"But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves." (2 Peter 2:1)
As one who is not afraid to challenge tradition, ask questions, and seek answers which satisfy my conscientious study of God’s word, I have occasionally been charged with teaching heresy. That may shock you - it is certainly unsettling to me. Nevertheless, it has caused me to start a one man crusade to teach believers just what biblical heresy is. By the time you finish reading this, I trust you will agree that I am not a heretic.
The Greek word from which we transliterate heresy is hairesis which means a party or sectarian manner. It has the idea of disunion or being factious. In spite of that very clear meaning, the word became polluted over time. I won’t take the space here to give you the historical account, but it will be clear to most readers that we now take heresy to be adhering to and/or teaching that which is contrary to the teaching of "the church."
The word appears nine times in the New Testament. Depending on your translation, you will usually find it rendered sect or faction except in the Peter passage above. If you read the history of "heresy" you may agree with me that the word has been transliterated here to support the tradition of the church rather than to accurately communicate. When translators want to hedge, it is always a safe choice to transliterate a word and let the powers that be dictate what it means, but that’s another story.
Our problem is that believers can’t even agree on who or what the church is so arriving at truth on even the most basic matters can be problematic. The true heresy that exists is the sectarian spirit of modern denominationalism. I know there are those who believe they are not a denomination, but it is time to quit playing games, and realize that when a group sets itself apart from other believers on the basis of its interpretation of scripture, it is a denomination. It is sectarian. It is biblically, heretical.
That is not to say that we cannot or should not assemble regularly with people who share our understanding. However, we must not have an attitude of being the only people of God and our lives should demonstrate a willingness to engage believers who disagree with us. We are all in error, and unless we study with those who disagree with our present understanding we will never recognize our error. Division hampers the growth process.
I’ve stated before that the Bible wasn’t written to us and that is true. However, it should be obvious that there are many things which do apply to us and we should be careful to heed them.
A most important matter is our being the answer to Christ’s prayer in John 17, especially verses 20-21 "I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."
Brothers and sisters, we believe in Christ because of the word of those who first proclaimed it. This prayer is for us. We have a unity in Christ by virtue of our faith, and we should not allow our traditions to divide us. We must be faithful to our conscience, but we must not transgress God’s word in the process.
When we stand as one, Christ is believed by the world and the kingdom of God flourishes. Unfortunately, believers rarely stand as one until times of hardship and persecution force them to see each other as allies instead of enemies.
Dividing ourselves and refusing to fellowship those of other traditions is sinful. The only test of fellowship is our faith in Christ and our commitment to understand His truth and obey it. People in every denomination (as well as those who have abandoned the institutional church) can meet this test and we should not be afraid to embrace them in fellowship.
I’m not suggesting an anything goes free-for-all here, but I pray that the walls which so divide us will come down and allow us to learn from one another and grow in grace. Those who continue to erect walls of separation among believers are guilty of heresy. God’s word teaches no such division.
It is ironic, that the very people who carelessly use the word "heresy" are frequently the ones who are guilty of it. They denounce the understanding of others who disagree with them and urge others not to fellowship them. The disagreement isn’t heresy, but division over it is.
I don’t seek to divide believers, but to unite them in practice as they are in faith. We should not fellowship those who are living in rebellion against the moral law, but denying fellowship because of honest differences of interpretation is unloving and harmful to us all.
By now, I hope it is clear that I am not a heretic! I am certainly wrong on some issues - we all are. When I come to believe I am wrong on some issue, I change. Conscience demands that I embrace and act upon that by which I am convicted. Duty allows me no other course.
That’s False Doctrine!
I must have been about 26 when those words were shouted by an elder in an adult Sunday School class I was teaching. Such a proclamation can be very unsettling and demands clarification and follow-up.
The discussion that ensued was something of a relief as others in the class rushed to support the point I had made. It was even humorous when, just a few minutes later, that same elder made my point using other terms. He later apologized for the outburst but the experience left a deep impression on me.
How quickly we rush to dismiss something because it strikes us as incorrect. Like spiritual automatons stimulus/response takes over and we react without thinking — often without hearing. If the truth is known, we often don’t want to hear that which disagrees with our cozy belief system.
It is easy to label something as heresy or false doctrine and dismiss it, especially if we have a select group around us who will jump on the bandwagon and confirm our evaluation of the situation. At some point in life, we start to learn that just because a lot of people believe something, doesn’t necessarily mean it is correct.
I grew up hearing about "false doctrine." False doctrine was what was taught by the other denominations. I don’t suppose I was ever given a biblical definition of false doctrine. What does that phrase mean to you?
Well, it may surprise you to know that the phrase doesn’t exist in the New Testament. The admonition is to uphold sound doctrine. Of course, that leads us to ask then, "What is doctrine?" Is it all the rules and regulations that have been developed around the simple gospel message delivered to the saints, or is it something else?
At the most basic level, sound doctrine is that Jesus was the Christ, that He was raised from the dead, and that salvation was by faith in His name alone. Paul told the Corinthians, "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." (1 Corinthians 2:2) Beyond that, it is obvious that first century believers received other doctrine/instruction from the apostles, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:42 NKJV)
Some of that instruction was very specific to the time in which they lived. Other aspects of it are relevant for all time. Great debates have arisen over exactly what falls in each category. Godly people have honest disagreements based on diligent study. Does that mean that one or both is guilty of teaching false doctrine? I don’t think so. Only those who deny Christ and His work of redemption, or pervert it, fall into that category.
I love the story of Apollos. In fact, I so revere his attitude that I have taken his name for mine in a number of Internet discussion groups. Acts 18 tells the story, but you will remember that he was a man of God who knew the word and diligently taught it according to the best knowledge he had. However, his teaching was wrong. Aquila and Priscilla didn’t lambaste him with a charge of false doctrine. They took him aside and explained the truth "more perfectly" to him. He responded by recognizing that truth and conforming his teaching to it. In so doing, he became an even more useful servant of Christ.
How happy the occasion would be were we to approach our differences in this way! When we attack others as though we are the final arbiters of truth, we forfeit not only the opportunity to learn and teach, but the fellowship that we might otherwise enjoy. Sadly, we also forfeit the testimony of our unity in Christ.
When we make the issue one of who is right and who is wrong instead of what is truth, we do a disservice to everyone, including ourselves. As a seeker of truth, I have been well received by approaching those with whom I disagree with something like, "Brother, I know we understand this issue differently and I believe we both want to know the truth of God’s word and be obedient to it. I’d really appreciate it if you would take the time to tell me how you develop your view from God’s word. I’d like for you to listen to why I see things differently and help me see where I may be missing something. Would that be agreeable to you?"
If you want a key to open up relationships with other believers, I think you will find an approach like this bears much fruit, but you must be honest in making it. You cannot use these words as mere manipulation to engage someone in discussion. You must enter that discussion with a very real awareness that you could be wrong, a sincere desire to know if that is the case, and the willingness to change when you are so convicted.
If you want to grow in faith, build relationships with other believers, and live a life that testifies to the unity there is in Christ, do the uncomfortable thing and put what you believe to be true on the line. Those who rigidly adhere to tradition will tend to shun you (at best), but those who are seeking truth will be delighted that you care enough to engage them in dialogue. It’s a beautiful thing. Try it!
When you do, you will find that your doctrine becomes more sound and shouts of "false doctrine" will be unmasked for what they are, fear of change/growth.
That’s Blasphemy!
Here’s another word that is frequently abused in Christian circles. Again, what is usually meant is, "That doesn’t jive with my tradition!" Like "heresy" and "false doctrine" charges of blasphemy are frequently made by the protectors of the realm. A sacred cow gets skewered and the modern Pharisees rise up to condemn the truth bearer.
It is not surprising that we again have a word which has been transliterated from the Greek: blasphemia. That gives the user a great deal of latitude in interpretation and it is misused all to often.
Quite literally, the word means to speak evil of or to be irreverent toward. While it is certainly possible that one could hold a blasphemous position, it is a gross abuse of the word to apply it to someone who honors God, even when they make a statement that may be in error. Blasphemy is a serious error, but most Christian error is not blasphemy.
Christ and his disciples were charged with blasphemy because what they taught differed from the traditions of the Jews. In reality, the Pharisees were the ones guilty of blasphemy because they lacked reverence for the truth of God revealed in Christ. Things haven’t changed much!
The guardians of tradition rail against those who dare to question their understanding and presumed authority. Will the name calling and divisiveness ever end? Can’t we be mature enough in Christ to have honest disagreements and still love one another? Do we really think we can maintain fellowship with Christ while we refuse to fellowship our brethren in Him?
So far as it lies with us, may Christ’s prayer for the unity of believers be true.
Bible 101
Last time we concluded the basic steps in the first phase of Bible study: observation. By now, you should have a good handle on the content of the book you are studying. You’ve spent time reading it over and over. You’ve identified the people, places and events. If you’ve been diligent, you have lists of all the facts related to the significant components of the book.
Additionally, you have identified the theme of each chapter and the book as a whole, and you’ve written a summary statement for each. That’s a lot of work, but if you’ve been faithful, you have been blessed with a fresh awareness of the text and probably have a lot of questions. Good! That is what takes us to the second phase of Bible study: interpretation.
Observation tells us what the text says, interpretation helps us understand what it means. Obviously, that makes interpretation a critical step in the process. We are all painfully aware of the problems caused when we misinterpret something that someone says.
Realizing that we have trouble interpreting contemporary communication, we should be particularly careful when dealing with communication that is thousands of years old, written to someone else, and flavored by a culture and literary style that is vastly different from our own.
That brings us to the first element of interpretation: context. We’ve mentioned it before and we will mention it again and again: context rules. Context begins with the very narrow constraints of the immediate verse and its setting and expands to the book in which it is found and scripture as a whole. Context may be expanded farther to include the historical and social setting in which the text appears.
It is a dangerous practice to lift a passage from its context and attempt to apply it to a situation that is removed from that context. Unfortunately, Christians frequently make this mistake. Interpretation demands diligent study. It should not be the product of emotion which tends to make us twist the scripture to fit our preconceived ideas.
It is important to consider how a specific verse fits the theme you have identified for the chapter and the book. If your interpretation does not fit the theme you should see a red flag. It is possible that you are looking at an aside or parenthetical statement, but you should be sure that is clearly indicated before accepting an interpretation that does not fit the overall theme.
Beyond that, it is now appropriate to consider if your interpretation is consistent with other Scriptures related to the subject at hand. If not, you are going to have to reconcile the difference. That may mean rethinking the text at hand, or the other passage which you previously thought you understood. Your interpretation of one, or possibly both is wrong.
That may feel frustrating, but in reality it is progress because you are learning what the text doesn’t mean. Prayerfully consider the text again and again. Personal experience tells me this process can take months, or years. Don’t be discouraged, we are not in a hurry. In time, the truth will be made clear to you.
Considering the wider context of Scripture might be seen as a second step of interpretation in its own right. You’ve probably heard the admonition to consider the whole counsel of God’s Word. It should be obvious that you have to know the Scripture to consider it, and it should also be obvious that when you first begin to study you won’t know much about the Bible.
Hint, be careful about drawing conclusions at this stage! You are going to have to work hard at first to find related passages which speak to the subject at hand.. Even those who have a good handle on Scripture make it a practice to search for related passages. Be patient. It will get easier as your knowledge grows. A good concordance is a starting point.
Scripture will never contradict Scripture. Be sure your interpretation doesn’t!
The basic gospel message is simple. However, understanding certain parts of the Scripture can be very challenging. Scholars who devote their lives to studying diligently will disagree on many things. They are cautious about obscure passages. We should be too.
Scripture should be interpreted literally unless there are clear indications that a figurative or spiritual interpretation is intended. This issue causes more problems than perhaps any other. Letting Scripture interpret Scripture will go a long way toward avoiding them. As you study, you will be amazed at how often God’s Word will tell you what a particular phrase means if you will be diligent enough to do your homework. We’ll have more to say on this subject next time.
As you study, try to get in the author’s head. What is he trying to say? Be careful to avoid biblical gymnastics! No matter how much you want a passage to support a preconceived notion, don’t force a piece of the puzzle to go where it doesn’t fit. You will mess up at least two areas of the picture!
Above all, build safeguards around your study. After you reach your interpretation, check it against what reputable commentators have to say. Like everyone else, they are wrong at times, some more than others. Read them any way. If your ideas are at odds with them, that doesn’t mean you are wrong, but it should be an indication that you need to be careful about the direction you take.
Most importantly, you need friends who are diligent in Bible study to share your conclusions with. Be sure to find people who are not afraid to challenge you. You don’t want guardians who will agree with everything you say. Pursue truth, and rejoice when they show you a flaw in your reasoning. Some of my most cherished friends are those with whom I study on a regular basis. I pray you will find such friends if you do not enjoy relationships like that now.
The Apprentice’s Journal
Bits and Pieces...
Some of you are still dealing with the last days of winter, but it is summer in Texas. The garden is coming along nicely though a couple of items have been a disappointment. Several projects around the house have kept me busy. The backyard has been a mess for longer than I care to remember, but we are finally doing some landscaping. The yard is finally fenced and a small addition to the deck was completed last week. Now I’m in the middle of tearing out a kitchen window to install a sliding glass door before replacing all the siding on the rear of the home. Manual labor is a grim reminder that youth has past!
Taking the time to share my thoughts with you each month is a welcome break from the daily routine. It is a spiritual exercise which benefits me a great deal. Hopefully, something each month will bless or challenge you as well.
It hardly seems possible but Sharon and I will be celebrating 33 years of marriage on June 2nd. It wasn’t that long ago I was only 33!
Those of you who have been together a lot longer than that are an encouragement to us all. Seeing lives that have known good times and bad, and yet weathered the storm is a testimony to the keeping power of God’s grace. This is a time of year when perhaps many of you married, so let me wish you each
a happy anniversary. May God bless your lives together and grow your love for each other daily.
Sharon’s mission trip to Peru has her hooked. This summer she will be going to El Salvador on another medical mission trip. She’s out of town at the moment and I’m not sure of the exact dates but it is at the end of June. She is attempting to raise $1,500 to help pay for the trip. If God, so moves you, she would appreciate your donations in any amount. Make your check payable to Immeasurably More and it will be a tax deductible gift (use the return address below). Expect a report from her in the July newsletter.
I really appreciate the comments that readers send from time to time. One suggested I share those with everyone and I’m happy to pass along excerpts from two recent letters.
"Thank you for The Carpenter’s Apprentice. I thoroughly enjoy it and share it with friends." Sandy S.
"I find The Carpenter’s Apprentice to be a blessing to me...I especially enjoyed the article ‘To Judge or Not to Judge’ in last months issue... Thank you for a thought provoking article." Joseph B.
Your comments and suggestions are always welcome and I would love to hear from you. Your thoughts and ideas about
what is written here would be valuable to me in my own walk of faith. I welcome differing views so if you see things you think I am overlooking, don’t hesitate to let me know.I just received an e-mail from a minister friend who decided that he was going to spend today at the river enjoying the setting and perhaps even try to catch a crawdad. That should be a day well spent.
The times in which we live are filled with uncertainty. I pray you are paying attention to those things in life which really matter. It is so easy to get caught up in things which rob us of time and energy and have no lasting benefit.
Taking time to withdraw from the busy-ness of the routine and reflect upon the wonder of life and how we fit into the scheme of things is more than just a worthwhile endeavor. We need such times to help us put things into perspective and assess what is truly important.
Pick a day and break your routine. Keep it free of things to do and simply enjoy the presence of the Father. I’m willing to bet He’ll keep your mind busy and I suspect that will lead to some profitable things for you to do as well.
The mind of man plans his way,
But the LORD directs his steps. Prov. 16:9