2Pet. 2:1b – “...there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies…”
I’d like to begin at the outset, by expressing my sincere indebtedness to great authors who have gone before me. The Puritans and other Reformed scholars have written on these matters in such depth and with such care that I will never be able to match. Nonetheless, since their works are so scantly read, I feel compelled to write on the matter at hand to reach this generation with the same truths they defended in times past. I will try to bring in as many helpful thoughts and quotations from those authors as seems appropriate while we tackle this issue of heresy in our day.
As we begin our study to understand the nature and danger of heresies it will behoove us to clearly identify what heresy actually is. Heresy is not a term that we should use without careful thought and consideration, neither is it a blanket term we should use for every form of erroneous thought or speech. The word “heresies,” that Peter used in our passage above, is translated from the Greek term: “Hairesis.” The Greek word literally means “to choose,” specifically, “choosing a party or an opinion.” The word came to be used to describe dissensions and divisions that arose by some “choosing” to stray from a common and unified understanding. As it pertains to Christianity, I have found no better definition to the term heresy than in the writings of 17th century clergyman Obadiah Sedgwick. He wrote:
“Heresy is an erroneous or false opinion, repugnant unto and subverting
the doctrine of faith revealed in the Word, as necessary unto salvation,
and obstinately maintained, and pertinaciously adhered unto by a pro-
fessed Christian.”
We must understand that heresy at its root is an opinion. It may be a firmly believed opinion, it may be a widespread opinion, it may be a very old opinion – but it is an opinion. Heresies then, rest in the mind, and as all opinions they are propagated through our speech. Since heresy is an opinion, it is not the same thing as sinful living. Fallen men indeed sin in many ways, but that is not the same thing as heresy. We can lie, cheat, and steal and each of those are sins, but they do not become heresy unless our opinion about those things becomes warped as well. If I sin by harming my neighbor, but I confess it as a wicked thing, then because I agree with the truth – I have not committed heresy. But, for instance, if I justify my sin, and solidify my sin, and redefine what is right and true, so that sin is no longer sinful, and then I disperse that opinion to others – in that opinion I have then committed heresy. O how many heresies have begun in just such a way! One sinful man’s turbulent thoughts, swaying back and forth in his unstable mind, looking for justification in his sin, looking to validate his opinions in the sight of other men, gives birth to a heresy.
I don’t want to tarry in this example too long, lest I inadvertently lead you to believe that heresy has mostly to do with opinions about practical morality. Really, heresy has more to do with opinions that contradict some revealed truth of God’s Word. Sometimes that touches matters of morality, but most often it has to do with matters of theology. So then, heresy is not a title that can be applied to every error of opinion a man could have. I could be mistaken about matters of politics and science, I could have erroneous opinions about business, the stock market, and the news of the day – but none of these errors alone makes me a heretic. One becomes a heretic when his expressed opinion on some spiritual or doctrinal matter becomes contrary to the one true faith of Jesus Christ as revealed in His Word. Here is how heresy is defined, here is where heresy is found, and here is where we must aim our rebuke.
Ps. 19:14 – “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be accept-able in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
Comentários