Walking in the Spirit…
David (ded) from “Spirit in the Wildwood” has published a post called “… in the spirit?” which continues a much needed conversation concerning walking in the Spirit. He begins by recognizing the difficulty of speaking with other believers about being in the spirit:
I rarely find any discussion on how one learns to walk in the spirit. It is an accepted phrase which gets much use with limited depth of mutual understanding between believers. Often, when I’ve attempted to move a discussion in this direction—and I have been making this attempt for over twenty years—I get one of three reactions: the person or group gets all excited and wants to talk about the presumed effects of being in the spirit, usually the spiritual gift list of I Corinthians 12; the eyes, that window into the soul, retreat somewhat and heads nod while the conversation dwindles after a few simple truisms; or a list of expectations about behavior follow with legalistic undertones. I hear very little practical substance. It raises the question, “Can a supernatural reality have a practical explanation?”
Think about his last question: “Can a supernatural reality have a practical explanation?” Can we quantify and measure what it means to walk in the Spirit? There are certainly observable characteristics that are generally ture of those who are walking in the Spirit. But, can we measure, describe, proscribe what it means to be controlled by the Spirit of God?
David further recognizes the importance of this discussion among the church:
This post is not a complaint or charge against anyone or any group. The current state of affairs within the Body of Christ is certainly more profoundly complex, broader and more significant than I can describe in even a series of posts on a blog. Yet, I write today because I wonder, “What can simplify the issues between believers, reduce the tensions which arise over disagreements, bring life to the soul and spirit of individuals, develop more unity within our Christ-family, and ultimately increase the effectiveness of communicating the gospel?”
The answer, the only conclusion I can draw is learning a deeper, more authentic walk in the spirit.
I hope others decide to continue this discussion. When we walk in the Spirit, we also walk in fellowship with God and with one another. Perhaps, “walking in the Spirit” is simply living the abundant life for which Christ has created us anew.
Ecclesiology FAQ
Ecclesiology is one of my interests, and my primary academic pursuit. Ecclesiology is the branch of biblical and theological study that deals with the church. Since this blog is primarily about ecclesiology and since people often ask me what I think about certain topics, I thought I would give links to my blog posts that deal with the most common aspects of the study of the church and the answers to the most comment questions that I’m asked.
1. The Nature of the Church
“Definition” label
“Defining the Church (part 1)“, “part 2“, “part 3“, “part 4“, “part 5”
“Minimalist Definition of the Church”
“Historical Ecclesiology“
2. Local/Universal Church
“Local or Universal?”
“How does God view the church in your city?”
“The ekklesia in context”
“Local church in Scripture“
3. Church Leadership (Pastors, Elders, Bishops, Deacons, etc.)
“Elders” label
“Elders (part 1)“, “part 2“, “part 3“, “part 4“, “part 5“, “part 6“, “part 7”
Series – Should elders/pastors be paid a salary? “part 1“, “part 2“, “part 3“, “part 4“, “summary”
“What does a bishop oversee?”
“What does a non-bishop oversee?”
“Exercising Authority”
“Ruling or Leading?”
“Obey and Submit? (Hebrews 13:17)”
“To Deacon or Not to Deacon“
4. Institutions, Structures, and Organizations
“The Church or the Organization”
“Am I against church programs?”
“Models and Mehods and Forms, oh my”
“Creating Church Organization”
“Old Testament Structures and the Church“
5. The Church Meeting and Edification
“Gathering” label
“Edification” label
“Messy Meetings”
“What if we met to edify one another?”
“Distractions to Worship?”
“Here I am to worship”
“But I have perfect attendance”
“Edification (part 1)“, “part 2“, “part 3“, “part 4“, “part 5“, “part 6“
6. Fellowship, Community, and Unity
“Fellowship” label
“Community” label
“Unity” label
“Community in name only?”
“A Common Table”
“The depths of community”
“The unhypocritical church (part 1)“, “part 2“, “part 3”
“Look also to the interest of others“
Singing a song of unity
As I’ve mentioned previously (here and here), during the last few months I’ve been studying the writings of Ignatius of Antioch. While I disagree with Ignatius in some points, there are many other areas where we are in agreement. For example, Ignatius often emphasizes unity among believers. For example, consider this passage:
In your unanimity and harmonious love, Jesus Christ is sung. You must join this chorus, every one of you, so that by being harmonious in unanimity and taking your pitch from God you may sing in unison with one voice through Jesus Christ to the Father, in order that he may both hear you and, on the basis of what you do well, acknowledge that you are members of his Son. It is, therefore, advantageous for you to be in perfect unity, in order that you may always have a share in God. (Ign. Eph. 4:1b-2)
I love the imagery of the church singing together to God the Father through Jesus Christ. The Greek word translated “harmonious” above is the word from which we get the English word “symphony”. A conductor leading an orchestra portrays the beautiful picture of how God leads his children. We may be different (play different instruments) and God may use us in different ways (play different parts), but when we are following his lead, we will find ourselves walking in unity with one another and with God.
When something goes awry – when someone strikes a wrong note – when their is discord – that’s a clear indication that we are not following our conductor. Our goal should not be to get people back on the same page with us, but to point ourselves and others back to the conductor – back to God – and allow him to bring us back into his will and back into unity.
My goal – your goal – each of our goal – is to follow our conductor, using the instruments that he has provided, playing the score as he has arranged it. We may not understand how it all fits together, but when we are playing together as God arranges the music, we will find ourselves in symphonic unity – and the world will recognize the beautiful results. By the way, the world can also recognize the results when we are not following our conductor.
I don’t expect you to play the same instrument as me. I do not expect you to play the same piece of music as me. However, as your brother in Christ, I do expect you to follow the same conductor that I’m following.
Continuing discussion on unity
In my recent post called “Jesus died for unity“, David Rogers of “Love Each Stone” left the following comment:
I recently posted the following in the comment string on my blog:
“I think that is a good point about the difference between “unity in all we believe” and “unity in Whom we trust.” As I understand it, Ephesians 4:13 makes this same distinction when it talks about “unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.” From how I understand it, “unity in the faith” refers to the doctrinal content of what we belief, and “unity in the knowledge of the Son of God” to a personal, experiential knowledge of (relationship with) Jesus.
The big questions (at least for me) here are:
1. Is it possible to have one type of unity without having the other?
2. Does “unity in the faith” include agreement on secondary and tertiary questions? Or is it just unity in the essentials of the Gospel?
3. How do we reach an agreement on what points comprise the essentials of the Gospel, and what points are secondary and tertiary questions?
4. Is our unity with those with whom we differ on secondary and tertiary points less than it is with those with whom we are in agreement on all these points?”
I hate to hijack this discussion (bringing it over here from my own blog), but I think these questions also fit into the discussion here. And, I am really interested in what you and/or your readers might have to say in response to these questions.
In his comment, David refers to his own post called “Rocks on the Path to Unity“. I highly recommend that post and the comment thread that follows. Also, I recommend that you peruse David’s blog and read some of his other posts about unity. Unity is not a theoretical subject for David (or for me). Instead he attempts to live out unity with his brothers and sisters in Christ, and has offered us great examples of doing just that.
First, let’s look at Ephesians 4:13 –
…until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… (ESV)
To begin with, there is only one “unity” in this passage. Paul does not write about the “unities” of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. Instead, he writes about a single unity which is comprised of both faith and knowledge. Also, its difficult to determine here if Paul is making a distinction between “faith” and “knowledge of the Son of God” or if these are standing in apposition to one another – meaning that they describe the same “thing”.
So, let’s get to David’s questions:
1. Is it possible to have one type of unity without having the other?
Well, since I only see one type of unity described in this verse, I would have to say, “No”. However, according to this passage, it is possible to be follower of Christ without being in unity. Notice that unity comes along with maturity. As one grows toward Christ-likeness (“to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”), that Christ-likeness is demonstrated in both maturity and unity with other believers.
2. Does “unity in the faith” include agreement on secondary and tertiary questions? Or is it just unity in the essentials of the Gospel?
I’m not certain that “unity in the faith” indicates agreement on either secondary or tertiary questions. Instead, our faith is in God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. Our faith is not in our doctrines – our teachings about God – whether we label them primary, secondary, or tertiary. We should recognize that some of our doctrines are wrong – we are not infallible. Thus, our understanding of God is incorrect in some areas – possibly in many areas. However, our faith is not in our understanding or explanation of God, but in God himself. So, we live in unity with one another because we have faith in the one God.
3. How do we reach an agreement on what points comprise the essentials of the Gospel, and what points are secondary and tertiary questions?
To be honest, I do not think it is valid to talk of “secondary and tertiary” doctrines. Instead, our goal should be to work together – with one another – to grow toward maturity in Christ. There are many truth claims in Scripture that those who are God’s children will confess: There is one God. Jesus is God. Jesus came in the flesh. etc. Scripture makes it clear that someone who does not confess these truths are not God’s children. It is not a matter of deciding if we are going to work with or fellowship with or become friends with another child of God, but it is a matter of determining whether or not someone is a child of God. Notice that there are also teachings in Scripture that we do not necessarily consider to be “primary doctrines”, and yet Scripture says to have nothing to do with people who do these things: refusing to care of those in need, refusing to work to support yourself, being divisive. Meanwhile, Scripture does not tell us to divide over other issues which we use to choose who is in or our of our particular circle: baptism, Lord’s Supper, leadership, etc.
4. Is our unity with those with whom we differ on secondary and tertiary points less than it is with those with whom we are in agreement on all these points?
Our unity is in God, created for us by Jesus Christ, and worked in us by the Holy Spirit. As we obey the will of God, we will also live in unity with other believers. As we abide in Christ, we will also live in unity with other believers. As we walk in the Spirit, we will also live in unity with other believers. We may disagree with others. But, we do not find unity by choosing which teaching is correct. We find unity in God himself. If we were to ask God, “Are you for us or them”, I think his response would be similar to the angel’s response to Joshua: “Neither”. Unity does not always demonstrate itself in agreement. Instead, unity demonstrates itself in patience, perseverance, deference, submission, forgiveness, kindness, humility, gentleness, love.
I realize that these are not easy answers. In fact, I do not think unity is easy at all. I think it is completely impossible for us to live in unity as humans. However, as we submit to the Spirit of God who dwells in us, he can and will teach us and change us and prompt us to demonstrate the unity that we already have in him.
I am certainly open to hearing from other people on this issue – even and especially those who disagree with me.
Jesus died for unity
Last night I started reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together again. In the first chapter, when he is discussing God’s work in bringing his people together, Bonhoeffer mentions John 11:52. Since I’m planning to take a seminar on the Gospel of John next semester, I stopped reading in order to look up that verse. Here is the verse in its context:
So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.” He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but also to gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. So from that day on they made plans to put him to death. (John 11:47-53 ESV)
I’ve highlighted John 11:52. According to John, at this meeting Caiaphas, the high priest for that year, prophesied concerning Jesus’ death. In that prophecy, there is a two-fold purpose in Jesus’ death: 1) Jesus would die on behalf of the nation (of Israel), and 2) Jesus would die in order to gather together God’s children from all around the world. Literally, that second purpose reads, “But also in order that he might gather the scattered children of God into one.”
Thus, gathering his people together and their unity was one of God’s purposes that he is working through the death of Jesus. I think of many things when I think of the death of Jesus: grace, forgiveness, justice, etc. But I rarely think that because of the death of Jesus I am gathered with brothers and sisters and I can live in unity with them. These are not add-ons to God’s plan, nor are they side-benefits to Jesus’ death. Gathering together and unity are part of God’s purpose in Jesus’ death.
I’ve heard sermons titled, “Jesus died for our sins”. I’ve read books about Jesus’ death and justification. But, I have rarely – if ever – heard anyone teach about how the death of Jesus brings about our unity. Perhaps its time to recognize that we do not choose unity or sound doctrine. Instead, doctrine without unity is not sound doctrine at all. The teachings concerning Jesus and his death – the gospel – must include the unity of his people.
Searching for fellowship (Guest Blogger)
I recently received the following email from a reader. I appreciate how this person has shared their struggles and triumphs as they attempt to walk with God. Perhaps you have some words of wisdom or encouragement to share with this “anonymous child of God”, or perhaps you would just like to share your own struggles to find fellowship:
—————————————————————————-
Hello:
I clicked on your blog link from another website. the verse you have headlining has been one I have been thinking about for a while : And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. (Heb. 10:24-25 NASB)
Nearly 4 years ago our church – for lack of better words – Blew Up.
In a lot of drama, gossip, rumors, judgement and criticism people became scattered and went their separate ways injured and wounded. There were little “them and us” groups that formed..the mud slinging continued, and people that once claimed to be “family” and love one another became enemies.
Some were just caught in the middle not knowing which end was up. (I think those are the ones my heart aches most for)
The history in a nutshell is that this church was a new church plant about 4 years old. It came into a new area, started in a school gym, the growth exploded, we found a building, and worked very hard trying to get new people in by having lots of events. The church grew quickly and many of the leaders were very new believers. The pastor was working in many ways out of his flesh, though he had a sincere love for the people and for God, in his leadership role, there were times he wounded some. Those he wounded realized that he was not deserving of the pedestal they had placed him on and vowed to destroy him and his family.
As this drama unfolded for the next several years my family had been shunned by many of the people. (you see, the pastor was a family member) So, I can only think that we must in their eyes be guilty by association of the wrong doings they have accused him of.
My best friends walked away from me. People that we used to fellowship with turn from us when we run into them. As a matter of fact, I just ran into a woman last night in the grocery store, when I spoke up and said Hello, she looked up, her face became twisted, she struggled to murmur a quick hello and then looked away…and this is 4 years later…
My whole life I have gone to church on Sunday morning. Though now I realize that it was because that is what I thought I was “supposed to do”.
We have visited a few churches. But nothing feels right. And the thing is, that through this past 4 years, God has been bringing me into a new understanding of his Grace and Mercy. So when I walk into these places and hear legalism be preached, or hear that in my son’s Sunday school class the teacher told him to make sure and bring a dollar next week for the offering…it just turns me off. Not to mention, there is a bit of a fear of people in general after what we have experienced.
My kids ask why we don’t go to church. We have done some “home church” stuff, just here with the kids. But haven’t been consistent. My husband and I have read some books: “The Rest of the Gospel” by Dan Stone, and “Lifetime Guarantee” by Bill Gillam. We both attended a healing retreat that God really met us in. And we have several internet sites that support our growing in grace. And as it applies to our life, we share these understandings with our kids.
But the question for me now is what does not forsaking our own assembling together, mean to me? I do not want to go back to my old ways of thinking and go to a church just because I think we should. But I also feel that we are in this bubble of limited fellowship.
Recently I have been thinking a lot about this passage and what it might mean to me:
Jer 3:13 Only acknowledge your guilt. Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God and committed adultery against him by worshiping idols under every green tree. Confess that you refused to follow me. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Jer 3:14 “Return home, you wayward children,” says the LORD, “for I am your husband. I will bring you again to the land of Israel–one from here and two from there, from wherever you are scattered.
Jer 3:15 And I will give you leaders after my own heart, who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.”
Jer 3:16 “And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the LORD, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the LORD’s covenant. Those days will not be missed or even thought about, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark.
I apologize for this lengthy email. And I am not even sure of my exact purpose for writing to you. But after looking at some of your writings, I thought you might be able to understand our situation and if the Lord leads you, to offer encouragement in Him. Let me also quickly mention that though this past 4 years have been painful and ugly on days, I wouldn’t trade it for the understanding I have gained of who I am in Christ and what His Grace and Mercy means to my life.
Thanks for your time,
(anonymous child of God)
Autumn Leaves and the Church
I love autumn. I love it when the weather starts getting cooler, and I can start wearing boots and long sleeve shirts and sweaters and sweatshirts. I love watching college football on Saturday mornings (yes, I know that college football now starts during the summer, but I like it best during the fall). I love having a fire in the fireplace, especially at night when the only light comes from the fire itself.
But, most of all, I love watching the leaves change colors. Here in North Carolina, autumn is especially beautiful. My drive to work each morning and back home each afternoon is very calming and soothing and a joy for the eyes. Yesterday morning, as I was driving to work, I saw a patch of three or four trees, all of which had bright yellow leaves. It seemed as if the sun was shining only on those trees, but in reality, the yellow leaves simply stood out vividly among the browns, reds, and greens of the surrounding trees. From my office window at work, I can look out in the distance and see a large tree with bright orange leaves that stands out clearly against the trees behind it.
As I have been thinking about these leaves, I realize that it is not simply the vividness of the individual colors that makes the scene so beautifully. I mean, yes, the yellow leaves beside the road, or the orange leaves out the window, or the bright red leaves – another favorite – of some trees stand out. But, these colors only stand out because they are surrounded by other colors – colors that may not be as bright, but are important nonetheless. In fact, I think these other leaves actually make the vivid leaves more beautiful.
Consider, for instance, seeing a patch of trees all of which have the same color leaves, with no other colors around them. Perhaps all the leaves are yellow, all the leaves are red, all the leaves are orange. Would this be beautiful? Yes, but there would be something missing. There is beauty in the vivid colors themselves, but that beauty is enhanced by the contrast of the leaves of other colors, much as the sound of one instrument is enhanced when it is part of an orchestra.
As I was thinking about autumn colors, I was reminded how this resembles the church. The church is made of a myriad of people with different perspectives, different emphases, different voices, different gifts, but all from God. In fact, God places the people together in the manner that pleases him. If God has placed us together, then we should take the time to observe and listen to each other.
There are certain voices that I like to hear. There are certain types of service that I like to participate in. There are certain emphases and preferences that I share. But, if I only listen to and respond to those who share my concerns and preferences and likes, then I am missing the beauty of the church – much like I would miss the beauty of the autumn colors if all of the trees of the forest had yellow leaves.
There are some within the church who prefer to focus on evangelism – I need to hear from these people. There are others within the church who would rather emphasize the sovereignty of God – I need to hear their voices also. Some other people in the church usually discuss serving others – I need to hear what they have to say. Still others within the church consistently speak of community – I need to hear them.
Like a forest in autumn with a myriad of colors, or an orchestra with many different instruments all playing together, God has placed people in my life and in your life because we need to hear them and they need to hear us. We need one another. Take the time today to notice the many different colors in the trees around you. Then ask yourself, “Am I listening to the different voices, or am I only listening to the voices who are saying the same things that I say?”
Love and Unity
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus turned our thinking about love upside down:
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)
Apparently, if we only love those who love us, we should know longer consider that “love”.
I wonder if this same logic can be applied to unity. If we are only united with those who want to unite with us, are we truly united? If we are only united with those who believe like us, are we really united? Or, is our version of unity – uniting with those who are like us – simply what the “tax collectors” and the “Gentiles” would do?
Learning from One Another
This is going to be a different kind of post than I usually publish. I believe that followers of Jesus Christ should be humble enough to learn from other followers of Jesus Christ, even if those others are “different”, with “different” beliefs and “different” practices.
I believe that Baptists should learn from Presbyterians who should learn from Methodists who should learn from Disciples of Christ who should learn from Anglicans who should learn from Nondenominationals, etc. I believe that Conservatives should learn from Liberals who should learn from Moderates, etc. I believe that Moderns should learn from Postmoderns who should learn from Premoderns who should learn from Post-postmoderns, etc. We should learn from those who are different from us but who are, nonetheless, our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Therefore, I am going to ask you what you have learned from others. Here are the rules:
1. List only positive things that you have learned from other believers.
2. List only things you have learned from followers of Christ who are different from you (i.e. different denomination, philosophical worldview, hermeneutic, etc.).
3. List only positive things that you have learned (Yes, I meant to repeat this!).
Have you learned something from brothers and sisters in Christ who are different than you? Please share those with us.
Dropping the "H" Bomb
I recently read a story about one follower of Christ calling another follower of Christ a heretic because they disagreed over certain aspects of teaching. I’m sure that many of us have heard similar stories, and perhaps some of us have even been called “heretics”.
The “H” bomb is dropped to separate the speaker from the “heretic” or “heresy”. It is used as stronger language than “disagree” or “different”. It is used to question the person’s devotion to and possibly position with God. To the person dropping the “H” bomb, the “heretic” may be sincere, but certainly sincerely wrong when compared with the bombardier.
Looking through various definitions of the word “heretic”, you’ll find that a “heretic” (in English) is a person who holds a position that is different from standard or accepted church beliefs. Thus, in English, “heresy” can only be defined from the perspective of a certain set of beliefs. So, someone can be a “heretic” from the point of view of the Roman Catholic Church, but that same person may not be a “heretic” from the point of view of the Anglican Church.
Similarly, looking through various definitions of the word “heresy”, you’ll find that a “heresy” (again, in English) is any teaching, belief, or opinion that is different from standard or accepted church beliefs. Once again, “heresy” is a valid term on from the perspective of a certain set of beliefs.
From these modern definitions, every Baptist is a heretic to every Presbyterian. Every Anglican teaches heresy from the perspective of every Charismatic. From the point of view of Methodists, everyone in the Vineyard church is a heretic. These terms have lost any meaning, but they continue to be used with force and vehemence.
Perhaps, instead of looking at the modern definitions of “heresy” and “heretic” it would be helpful to consider the source of these words, and to consider how Scripture uses these words. Also, instead of comparing someone’s opinions and beliefs to the standard beliefs of a given church, perhaps it would be better to compare that person’s opinions and beliefs to Scripture.
Of course, even before we think about the source of the words “heresy” and “heretic”, we are immediately faced with the reality that different people interpret Scripture in different ways. Does this mean that our terms “heretic” and “heresy” are completely useless? No. It means that we must humbly admit that brothers and sisters in Christ disagree concerning the meaning of Scripture. We must also humbly admit that disagreement, in and of itself, does not constitute heresy. I may disagree with someone, and neither one of us may be heretics. However, according to the modern definitions of the words “heresy” and “heretic”, if two people disagree, one of them must be a heretic.
The terms “heresy” and “heretic” are scriptural words. The noun form αἵρεσις (hairesis) is used five times in the New Testament, and is usually translated “sect”, “division”, “opinion”, or “schism”. The Pharisees and Sadducees are called “sects” (“heresies”) of Judaism (Acts 5:17; 15:5; 26:5). Christians are called a “sect” (“heresy”) of Judaism (Acts 24:5; 24:14; 28:22). Finally, there are said to be “divisions” or “dissensions” (“heresies”) among groups of Christians (1 Cor 11:19; Gal 5:20; 2 Pet 2:1). It is this last category that should interest us.
Scripture warns us about “heresies” among believers. But, in context, what are these passages telling us? In 1 Corinthians 11:19, Paul mentions “factions”. These are probably similar to the divisions mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1-4. The danger is not found in disagreements between believers, but in separation. The groups were separating from one another and treating one another differently based on their affiliations.
In Galatians 5:20, “heresies” or “divisions” or “factions” are mentioned again along with “disputes”, “dissensions”, and “envy”. All of these are listed as “works of the flesh” (Gal 5:19-21), practiced by those who “will not inherit the kingdom of God”. This is contrasted against the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal 5:22-23) which will be evident in the lives of God’s children. Since the fruit of the Spirit includes characteristics such as patience, gentleness, and self-control, we can assume that these are demonstrated in the context of disagreements, not in the absence of them. Again, this says nothing about disagreement being “heresy”.
In 2 Peter 2:1, Peter warns that false prophets and false teachers will bring “destructive heresies” with them. These false prophets and false teachers will not be known for disagreeing with other believers, but instead they will be known for “denying the Lord” (2 Pet 2:1), “sensuality” (2 Pet 2:2), “covetousness” (2 Pet 2:3). Thus, these false prophets and false teachers are not ones who simply disagree with other Christians, but those who deny that Christ is Lord, and live a life that demonstrates that they are not children of God.
Perhaps, from this connection of “heresy” with false prophets and false teachers in 2 Peter 2:1, we should also recognize why these people are called “false prophets” and “false teachers”. Perhaps one of the most important passages to help us understand what it means to be a “false teacher” is 1 Timothy 1:3-11. Here, those who teach “other doctrines” are those who teach contrary to the gospel (1 Tim 1:11). In many other passages, the authors of Scripture encourage their readers to teach and live in accordance to the gospel of Jesus Christ – that is, the good news that God has provided a way for all people to accepted as his children.
So, according to Scripture, who are the true “heretics”? Heretics are those who deny the gospel of Jesus Christ. Heretics are also those who live in a manner contrary to the gospel – that is, according to the flesh, not according to the Spirit. Similarly, heretics are those who cause and encourage divisions and dissensions among the followers of Jesus Christ.
When Person A calls Person B a “heretic” for a teaching that Person A disagrees with, but which is not contrary to the gospel, and when Person A refuses to fellowship with Person B because of that teaching, then, according to Scripture, Person A is actually the “heretic”. Person A is the one causing division among the followers of Christ and is thus promoting true heresy.
So, let’s be careful, thoughtful, and prayerful before we drop the “H” Bomb. It could be that we are the true “heretics”, not necessarily because our opinion is “wrong”, but because our words and actions are divisive – and this is the type of heresy that Scripture warns us about.