The theme of our series is “Order in the Court of the King.” God created the heavens and earth in an orderly fashion. Disorder entered through the devil. Order is restored through Christ destroying the works of the devil and re-establishing the order He had created.

A major part of the ‘dis-order’ the Church experiences today is heretical teachings. We need to look carefully at God’s Word to determine which teachings are ‘heresies’ and which teachings are differences of opinions on spiritual matters that do not rise to the level of ‘heresy.’ Fortunately, the Bible already gives us a lot of help in that area.

Heresies Identified

We looked closely at the New Testament’s use of the word ‘heresy’ in the last part of our series. If you didn’t read that, please click here.

I emphasized in the last part that Christians should be careful and aware about real heresies in churches, denominations, conferences, writings (e.g. books, articles, websites, etc), private schools, Bible colleges, and seminaries. I also wrote –

One concern I have is that the words ‘false teacher,’ ‘false prophet,’ ‘heretic,’ and ‘apostate’ are sometimes thrown out against the wrong people and teachings, and not used against the people who are the real ‘heretics’ in the Church. Heretics and apostates should be called out, but we need to be sure that we are correct. Otherwise, we may cause deep divisions within churches and families that are unnecessary and hurtful.

The key is how to know the difference between false teaching and honest differences of opinion among Christians. That’s where careful Bible study is important. The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Scripture and He lives in true disciples of Christ. He will use His Word to guide us in knowing the difference between a heretic and a real brother or sister in Christ.

God’s Guide Through the Ages

God began guiding people by telling the first humans not to eat from a particular tree. They did anyway. God then guided their firstborn son not to be angry with his brother and that he should ‘rule over’ sin. Cain allowed sin to rule over him as he murdered his brother. Centuries later God guided Noah to build an Ark to save humanity and wildlife from a destructive flood. God also guided Noah and his family to worship Him, obey Him, and rule wisely. Noah’s family decided not to worship God, not to obey Him, and to rule unwisely.

God was not surprised by their disobedience. Even as God was making a new covenant with Noah and his family, God knew that “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Humans have a ‘sin nature’ that will cause them trouble throughout their lives. They need God’s guidance to make it through life successfully.

God called a man who worshipped pagan gods to go where He sent him and to worship only Him. Abram obeyed and became the father of many nations. God guided his son Isaac and grandson Jacob (Israel). God guided Jacob’s twelve sons. God guided the twelve tribes of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, across the Red Sea, across the desert, and into the ‘promised land.’

God prepared the tribes of Israel to live among pagan people by guiding them to know the difference between right and wrong, holiness and unholiness, righteousness and unrighteousness. God guided Israel through a series of commandments that addressed everything from who to worship (God) and what not to worship (other gods, idols), to how to offer sacrifices acceptable to God, how to live sexually moral lives, how to know a true prophet from a false prophet, how to deal with illnesses, to how to treat family members and strangers. This guide (the Law of Moses) also taught people that they cannot live up to God’s commands and would always fall short of God’s glory. That’s why God sent His Son to sacrifice Himself on the Cross for people’s sin.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. John 3:16-20

God’s desire from the beginning of was to guide humans away from the ‘practice’ of evil. That’s why God planted a tree in the Garden of Eden called ‘the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.’ Good existed because God is good. Evil existed because the devil is evil. God gave humans the choice by planting the tree and guiding them not to eat from it – “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:17) We know what happened. The devil tempted Eve to eat from the tree and she did, then gave the fruit to Adam who also ate from the tree. The process of ‘death’ began immediately.

When you read the many commandments and warnings in the Bible, understand that God is guiding His people toward a ‘promise’ He made to Abram – “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). That blessings would come through the ‘Seed’ God promised to Eve, Abraham, and all who would follow them. Jesus Christ, God’s Only Son, is that promised Seed.

God’s commandments are a ‘clue’ to modern heresies. Even though Christians have been ‘liberated’ from the law of sin and death in Christ (Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:1), we still contend with the ‘flesh’ (Galatians 5:19-21). Paul wrote that “the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor” (Galatians 3:24-25). However, that does not mean we can live any way we want just because of God’s love and grace (Romans 6:1-4). God has called us to  deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and “live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age” (Titus 2:12).

Heresies in the Church conflict with the plain commandments of God as described in Scripture. The number of heresies in the Church is so long, that I am able to only share a short list in this post. Every one of these heretical teachings is supported by the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of God’s Word. Keep in mind as you read this short list that I am addressing the ‘teaching’ of heresy in the Church, whether it be individual churches, denominations, conferences, or schools. Many Christians may believe or practice some of these heresies because it’s what they were taught. The true heretics are those who teach heresies. They are the ones who should be banished from teaching in a Christian environment. Those with itching ears who are drawn to the heretical teachings of these heretics must repent of their beliefs and practices. If they don’t, the truth/reality of their ‘faith’ in Christ comes into serious question. God will judge that.

  • If someone teaches that it is permissible or even preferable that Christians live in sexual immorality (e.g. homosexuality, adultery, beastiality, pedophelia, incest, multiple sexual partners, sex outside of marriage, etc), that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that it is permissible or even preferable that Christians confer with demonic forces through New Age practices, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that it is permissible or preferable to practice witchcraft, soothsaying, interpreting omens, performing sorcery,  conjuring spells, conferring with demons through automatic writing (a type of demonic possession), or calling up the dead to seek guidance about life’s choices or the future, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that portions of God’s Word are not inspired by the Holy Spirit, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ did not die on the Cross, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that someone other than Jesus Christ was crucified on the Cross (a replacement in appearance, someone made to appear as Jesus on the Cross), that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ is a creation of God (Arianism), that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ is not equal with God, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that God operates in different forms or modes at different times—sometimes as the Father, sometimes as the Son, and sometimes as the Holy Spirit ((Modalism/Oneness Theology), that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are ‘separate’ Gods (Tri-Theism), that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ was only a spiritual apparition, an illusion, and not flesh and blood (Docetism), that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ was not born of a virgin, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ was born from the union of a human father with a human mother, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ was the illegitimate son of a man and Mary, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ ‘became’ the Son of God at His baptism or any time after that, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Jesus Christ will not return from Heaven to the earth, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches there is no hell and everlasting punishment for the wicked, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches God will save everyone in the end no matter what they believed or did (universalism), that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that the sin of Adam (original sin) does not affect the nature of his descendants negatively to this day (Pelagianism), that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Christians should return to Torah obedience (obeying the Mosaic Law) and the practice of circumcision for spiritual salvation, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Christians can earn, work for, merit or deserve their salvation, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches they have the same ‘creative power’ as God and can speak into existence health, wealth, and their own reality by manipulating the ‘faith-force’, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that Christians will not rise from the dead, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that God speaks to them privately, either on earth or in Heaven, and gives them ‘secret’ knowledge that no one else knows and that people must come to them for that secret knowledge, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches that an angel spoke to them and gave them a gospel message different than the Gospel Paul preached, that is heretical teaching.
  • If someone teaches ‘false words’ and calls them ‘true,’ that is heretical teaching.

As I wrote earlier, we could continue with the massive number of heresies being taught in churches, denominations, conferences, Bible colleges, and seminaries today, but this should give us something to consider as look to God to live Christian lives based on ‘truth’ rather than ‘lies.’

Heretical teachers should be ‘called out’ and ‘put out’ of churches, denominations, conferences, Bible colleges, and seminaries. Why? Because they are ‘heretics’ and there is no place for heretical teaching in Christianity.

If they repent of their heretical teachings, then church or denominational leaders who are ‘sound’ in their knowledge of God’s Word (‘sound doctrine’ – unsullied by heresy) should spend much time with the former heretics to ensure that they are saved, humbled, and truly repentant. Those ‘former heretics’ should publicly confess their sin of heresy to churches, denominations, and schools where they had taught, and not be allowed to teach again until a group of biblically solid elders determines that the individual would teach only the truth of Scripture and not return to their previous heretical teaching or any new heretical teaching. Even after a former heretic is saved and trained, church, denominational, or college/seminary leaders should watch over them carefully. Once someone has been involved in teaching heresies, it’s easier to fall back into previously bad beliefs and practices. Heretical teachers taught ‘doctrines of demons,’ so they need to be careful not to allow demons to control their thinking and teaching again. Jesus words in Matthew 12:43-45 are helpful in understanding how and why this might happen to a former teacher of heresies.

Crazy Runners

As crazy as it may seem, Christians are running to hear the teachings of heretical teachers. Crazy, yes, but not unexpected –

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 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. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:1-5

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. 1 John 1:1-3

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. Colossians 2:8-10

In Secret and the Dark

According to God’s Word, heretics do their best work in secret –

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies … 2 Peter 2:1a

And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage). Galatians 2:4

Heretics remind me of cockroaches .. turn on the light and they head for cracks in the wall so they won’t be caught. I remember walking into a rented house at night and turning on a light in the kitchen. Hundreds of cockroaches were all over the floor and on top of the cabinets. They ran for cracks and holes in the wall as soon as the light came on. It reminded me of the forces of evil who can’t stand the light of God’s Word. It also reminded me to call for an exterminator.

And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:5

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. John 3:19

I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. John 12:46

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. Ephesians 5:8-11

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

Identifying Heretics

There are many ways to identify a real heretic, but we need to begin with the basics –

  • know the Word
  • live the Word
  • use your spiritual giftedness
  • pray for God’s guidance

When I say ‘know the Word’ I mean it in two senses: know the Bible (the Word of God) and know Jesus Christ (the Word of God). Those are usually the first two targets of heretics. They will question God’s Word (“Has God indeed said” – Genesis 3:1) and question the Person of Jesus Christ (“Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” – Matthew 16:13). Heretics attack what they view as vulnerabilities in Christian defenses. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote –

 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:10-11

The ‘whole armor of God’ begins with girding “your waist with truth.” Some translations use the phrase “the belt of truth.” The first thing ancient Roman soldiers did was put on a belt around their waist. They were already wearing a tunic, so why wear a belt? The belt was the connection to the breastplate and metal apron where soldiers attached their weapons (e.g. sword, dagger, etc).

Paul made it clear that a Christian was to put on the ‘whole armor of God’ for the purpose of standing against the ‘wiles’ (tricks) of the devil. Experienced Roman soldiers knew the tricks of their enemies and used their armor and weapons to fight effectively in the physical realm. Experienced Christians know the tricks of the devil and use their armor and weapons to fight effectively in the spiritual realm.

Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them. And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Luke 12:35-40

The idea of having your waist ‘girded’ is being ready – for everything from work, to travel, to fighting. Christians must be ready for whatever God asks us to do. That’s the idea of having our waist ‘girded’ and our ‘lamps burning.’ We need to be “like men who wait for their master.” Think about that – waiting for our Master. Whoever the Master wants us to do, we need to be ready to do it. We need to always have on the ‘armor of God’ in order to fight against the devil’s tricks, and whatever else the Master asks us to do.

We know that Jesus came from Heaven to earth to ‘destroy’ the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). It is because of the victory that Jesus won on the Cross and from the tomb that we have the spiritual power to ‘resist’ the devil (1 Peter 5:9). What happens when we ‘resist’ the devil in the power of our victorious Lord?

Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. ‘Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:6-7

God gives grace to the humble. ‘Therefore submit to God.’ As we submit to God in a spirit and attitude of humility we can resist the devil ‘and he will flee from you.’ That doesn’t mean he won’t return to fight another day, because he will. The devil is like “a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). If you resist him from a position of humility and submission to God he will flee from you. However, the devil is not done with you or your church or your denomination. You may win one battle, but the devil will return and try something else. The devil plays the ‘long game,’ looking for another opportunity to attack –

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Luke 4:13

That’s why a Christian must never let down their guard. Always be prepared for battle. Put on the whole armor of God and keep it on. We never know when the devil and his forces of wickedness will attack –

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:12-13

Christians should live out the Christian life, not just talk about it. That’s another way we can determine the difference between a true believer and a heretic –

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Matthew 7:15-16

Use your spiritual giftedness to help address identify and the problem of heresy in your church or denomination. God gave His people spiritual gifts to build up each other and equip each other for the work God has given them to do. Identifying ‘heretical’ teachers in churches is an important part of that work. Whatever your spiritual gift (e.g. Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12), use it.

Pray for God’s guidance in how to proceed in identifying, disciplining, and dismissing ‘heretical’ teachers in your church. If leaders will not do it, shake the dust off your shoes and leave your church or denomination.

And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Mark 6:11

It’s time for Christians to obey their Lord. We have allowed, even welcomed ‘teaching heretics’ into our churches, denominations and schools long enough. The time to put a stop to this is NOW!

Look for Clues

God has not left His people ‘clueless.’ He told the children of Israel how to know a true prophet of God from a false prophet from the devil (Deuteronomy 13 and 18). We see true prophets and false prophets throughout the Old Testament. Look at what each group said and did. Notice that the true prophets do their work in the light, while the false prophets do their work in secret and darkness. True prophets tell the truth. False prophets lie. Those are clues for you today.

New Testament clues began with Jesus pulling the veil off the children of Israel, showing them that their spiritual leaders had been lying to them. That’s one reason the Pharisees and Sadducees wanted to kill Jesus. Look closely at what lies Jesus pointed out and how He did it.

The same is true with the apostles of Christ. They called out the liars and deceivers as they traveled throughout Israel and into the other countries of the Roman Empire preaching the Gospel. Look for what I call ‘flag words’ or ‘clue words.’ Those include words like ‘lies, lying, deceive, deceiving, deception.’ There was a lot of that going on in the 1st century and it has continued all the way into the 21st century.

As I mentioned earlier, the enemy goes after the Word of God, the Character of God, and the Person of God. That’s how the serpent tempted Eve. He questioned God’s Word, God’s character, and God’s purpose.

  • Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?
  • You will not surely die. 
  • For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

God spoke of the ‘resurrection’ of the dead in the Old Testament, but the Sadducees (the priestly class) didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead (e.g. Mark 12:18). They called God a liar by that teaching. Daniel clearly said –

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:2

The prophet Isaiah wrote –

Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead. Isaiah 26:19

But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Psalm 49:15

You, who have shown me great and severe troubles, Shall revive me again, And bring me up again from the depths of the earth. Psalm 71:20

Next Time

The problem of heretical teaching continued after the death of the apostles. We’ll look at some examples of how early church fathers dealt with the problem in the next part of our series, Order in the Court of the King!

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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