Defense and Confirmation: The Anatomy of Heresy, Part Two

Having observed last week that heresy is one of the works of flesh it behooves all Bible believers, teachers, and preachers to acknowledge that all of us are only a couple fleshly decisions away from heresy at all times. As we saw last week, the Biblical definition of heresy is multifaceted, consisting of both false beliefs (doctrines) and their propagation with the intention of removing disciples away after oneself. Having its root in our natural flesh programming, heresy has the potential to be just as common as hatred, strife, wrath, or envy in the believer's life. Consequently, heresy is not something that we should view as a rarity. In contrast, we should acknowledge heresy as an ever present threat to any community of believers.

The Apostle Paul instructed the Corinthians that heresy would continually be present within their midst. Paul penned the following in I Corinthians 11:19, "For there must be also
heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you." Not only does Paul speak to the common frequency of heresies within their assembly, he also teaches that their very presence would be an opportunity for the Corinthians to see who was approved and who was not. We learn two things from this verse. First, heresy, as a work of the flesh, would be both common and necessary. Second, the reason heresies are necessary is because without them it is difficult for believers to know who is approved and who is not.

Moreover, it is interesting to connect the word "approved" in I Corinthians 11:19 with the word "approved" in II Timothy 2:15. This connection between heresy and who the approved of God are must not be overlooked. II Timothy 2:15 states, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." The approved of God do not need to be ashamed because they rightly divide the word of truth in their study. In short, the approved of God are workman who have no reason to be ashamed because of how they approach the study of God's word.

By comparing I Corinthians 11:19 with II Timothy 2:15, important conclusions about the anatomy of heresy emerge. First, the presence of heresies in a local church is common because it is a work of the flesh. Second, the existence of heresy is necessary because it serves as an occasion for the approved of God to be made manifest to an assembly. Third, the approved of God are those who rightly divide the word of truth and are thereby able to answer the heretical teaching. Therefore, heresy in Paul's view is any doctrine that is contrary to the word rightly divided.

This is clearly demonstrated by considering the context of II Timothy. Immediately following Paul's admonition to rightly divide the word of truth, Timothy is instructed to ". . . shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness."(1) Timothy is given the same instructions that the Ephesians elders were in Acts 20, namely, not to listen to those speaking profane, vain, or perverse things. In II Timothy 2:17, Paul identifies Hymenaeus and Philetus as the source of these profane and vain babblings and compares the effect of their teaching to that of a canker. According to Webster's 1828 Dictionary a canker is "a virulent, corroding ulcer; or any thing that corrodes, corrupts or destroys. Sacrilege may prove an eating canker." Paul compares heresy to having a corrosive disease that eats away the very structures of ones faith.

Verse eighteen identities the specific details of the heresy being promoted by Hymenaeus and Philetus. These men were teaching that "the resurrection is past already." Herein we see the first component of heresy according to our working definition, the false belief that the resurrection had already occurred. Furthermore, it is clear that these men fulfill the second part of our definition by seeking to draw away disciples after themselves. This is obvious because they publicly promoted their error to the extent that they overthrew the faith of some.

How does one combat destructive doctrinal errors of this nature? The answer is clear, by rightly dividing the word of truth. Who rightly divides the word of truth? Approved workmen who need not to be ashamed. Why must there be heresies according to I Corinthians 11:19? So that "they who are approved might be made manifest". Once again, Paul's definition of heresy is any doctrine that subverts the word of God rightly divided. Likewise, only the rightly divided word can demonstrate the spurious nature of heretical beliefs and motives.

Heresy is not something that was determined by church councils or the Roman Catholic Inquisition. We need to remember that Paul wrote writing his epistles and identified heretics in the middle of the 1^st century, over one hundred years before the organized church identified any of the traditional heresies associated with the Christian faith. Therefore, we should not allow church tradition to form our definition of heresy. Furthermore, while believers are admonished to instruct those who oppose themselves in meekness "that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will,"(2) heresies are not to be tolerated indefinitely. Titus 3:10 states, "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject." After two unsuccessful attempts to share the truth with those who hold spurious views, Paul teaches that they are to be rejected, marked (identified as in the case of Hymenaeus and Philetus), and avoided.(3)

Simply stated, a heretic is one who believes and promotes heresy. A short investigation into the word heretic in Titus 3:10 yields important insight into the behavior and motives of heretics. According to Strong's Concordance, a heretick is defined as one who is schismatic, factious, or a follower of a false doctrine. Websters's 1828 Dictionary defines someone who is factious as being:

1) Given to faction; addicted to form parties and raise dissensions, in opposition to government; turbulent; prone to clamor against public measures of men. No state is free from factious citizens.

2) Pertaining to faction; proceeding from faction; as factious tumults; factious quarrels.

Recalling from last week the relationship between heresy and the formation of sects, one should not be surprised to learn that a heretic is given to faction and dissention since that is fundamentally what they are attempting to do. Heretics seek to cause division by rallying people to their cause in support of false beliefs. In addition, they vehemently attack those with whom they disagree. In doing so, they also demonstrate numerous other works of the flesh identified in Galatians, namely variance, strife, and seditions.

Stay tuned next week for more on this topic.

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