In the course of time there have been a number of doctrines of men and demons that have surfaced. Some are error as the result of misunderstanding the scriptures, while others are outright heresy designed to corrupt the true Word of God. Some teach traditions of men as doctrine in order to control the Gospel, which is one way the relationship turned into religion for many. Error, heresy and tradition have caused division in the Church. These three arose out of heart issues. There’s intentionality behind each one.
Those who are in error have not set out to deceive people; rather, they are deceived.
Deception comes when one refuses to learn the truth. When someone is so bent on believing his new found “revelation” is the truth that he disregards anything which contradicts his new doctrine, deception takes over. There may be elements of truth in the error, but it neglects the full counsel of Scripture. When you begin to get a revelation, you must be patient in getting the full counsel of God. By definition, revelation is as an already existing truth that is newly revealed to you (or a group of people). There has to be wholeness in order for doctrine to be true. In other words, as a starting point, there should be at least two or three scriptures to confirm the teaching. Furthermore, it should balance out contextually with all Scripture as a whole. That means you must study with a sincere heart. It is not a good idea to embrace or teach anything not proven in the Word of God; otherwise, you may actually embrace and/or teach error.
Not only is heresy designed to corrupt the true Word of God to deceive the Body of Christ, it also conceals the truth from those who have yet to receive it.
Essentially, it’s bad seed which produces counterfeit fruit. Like chaff being mixed with wheat, because it’s mixed with truth, it’s not so easy to discern. Obviously, it easily deceives those who do not have the Spirit. Cults have sprung up out of heresy. In some cases, those who have been swept into these false religions wanted to be swept in. Why? They wanted just enough of the Gospel to “make it into heaven,” but still remain in control. It’s a heart issue. Of course, there are others who were sincere, and in their search for truth, stumbled into them. Essentially, heresy is the doctrine of demons. When it gets down to it, the devil is the head of cults.
As stated, traditions of men are born out of the desire to control religion.
Do you notice a common thread in these three? Control. As Jesus said, people teach traditions of men as if they are true doctrine (see Matthew 15:1-9). This is where we have to be careful. Truth has a way of bumping heads with tradition. Those who hold to traditions often call those who teach truth, heretics. Even Jesus was ridiculed by the Pharisees for not following their traditions. Please understand that not all traditions are bad in themselves; however, if they resist the true Word of God they aren’t good at all. Everyone has some sort of tradition (family, personal time of devotion, going to church, etc.), and that’s okay. Nonetheless, if one’s tradition overrides the Holy Spirit’s leading, it’s not so good. Again, it’s a heart issue.
How do we combat error, heresy and traditions of men?
How do we defend the Gospel? Number one, submit to the Lord, which requires true humility. Furthermore, it requires the Holy Spirit to properly discern error. Remember, knowledge left to itself can lead to pride (see 1 Corinthians 8:1). We cannot afford to become prideful because of the knowledge we have, or think we have. If we fail to submit to (the) Holy Spirit, we will not properly defend the Gospel. As a matter of fact, we could cause more damage than good. Keep in mind that debate causes division. It is essential to walk in love, which is part of submission. Secondly, the simplest way to eliminate these imposters along with confusion is to learn and teach the truth. When truth comes, anything that is a lie crumbles. Truth is like a hammer; it shatters the lie. Jeremiah 23:28-29 . . . but let him who has My word speak My word in truth. What does straw have in common with grain?” declares the LORD. 29. “Is not My word like fire?” declares the LORD, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock (NASB)? When truth comes, anything that is a lie crumbles into dust. How do you fight darkness? Turn on the light; you don’t have to attack the darkness. Light exposes the lie. If you simply teach what the Lord leads you with, you will successfully destroy false doctrine.
Another purpose of error, heresy and traditions of men is to distract us from our assignments.
If we focus on what Jesus places before us to do, we will stay on course. If we look to the left or the right, we will veer off. It’s easy to get trapped into overly focusing on false doctrine. Getting involved in areas that we’re not called to do will make us ineffective. Ironically, if we do what we’re tasked to do, we will combat these things. God is great at multitasking!
Loving God and people is our primary responsibility. Any departure from love in these two areas leads to error, and yes, heresy. This is why we cannot elevate doctrine above love. Our love for God will cause us to be jealous in a good way for His Word, but not at the expense of others.
Episode one of Season two of The Perfect Faith Podcast is now available
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