Deut. 5:32 – “Therefore you shall be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”
When we talk about the dangers of heresy it is because of the destructive and even damning results that even one heresy can produce in a person. As such, even if there were only one heresy out there it would deserve the most thorough and careful treatment and warnings. But the danger is greater because there are in fact countless heresies in the world; the danger is greater still because they are not always easy to identify due both to our own ignorance and the subtle craftiness of the heresies themselves.
Take for example what we read in Acts 23:8, which says – “For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection – and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.” The Sadducees are clearly in the wrong by teaching that there is no resurrection or spirit. But does this mean that their opponents (the Pharisees) are in the right? Well, on this issue they are, but the New Testament Scriptures are replete with examples demonstrating that they were completely off the mark on so many other areas of crucial understanding – Not the least of which was their denial of Jesus Christ.
If the Sadducees and the Pharisees teach us anything it is that two opposing groups can actually both be wrong where it truly matters. We cannot become tunnel-visioned into thinking that because someone gets one thing right, that they are a safe source for us. Unfortunately, many people have reduced their theological filter down to singular issues. Let me explain what I mean. There are some who so over-emphasize certain doctrinal matters, that they completely miss other important issues. For instance, some are so focused on how baptism should be practiced, that if they find a church that practices it according to their understanding they are content and will ask no further questions about the church’s doctrine. Others are obsessed with eschatology and become only interested in that discussion. Ultimately, whether it is a periphery issue or even the noblest of doctrines it is dangerous for us to allow any single point to become the litmus test for whether a ministry is sound.
But herein is the rub. Many people are taken in by heresy because false teachers are not only preaching heresy all the time. Much of what they have to say is often good and right. And what they say often comes from strong convictions strengthened by an appealing presentation. Satan uses all sorts of people to disseminate false doctrine – But he almost always mixes the heresy in with a large helping of appealing stuff that is otherwise good. These things give apparent credibility to those teachers who are actually unreliable.
My concern is that in our day we have many people who think to themselves, “At least I am not a Sadducee,” while others are thinking, “At least I am not a Pharisee.” In the end, both are wrong, and we shouldn’t measure the strength of our beliefs solely against those who are clearly in error on some point we happen to be passionate about. Don’t hang your hat on the fact that your church does not support some singular unbiblical agenda. And don’t assume you are in the right place because your church or denomination gets some things right. Our measure must be the entire Word of God. And we will stand or fall based upon whether we know, agree, believe, and live by it in its entirety!
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