The Anatomy of Heresy, Part One

The Apostle Paul writes the following in I Timothy 4:1-2, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” While one cannot know for sure whether we are living in the last days of the dispensation of grace, it is clear that the incidence of believers departing the faith has increased in recent days. Regardless of the issue- the, house church, annihilationism, universalism, timing of the rapture, titles for leadership in the local church, or the out right abandonment of dispensational truth for covenant theology - the cause of all departures from the faith is the same, i.e. the work of the flesh.

Paul teaches, in Galatians 5:19-21 that all heresies stem from the work of the flesh:

19) Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,
variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21) Envyings,
murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before,
as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not
inherit the kingdom of God.

Strong’s Concordance offers the following definition of the Greek word translated heresies in Galatians 5:20: “a body of men following their own tenets, or dissensions arising from diversity of opinions and aims.” The Greek word “hairesis” is found nine times in nine verses in the King James Bible, of which five times it is rendered “sect” in English:

• Acts 5:17—Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,
• Acts 15:5—But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
• Acts 24:5—For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:
• Acts 26:5—Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.
• Acts 28:22—But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.

The word “sect,” according to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, carries the following meaning:

A body or number of persons united in tenets, chiefly in philosophy or religion,
but constituting a distinct party by holding sentiments different from those of
other men. Most sects have originated in a particular purloin, who taught and
propagated some peculiar notions in philosophy or religion, and who is
considered to have been its founder. Among the Jews, the principal sects were
the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Essenes. In Greece were the Cynic sect, founded by
Antisthenes; and the Academic sect, by Plato. The Academic sect gave birth to
the Peripatetic, and a Cynic to the Stoic.

In addition, to its usage in Galatians 5:21, the remaining three occurrences of the Greek word “hairesis” are translated as heresies or heresy by the King James translators:

• Acts 24:14—But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets:
• I Corinthians 11:19—For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.
• II Peter 2:1—But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Heresy, according to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, is “a fundamental error in religion, or an error of opinion respecting some fundamental doctrine of religion.” Consequently, according to the Bible, fundamental errors in religious thought or belief (heresies) lead to the establishment of sects which are characterized by shared tenants of false doctrine. As a result, it seems to follow that heresies are the intellectual foundation for sects.

The sect of the Sadducees identified in Acts 5:17 stands out as a clear Biblical example of the connection between heresies and sects. It has often been said that the Sadducees were “sad you see” because they denied the resurrection of the dead. Luke 20:27 states, “Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him.” The heretical beliefs of the Sadducees centered around their denial of resurrection. This constitutes their fundamental error in religious belief and doctrine. Unfortunately, this error was widespread as there was an entire faction or sect within Israel’s leadership that held this heretical view. Since all heresies are the work of the flesh according to Paul, it is imperative to realize that pride or the possibility of self advancement motivates those who hold spurious doctrines to promote their views in an attempt to draw away disciples unto themselves, thus forming sects.

This pattern mirrors Paul’s warning to the Ephesians elders in Acts 20:28-30:

28) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which
the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood.
29) For I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30) Also of
your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them.

Paul issues two warnings in this passage. First, in verse twenty-nine, he cautions these overseers about outsiders seeking to enter their midst seeking to sow discord and confusion amongst the brethren. Second, in verse thirty, he warns about men from within their own assembly that would arise speaking untruth in an attempt to create their own personal following. Sects are formed as men are drawn away from the truth by those speaking perverse things, i.e. heresies. After Paul left the region of Galatia, the Judaizers came in and sought to bring them back under the bondage of the law. In Galatians 4:17, Paul reveals the true motives of these people when he writes, “They zealously affect you, but not well; yea, they would exclude you, that ye might affect them.” It seems that the fleshly desire for disciples is one of the main motivators for those who would teach heresy.

It is fascinating to consider how all those who depart the truth of God’s word rightly divided find it necessary to berate and disparage those who hold the mid-Acts position. For many mid-Acts dispensationalists who depart the faith, the entire focus of their ministry becomes to assassinate the character and beliefs of their former allies as they actively promote the scriptural authority of their new found system of belief. Under the guise of demonstrating the error of their former theological system, they activity promote their new paradigm in an attempt to rescue the deceived from error. What is the primary force motivating this type of behavior? It is the flesh’s desire for importance and significance. Paul makes it clear that the main goal of false teachers is to draw away disciples unto themselves.

Historically, those who have entered into heresy may have been convinced they were correct or more accurately articulating the precepts of the faith. In theory, one does not believe something unless there is good reason for doing so. For example, I have often been accused of believing I am right on a particular issue. To which I offer the following rebuttal, “Duh, I would not believe something if I thought it was wrong.” In reality, since no one is omniscient or infallible we all possess thoughts about scripture that are not correct. This mere fact alone does not make someone a heretic. Over the past ten years, I have changed my position on many issues that I had taught publically. This past Sunday I used the word vicarious when I meant to say precarious which changed the meaning of what I was saying. If that makes me a heretic, then every preacher who has ever misspoke, mispronounced a word, or later changed his mind must also be branded a heretic.

So then, what makes someone a heretic? First, they must hold some doctrinal belief or position that is contrary to the clear teachings of God’s word rightly divided. Notice that scripture is the final authority in this case and not the church. On occasion, I have been uncomfortable with my mid-Acts brethren who cite “the collective wisdom of the group” as justification for a particular doctrinal position. Let me be clear lest I be misunderstood. We ought to hold those who have long labored on behalf of the truth in high regard. I respect the views of my co-laborers in the ministry and would have to seriously and prayerfully consider any grave points of doctrinal divergence. However, group think cannot replace scripture as our final authority. In the end, every man is accountable to the word of God and his own conscience.

Having established that we all hold beliefs that may not be correct, what makes someone a heretic? Biblically, it seems that heretics not only hold spurious beliefs but actively promote those beliefs with the goal of establishing followers. One betrays their motives when they depart one doctrinal position only to begin ordaining men in a new one. In such cases, truth was never the motivator for personal action: personal position, prestige, and adulation were.

Stay tuned next week for part two.