Worldly Wisdom or Godly Wisdom?
The Spirit of 'this age" or
The age to Come?
Knowing God is not memorization,
Knowing the mind of
God is comprehension and application
Finding your God-given
purpose
comes from God,
not man
True Salvation can not be achieved through
'mere Words"
but through
the true
power of the Holy Spirit
The View from
the spiritual realm does not waver or toss to and fro from
physical to spiritual understandings of God
Religion tells us what to think
A true
relationship with Christ allows us how to think
There is
Power in the True Gospel
False Gospels promote weakness, a false sense of security, and
hide in fear
There is no fear in Love and Truth
Hiding under the Law is like living captive in the physical world.
Living under the captivity of the Law is being
of the world- wrongly viewing outsiders as
"the world"
Which is a wrong understanding of
"in the world"
Living freely under the Law of Grace is
Living not confined to the "wisdom of the world"
but in
The wisdom of god
Love Your Bible?
Be diligent, Sober-minded and Aware, and
accurately in accord
with the Revealed Truth- because
In the World
There is Heresy
Today, The Global Family of God is interceding It's
Light
to bring forth what is faithful and
True
When we -Hear The Word- heresy,
we might conjure up images of medieval torture chambers
and heresy trials.
There was a period of church history that certainly included those things.
If we are not history buffs or religious scholars, we might
know that heresy is a bad thing,
but still be rather foggy on the details.
So, what exactly is heresy, and what does
The Bible
have to say about it?
A basic definition of heresy, according to Merriam-Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary, is
"adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma.”
A second definition is
“dissent or deviation
from a
dominant theory, opinion, or practice.”
That’s a good starting point for us.
It is the bottom line, starting point, and
foundation.
These definitions identify two key elements:
a dominant position
and a
contrary position.
With regards to religion,
any belief or practice that
goes against the official position of the church
is considered heretical.
Heresy has existed in every age, but during the
12th century,
the Catholic Church
took
unprecedented action against it.
As the power
of the Catholic Church increased in Europe,
dissenting voices
of other Christian groups
became more
troublesome.
Pope Alexander III (1162–63)
encouraged informers, so the
church could discover
evidence of heresy.
In 1184 Pope Lucius III issued a decree that a
convicted heretic was to be
handed over to
secular authorities for punishment.
Over the next several decades,
The church
increased the severity of punishment for
heresy,
ultimately making it a
capital offense
under Pope Gregory IX. During this time, the Dominicans became
the principal agents of the Inquisition,
a special court
given authority to judge
intentions
as well as actions.
When heresy was suspected in a village, an inquisitor
was sent to preach a sermon calling
for the villagers to come
forward with reports of heresy.
This was a “general inquisition”
that included a
period of grace for anyone who would confess.
This was followed by a “special inquisition” that might include
coercion, false witnesses, and torture to obtain
a “confession.”
Those identified as heretics were then ordered to do penance,
which might consist of
mandatory church attendance, pilgrimage to a shrine,
loss of property, or imprisonment.
Heretics who refused to repent
were
sentenced to death.
The Inquisition continued in most areas of Europe until the 15th century.
Obviously, the gauge for “heretical” teaching varies according to the established orthodoxy of the day. Any group or individual who differs from another group can technically be called heretical. In Acts 24:14, Christians are called heretics by the Jews. The “heretics” of the Middle Ages were only heretical in that they disagreed with the Catholic Church, not because they held unbiblical doctrines. The Spanish Inquisition executed over 14,000 people, many of them for simply possessing a Bible. Thus, biblically speaking, it was the established church itself that was heretical during the Middle Ages.
Regarding biblical Christianity,
what is heresy?
Second Peter 2:1 says,
“There will be false teachers among you,
who will
secretly
bring in destructive heresies,
even denying
the Master who bought them,
bringing upon themselves
swift destruction.”
From this verse, we see that heresy is anything that
denies the teaching of Jesus.
The Corinthians...
In 1 Corinthians 11:19,
Paul takes the church to task
for having heresies among them—heresies that
led to schisms
in
The Global body.
These verses touch on both aspects of what constitutes
heresy in the church:
denying the doctrines God has given,
and dividing the body
He has created.
Both of these are dangerous, destructive actions
that are
soundly rebuked by Scripture.
See also 1 John 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 1:3-6; 2 Timothy 1:13-14; and Jude 1.
How does the Bible deal with heresy?
Titus 3:10 says,
“A man that is an
heretic
after the first and second
admonition reject”
(KJV).
Other translations say
“divisive person,” “factious man,”
and
“person who stirs up division.”
When a person in
The church
departs from biblical teaching,
the correct response is to, first, try to
correct him,
but if he refuses to listen
after two warnings,
have nothing more to do with him.
Excommunication is implied.
The truth of Christ will unify believers
(John 17:22-23),
but heresy, by its very nature,
cannot
peacefully co-exist with the
truth.
Of course, not every disagreement in the church is heresy.
Having a different opinion is not wrong,
but when the opinion is
divisive or maintained
in defiance of clear biblical
teaching,
it becomes heretical.
The apostles themselves disagreed at times
(see Acts 15:36-41),
and Peter once had to be
rebuked for
divisive and legalistic
behavior
(Galatians 2:11-14).
But, praise the Lord,
through an attitude of humility
and submission to the God of truth,
the apostles worked through
their disagreements and
set an example for us.
How do we guard against heresy?
Philippians 2:2-3 is a good starting point for the
Global Church
"Complete my joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
As we submit ourselves to the
authority of God’s Word
and deal with one another in
love and respect,
divisions and heresies will be
diminished.
The Spirit of 'this age" or
The age to Come?
Knowing God is not memorization,
Knowing the mind of
God is comprehension and application
Finding your God-given
purpose
comes from God,
not man
True Salvation can not be achieved through
'mere Words"
but through
the true
power of the Holy Spirit
The View from
the spiritual realm does not waver or toss to and fro from
physical to spiritual understandings of God
Religion tells us what to think
A true
relationship with Christ allows us how to think
There is
Power in the True Gospel
False Gospels promote weakness, a false sense of security, and
hide in fear
There is no fear in Love and Truth
Hiding under the Law is like living captive in the physical world.
Living under the captivity of the Law is being
of the world- wrongly viewing outsiders as
"the world"
Which is a wrong understanding of
"in the world"
Living freely under the Law of Grace is
Living not confined to the "wisdom of the world"
but in
The wisdom of god
Love Your Bible?
Be diligent, Sober-minded and Aware, and
accurately in accord
with the Revealed Truth- because
In the World
There is Heresy
Today, The Global Family of God is interceding It's
Light
to bring forth what is faithful and
True
When we -Hear The Word- heresy,
we might conjure up images of medieval torture chambers
and heresy trials.
There was a period of church history that certainly included those things.
If we are not history buffs or religious scholars, we might
know that heresy is a bad thing,
but still be rather foggy on the details.
So, what exactly is heresy, and what does
The Bible
have to say about it?
A basic definition of heresy, according to Merriam-Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary, is
"adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma.”
A second definition is
“dissent or deviation
from a
dominant theory, opinion, or practice.”
That’s a good starting point for us.
It is the bottom line, starting point, and
foundation.
These definitions identify two key elements:
a dominant position
and a
contrary position.
With regards to religion,
any belief or practice that
goes against the official position of the church
is considered heretical.
Heresy has existed in every age, but during the
12th century,
the Catholic Church
took
unprecedented action against it.
As the power
of the Catholic Church increased in Europe,
dissenting voices
of other Christian groups
became more
troublesome.
Pope Alexander III (1162–63)
encouraged informers, so the
church could discover
evidence of heresy.
In 1184 Pope Lucius III issued a decree that a
convicted heretic was to be
handed over to
secular authorities for punishment.
Over the next several decades,
The church
increased the severity of punishment for
heresy,
ultimately making it a
capital offense
under Pope Gregory IX. During this time, the Dominicans became
the principal agents of the Inquisition,
a special court
given authority to judge
intentions
as well as actions.
When heresy was suspected in a village, an inquisitor
was sent to preach a sermon calling
for the villagers to come
forward with reports of heresy.
This was a “general inquisition”
that included a
period of grace for anyone who would confess.
This was followed by a “special inquisition” that might include
coercion, false witnesses, and torture to obtain
a “confession.”
Those identified as heretics were then ordered to do penance,
which might consist of
mandatory church attendance, pilgrimage to a shrine,
loss of property, or imprisonment.
Heretics who refused to repent
were
sentenced to death.
The Inquisition continued in most areas of Europe until the 15th century.
Obviously, the gauge for “heretical” teaching varies according to the established orthodoxy of the day. Any group or individual who differs from another group can technically be called heretical. In Acts 24:14, Christians are called heretics by the Jews. The “heretics” of the Middle Ages were only heretical in that they disagreed with the Catholic Church, not because they held unbiblical doctrines. The Spanish Inquisition executed over 14,000 people, many of them for simply possessing a Bible. Thus, biblically speaking, it was the established church itself that was heretical during the Middle Ages.
Regarding biblical Christianity,
what is heresy?
Second Peter 2:1 says,
“There will be false teachers among you,
who will
secretly
bring in destructive heresies,
even denying
the Master who bought them,
bringing upon themselves
swift destruction.”
From this verse, we see that heresy is anything that
denies the teaching of Jesus.
The Corinthians...
In 1 Corinthians 11:19,
Paul takes the church to task
for having heresies among them—heresies that
led to schisms
in
The Global body.
These verses touch on both aspects of what constitutes
heresy in the church:
denying the doctrines God has given,
and dividing the body
He has created.
Both of these are dangerous, destructive actions
that are
soundly rebuked by Scripture.
See also 1 John 4:1-6; 1 Timothy 1:3-6; 2 Timothy 1:13-14; and Jude 1.
How does the Bible deal with heresy?
Titus 3:10 says,
“A man that is an
heretic
after the first and second
admonition reject”
(KJV).
Other translations say
“divisive person,” “factious man,”
and
“person who stirs up division.”
When a person in
The church
departs from biblical teaching,
the correct response is to, first, try to
correct him,
but if he refuses to listen
after two warnings,
have nothing more to do with him.
Excommunication is implied.
The truth of Christ will unify believers
(John 17:22-23),
but heresy, by its very nature,
cannot
peacefully co-exist with the
truth.
Of course, not every disagreement in the church is heresy.
Having a different opinion is not wrong,
but when the opinion is
divisive or maintained
in defiance of clear biblical
teaching,
it becomes heretical.
The apostles themselves disagreed at times
(see Acts 15:36-41),
and Peter once had to be
rebuked for
divisive and legalistic
behavior
(Galatians 2:11-14).
But, praise the Lord,
through an attitude of humility
and submission to the God of truth,
the apostles worked through
their disagreements and
set an example for us.
How do we guard against heresy?
Philippians 2:2-3 is a good starting point for the
Global Church
"Complete my joy by being of the same mind,
having the same love,
being in full accord and of one mind.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,
but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”
As we submit ourselves to the
authority of God’s Word
and deal with one another in
love and respect,
divisions and heresies will be
diminished.
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