Church Division & The Heresy Police

Rock of Offence Commentary

Jesus said in Matthew 12:25:

"...Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand." (KJV)

A critical situation exists in the modern church. We are hopelessly divided against ourselves. It's bad enough that we have to deal with the heresies that come from "non-Christian" cults. But, we also have to deal with false shepherds and teachers that spread misinformation and propaganda within our own ranks. Jesus called them "wolves in sheep's clothing". After watching this "spiritual invasion" for over 30 years, I continue to be amazed at the accuracy of Jesus' analogy. It's difficult to fault the intentions of any one group because Christians have a natural desire to know and defend the truth. However, to properly defend the truth you have to possess a correct understanding of it. . .and that's the dilemma. With the existence of hundreds of different seminaries and Bible schools and the different Scriptural "interpretations" which exist as a result of denominational differences, Christians do not all say the same thing. We must also add to the mix the "Reformed Theologians" who rewrite and redefine the Holy Scriptures to fit a religious philosopy called "Replacement Theology". So what am I saying? No matter what "theological" position you take--someone will consider you "in error". If you're a Christian striving to "arrive" at that place where everyone in the church will agree with you--it's time to face reality.

Part of this problem is caused by those who place a priority on "intellectualizing" the Scriptures and rejecting God's Holy Spirit as the "teacher" of the church. The opposite side tends to neglect the idea that all teaching must agree with Scripture and chooses to establish "doctrine" based on whatever the Holy Spirit says through a spiritual leader. Both of these extremes cause serious problems and much confusion. To avoid problems both of these "tensions" must be allowed to exist. There is a balance between "intellectually" pursuing the meaning (in the original ancient languages and historical intent) of the Scriptures and allowing the Holy Spirit to show us what that meaning is. Every seminary and denomination can articulate what they believe and "prove" it through their Bible interpretation methods using the Scripture. Yet, most can't agree on the fundamentals of salvation. After considering this situation for over 30 years, I've come to the conclusion that this division and "in-fighting" will never have a solution until Jesus returns to set things straight. There are many different "factions" and each have the appearance of being able to prove they are "right". However, everyone is not right.

Regardless of this confusion, any believer in Jesus can know the truth--if they want to know it badly enough. It takes a truth-seeking attitude that may require us to lay down some of our cherished religious traditions. All the early church fathers were accused by someone as being a heretic. Almost all these accusations came from the accepted religious establishment of their time. Jesus himself did not escape this label (John 10:32-33, Mark 14:64, Matthew 26:65). The Apostle Paul discussed his own "heresy" label in Acts 24:14-15:

"But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust."(KJV)

For the reasons outlined above, new Christians should cultivate some Biblical guidelines in their pursuit of the truth.

  • Make a commitment to study and read the Bible. Pray before hand and ask God's Holy Spirit to teach you. The Holy Spirit's role is the teacher of the church (I Corinthians 2:9-16, I John 2:24-27).

  • Make a special commitment to study the 6 "Foundational Doctrines" listed in Hebrews 6:1-2. These doctrines are: Repentance from dead works, faith toward God, doctrine of baptisms, laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgement. These are the "core" doctrines of the New Covenant. A book on this subject is available by Dr. Derek Prince entitled, "The Spirit-Filled Believer's Handbook". (Available from www.amazon.com). It's the only book I know of that properly discusses these doctrines.

  • Learn to compare ALL the teaching you hear with Scripture. No spiritual leader or teacher is above this kind of scrutiny. God's truth never disagrees with His written Word (II Timothy 3:16-17). Adopt the ways of the Berean Christians who "received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:10-11).

  • Learn the importance of having a proper Biblical foundation laid in your life. Everything you judge will pass through this foundation. If the foundation is faulty--your ability to recognize falsehood will be compromised (I Corinthians 3:10-15).

  • Cultivate a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's voice especially while listening to any teaching. At times He will alert you to error as it comes out of the teacher's mouth.

  • Learn that most error is counterfeit truth. A counterfeit looks like the real thing--but isn't. This also means real truth related to the topic exists and appears similar to the counterfeit. The ability to discern Biblical truth is a "lost art" as we approach the end of the age. Discernment is hard work.

  • Be careful what you listen to (Mark 4:24). Wrong teaching will affect your faith and negatively impact your Biblical foundation if you receive a constant diet of it. The Bible says that "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Romans 10:17). God promises that faith comes by hearing His Word--not religious philosophies and church traditions that are put forth as His Word.

  • Don't blindly follow those with great educational and intellectual credentials in Biblical studies. Those who have "DD" (Doctor of Divinity) at the end of their name may or may not be teaching the truth. A theological degree does not necessarily equal truth. Resist being intimidated by their educational qualifications or knowledge of the Scriptures. Remember that the objective is for you to know the truth FOR YOURSELF. God's will is for you to live from your own faith--not to live off the faith of someone else. Also remember that you have the Holy Spirit--the teacher of the church--inside you and he knows more about God than any earthly human.

  • Remain "teachable"--but prove all things before you accept them. (I Thessalonians 5:21)

Defending The Truth Or Discrediting The Truth?

The method of using heretical teachings as a contrast to defend the doctrines of Christianity is a common practice. Generally, I'm not against this type of defense. However, in recent years some Christian radio personalities have misused it to discredit Biblical teachings which they dislike.

We've learned that Satan's methods involve the use of counterfeits--or "look-alikes". One reason he uses this scheme is to manipulate inexperienced Christians into throwing away Biblical truth when it closely resembles something that is labeled as unbiblical or heretical. Some tenants of Gnostic thought (a heresy) resembles some major Biblical truth concerning the indwelling presence of God's Holy Spirit in his people. God's indwelling presence guides, instructs and provides other benefits to the Christian. Unfortunately, this spiritual knowledge available to the believer is wrongly equated with the "cosmic knowledge" boasted of by the Gnostic. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. For this reason, the knowledge and abilities that the Christian enjoys from God's indwelling presence is spoken of as being evil and "of the devil" by some religious leaders in the church. Similar comparisons are applied to other Biblical characteristics of God's Holy Spirit in order to destroy its validity. This is VERY dangerous ground! Those who teach in this way ignore the warning Jesus gave about those who speak against the Holy Spirit in Mark 3:28-29:

"Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme (speak evil of) against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." (KJV)

Some (not all) of these attacks come from what is know as "Christian apologetics". This branch of theology attempts to defend traditional Christianity against the attacks it receives from heresies such as Gnosticism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses and other false religious movements. It is a noble endeavor. And, before someone gets mad--I am not against Christian apologetics. I'm against the misuse of it. Unfortunately, because of denominational or doctrinal bias, some Christian apologists can't resist the temptation to attack certain Biblical teachings with which they disagree. Seeing themselves as the true "defenders of the faith" the apologist's beliefs are usually held as the final word on all Christian doctrine. There is both a good and a bad side to this. While the Gnostic heresy has its "spiritual elites", Christian apologists can also set themselves up as "elitist". They are highly skilled at persuasive speech and at using the Scriptures as an offensive weapon--and they can slant any discussion any way they choose. The "apologists" of Jesus day were the Scribes and Pharisees. Even Jesus Christ had difficulty persevering in discussions with these people because they never surrender their position--because they always consider themselves "right". The highly developed skills of the Christian apologist can set the stage for a form of "spiritual arrogance" that can do tremendous damage in the church. This arrogance can lead them to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit. One of their methods is to teach about a particular heresy and then to associate some teaching in the church with it. In the mind of the listeners, the teaching becomes "guilty by association" whether the accusation is true or not. The goal is to discredit the teaching by showing how "similar" it is to heresy. However, with Satan's use of counterfeits you cannot recklessly practice this kind of defense without also attacking valid Biblical truth. It's like throwing away all twenty-dollar bills in your wallet upon finding a counterfeit. Some might say this would be a crazy practice. Yet, Christians are manipulated into trashing Biblical truth using this kind of reasoning every day--and the result is a tragedy. Once again, the only defense against this practice is to know God's Word for yourself. All Christian apologists are not guilty of this practice. Many are humbly in pursuit of the truth like the rest of us--and they work hard at providing accurate information about various cults to the rest of the church. However, with the help of new technologies, the ones who wish to use their skills against those with whom they disagree--can do great damage, destroy valid ministries and end up resisting a truth that God is trying to restore. This is always done with the best of intentions. Sometimes our worst enemies can be those who appear to be in our own camp.

Historic Christianity Or Tradition Of Man?

Apologetics believe in the tenants of "historic Christianity" and desire to defend it from the error of "new" religious movements. At this point you have to ask the question, "what is historic Christianity?" When properly understood, the tenants of historic Christianity are restricted to the "essential doctrines of salvation". This includes only those things which the early church fathers considered "essential" to enter into a complete salvation experience. However, agreement upon this simple list causes bitter opposition from various denominational groups within the Church. The "essentials" are still being hotly debated!

For SOME (not all) Christian apologists, the term "historic Christianity" includes the "essential doctrines of salvation"--PLUS many church traditions and beliefs which are wrongly given the same authority as Scripture. Certain traditions in the church are based on religious thinking and the philosophy of man rather than on Biblical fact--and they've been accepted as dogma for hundreds of years. Also, "historic Christianity" includes all the things we know about Christianity to date--and some of those things may or may not be correctly interpreted. The "historic Christianity" claim tends to imply that everything about God is already known and that He will not be teaching us any more about Himself or His ways. I feel this position borderlines on spiritual arrogance. It is true that the "cannon" of Scripture is closed. God will not be giving us any more information other than that, which is found in the Bible. However, much of the information in Scripture has been misinterpreted and twisted and God is not done with revealing and "restoring" the true meaning of his Word to His Church. Ever since the dark ages God has been sequentially restoring the truth of His Word to each new generation. History itself has proven that using "history" to judge the authenticity of truth can be flawed.

  • The ministry of Jesus Christ demonstrates the clearest example of the problems involved when we use history as a standard to judge truth. In New Testament times, the Scribes and Pharisees were considered the "guardians" of the Mosaic Law. They spent their lives learning God's law and how to protect the nation of Israel from violating it. They were so concerned about breaking God's law that they created a whole new set of religious "rules" that acted as a "fence" around the law. These rules were given more weight and authority than God's Word. If you kept the rules--you were safe. This is not too different than what happens today in religion. These religious rules were the accepted (historical) dogma of the time. They had become "accepted" religious traditions. Jesus, however, viewed these rules as false and something that distorted God's character. His teachings challenged the historical dogma of the Scribes and Pharisees. The miracles he performed validated his teachings and angered the religious establishment. So great was their anger that they executed him. Jesus was right and the "historical" dogma of the Scribes and Pharisees were wrong. God tells us in his Word that Jesus is "the truth." However, the "apologists" of the day (the Scribes and Pharisees) couldn't see it.

  • The ministry of John Wycliff, born in the 1300's set the stage for the reformation that took place 200 years later. He translated an English bible, the first of its kind in over 1,000 years. He held similar views to those of Martin Luther and criticized the accepted teachings (historical Christianity) of the church at that time as being false. His followers, the "Lollards" traveled throughout England with his message. His movement met an early end because of harsh persecution from the institutional church and the "apologists" at that time. Yet, Wycliff's teachings are now accepted within Christianity. Wycliff was right and "historical" Christianity was wrong. His crime: He exposed the "historical" dogma as being unbiblical. Wycliff did not proclaim a new truth--he was only clarifying the evidence that had been there all along.

  • The Protestant reformation began when Martin Luther discovered that the Scriptures taught Salvation through "Justification by faith in Christ alone". Luther is famous for nailing his "95 theses" declaring this fact to the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, Germany in 1517. This act was not well received. The church at that time held to the "historical" position that the "works of the law" was a necessary part of salvation. He was charged with heresy and suffered grievous persecution for his position. Today, this truth is understood as the central doctrine of salvation within authentic Christian circles. Martin Luther was right and the "historical Christianity" of the time was wrong. Luther was not proclaiming a new truth--just clarifying the Scriptural facts, which had been there all along.

  • D.L. Moody, an American evangelist, proclaimed the simple message of God's love for sinners. He was fiercely persecuted for his teachings by the "apologists" of his day, which held to an opposing "historic" position. In those days (around 1860) it was commonly believed that God's feelings toward the sinner was anger, hostility and judgement. However, Moody preached his message of God's love and used the Scriptures to validate it. Today, his message is a central truth within Christian evangelism. Moody was right and the position of "historical Christianity" was wrong. Moody was not proclaiming a new truth--just clarifying the Scriptural facts, which were there all along.

  • In the 1900's, Charles Parham, a Methodist minister and later W.J. Seymour, an ordained black minister, rediscovered the truth of the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts in the Church. As they preached from the Scriptures about this New Testament "empowerment" for the Christian, God confirmed his Word with signs and wonders. This infuriated the religious establishment of the day. The modern-day Pentecostal and Charismatic message was born as the result of their early ministry. Their Biblical message was met with open hostility and some of their followers were killed for preaching it. It violated the "historical Christianity" of the time. Parham and Seymour were right and the position of "historical Christianity was wrong. They were not proclaiming a new truth--just clarifying the Scriptural facts, which were there all along. Unfortunately, the hostility toward this message is still raging in the church today 100 years later. Yet, God's Word clearly supports the message. The problem: It violates the "historical" traditions and beliefs in the church.

These are but a few examples. Does this mean we're to throw the idea of apologetics out? Of course not. Christian apologetics is needed today more than ever. Yet, we should recognize that we may not have the whole picture and that God is still in the process of revealing the true nature of His Word to us. I will also admit that this condition provides the open door of "new revelation" many false religious movements use to manipulate their followers. However, this problem does not justify the "I know it all--I have all the answers" attitude that is seen in some places. It means that we need to place a higher priority on God's Word rather than on unbiblical religious traditions that divide the church. However, history shows this will never happen for a variety of reasons that will not be discussed here.

Apologetics provides a much-needed service to the church when they stay with the task of exposing the many false religions. The problems show up when some distort the Scriptures to favor their own traditions which they hold as true. More problems surface when apologists hold a particular denominational or doctrinal bias, which skews their judgement. In this situation, who is going to make the final determination on what's Scriptural and what's not? Because of the apologist's educational qualifications and respected position within the church--they make the final judgement--and they are not always right. When their judgement is wrong--the result is another teaching that causes more division in the church and hinders a truth that God is attempting to restore. This battle has been going on for thousands of years.

I see nine truths that God has been trying to restore to the church in the last 100 years--I have listed them below.

  • The Grace Gospel as preached by Saint Paul

  • Exposing the error of "Replacement Theology"

  • The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

  • The operation of spiritual gifts within the church

  • Biblical faith and confession

  • Physical/divine healing

  • God's imputed Righteousness to the believer in Christ

  • The blood covenant of Jesus Christ

  • The immenint return of Jesus Christ

These topics are the main targets for distortion by religious critics today. Yet, the teachings are firmly supported by the Bible. We should never throw out truth because of those who abuse it. Unfortunately, this is the situation with some who have preached these subjects in the past. The critics are very good at using the unbiblical practices of some preachers to discredit important truth. However, if you practice this way of thinking, you'll miss out on many of God's blessings. Once again, our only defense is to understand God's Word and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into all the truth.







Copyright © 2001 Rock of Offence
Most recent revision October 2001