary and cannot be achieved by good works. Only God can save, and this is accomplished only by faith in Jesus, whose death washes away all sin.

When we repent and believe we receive forgiveness from our sin and the gift of the Holy Spirit, fully God.

The Holy Spirit makes us alive and empowers us to live a holy life.

Though there are many other doctrines, these are the ones we consider crucial. Everything else is not a salvation issue in our view.

What is Heresy?

The traditional use of the word is applied towards those who believe unbiblical doctrines, but the Greek word means something else. The word is hairesis, which is defined as a sect. 

The first instance is found here ("members"): 

Ac. 5:17 Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.

Paul notes that his own faith is known as a sect:

Ac. 24:14 However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect.

So the actual biblical use of the word to this point simply describes those who are parts of groups, without a "value judgment" as to the propriety of those groups. 

But Paul does use the word hairesis in a context that points out the Corinthian church's hairesis was causing division.

1Co. 11:18-19 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions (schisma) among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences (hairesis) among you to show which of you have God’s approval.

So the issue was that the church's groups (hairesis) were causing divisions (schisma). Hairesis wasn't the problem, schisma was.

We also find the word here:

Ga. 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions (dichostasia, "separately standing"), factions (hairesis)...

Paul provides a list of unholy behaviors, many of which descend from hairesis causing dichostasia. In other words, having groups or different ideas isn't the problem, but they can cause problems.

The last use of the word is here:

2Pe. 2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies (apóleia hairesis), even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them — bringing swift destruction on themselves.

Finally we have a verse that talks about false teaching, which is actually a matter apart from hairesis. False teaching causes "destructive heresies" (division to eternal ruin), i.e., division in the church that causes eternal harm to the church (2Pe. 2:3). False teachers are arrogant (2Pe. 2:10), publicly immoral (2Pe. 2:13), reveling in their filth. These are not people who simply have a doctrinal position or are part of a group, they are open and persistent sinners (2Pe. 2:14).

Division and factions create strife and arguments. These break down the church and create enmity between believers. Sometimes these are honest disagreements, but other times they are deliberately intended to destroy the church:

1 Tim 6:3-5 If anyone teaches a different doctrine (heterodidaskaleó, a different teaching) and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension (eris, quarrel, strife, contention), slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. 

And the last verse to consider:

Tit. 3:10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him.

This verse uses a related word, hairetikos, a factious person, specializing in half-truths and misimpressions "to win others over" to their personal opinion (misguided zeal) – while creating harmful divisions... Such a person causes division, with the intent to cause problems. 

Conclusion

In they Bible they are not called heretics, they are called false teachers (2Pe. 2:1) or even false apostles (2Co. 11:13) or teachers of false doctrine (1Ti. 1:3, 1Ti. 6:3). Theologians and church tradition have rebranded these as heresy.

But the word doesn't mean "false teaching." The primary use of the word is related to the formation of groups, which can lead to factions and dissension. When we understand this, we can better understand Pauls' counsel:

Ep. 4:3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.