Heresy has a way of clinging to people. Once it is born and believed within a person it is terribly hard to remove. But why is it that heresies are so difficult to uproot from a man’s soul? Well, the main reason comes down to their pride. People fawn over their own imaginations and they are very protective of their own ideas. They want validation for those opinions, they want them accepted, and they want them celebrated. So then, when someone voices their opinion on a matter, it becomes challenging to convince them to retract their statements. To do so would mean admitting their error, admitting their ignorance, or admitting their foolishness. These are admissions most fallen men are simply unwilling to make. The proud heretic believes that all others are fools before he will believe it of himself. Their pride thus rises to the level of self-deception, as they begin to think that they cannot possibly be wrong. The Apostle Paul warned of such a posture: “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.” (1Cor. 3:18)
O that more people would be willing to “become fools.” Who cares what temporary shame you must bear? Who cares what momentary blushing you must endure? Who cares that others are proven to have greater knowledge than yourself? Who cares if your name is not elevated as one of the wise on the earth? Would you trade eternal bliss to save face in this wicked and perverse generation? Would you trade a lofty place in heaven, for a lofty place on earth? Would you trade having your name in the Lamb’s book of life, so that your name might be included amongst those who are thought to be clever? O that we would be foolish, so that we could be made truly wise!
But as it is, most men will rather dig in their heels and they will double down on their errors. The heretic will dream up new arguments to support their first one. When one foundation becomes too unstable, they will shift to another from which to defend themselves. They will move from theological thought to philosophical, then from philosophy to psychology, and from there they will point to their own experiences. When their opinions can no longer face scrutiny on their own merit, they will begin to search out other people who have held their view. Whether from ages past, or in their own day, it doesn’t matter so longer as another can be found to give credibility to their ideas. It doesn’t really matter to the proud heretic if those who shared their opinion were shown to be wicked, or they were found to be doctrinally unsound in numerous ways, so long as they held this one opinion in common the heretic claims them for support. O the tragedy of seeking validation through a shared delusion!
Finally, when all sources of validation for a man’s heresy are proven bankrupt, and the matter has been revealed by the light of truth and reason, still yet the proud heretic will fall back on his own obstinacy. As if by his dedication to the error, he can force it to be true. So then it will be nothing but a divine miracle that will be able to separate a man from his opinion. O may false doctrine never so cling to us! May we humbly receive the truth of the Word, and be willing to receive correction – Lest we too fall into the sticky trap of the proud heretic.
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