Featured What is Heresy?

It's a very interesting discussion about a somewhat gray area. There are very few things I will call Heresy. If I do label a teaching heresy, I also label the teacher a heretic.
ie. Jesus did not die, He was in a deep coma. Heresy
ie. Jesus and Satan were brothers. Heresy

 

Hersey? you guys are way off base.

Isn’t it a kind of chocolate?

Rob

 

The one that doesn't believe in the birth, life, death and resurrection of The Son Of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ... IS A HERETIC!... Brother Glen

 

There are essential doctrines to measure by. I use the doctrines outlined in the Nicene Creed as essential and consider other doctrines as secondary even though some other doctrines are heresy and I actively oppose them, such as evolution and deep time.

I believe every word of the SBC Baptist Faith and Message 2000.

 

most informative post.

 

Easy to say but each of believes so much more than that.
This is where the differences are and where a soften form of heresy begins.

Even the OP blurs the distinction with the examples "justification by faith" (a biblical truth) and "evolutionary theory in creation" (a scientific and theological theory).

Rob

 

Those who would deny the deity of Christ and the doctrines that would stem from that false doctrine are teaching 'H'eresy, in my opinion.

 

Heresy is anything that goes against Scripture. I agree with the big h/little h to distinguish damnable heresy.

 

Well worded question on a important topic.

I would not say that error = heresy. Heresy is more than just error. If error did = heresy then anyone who disagrees with you on any topic/interpretation of scripture is believing in heresy and is a Heretic. Paedobaptists= heretics, you dont believe in six literal days of creation = heretic, etc etc.

Heresy is serious error, error that affects the very core of Christianity. denying the deity or humanity of Christ, denying the Trinity

 

Heresy is false teaching about the essential doctrines of the Christian faith, the ones we must adhere to, in regards to the Deity of Christ, the virgin birth, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, second coming of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, not works, etc.. Non-essential beliefs are worth discussing, but not to the point where those who hold opposite non-essential views are considered heretical.

*In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.

 

No, I said previously that the essentials were the doctrines outlined in the Nicene Creed. The SBC Baptist Faith and Message 2000 is a fuller statement but not all of the doctrines in the SBC BFM 2000 are essentials. I am not worried about non-essentials but that does not mean that there is not a regular line of thinking in non-essential issues. I don't think that justification by faith is an essential and I do not think that the RCC really agrees with Protestants on this issue because they still insist that there is no salvation outside the walls of the Catholic Church. I think that a person such as Norman Geisler might believe in deep time or evolution but I think that he is still a Christian in spite of this error because he clearly believes the essentials. The same for Richard Land, as far as I know. It gets a little more difficult in the cases of liberals worried about homosexuals and other social issues such as Albert Mohler, J.D. Greear, and Russell Moore. Don't we agree or not?

 

Well, yes, of course, but I think that we need to be more specific about what is essential and not call a person a heretic who believes the essentials but errs in a non-essential. So one God, the Holy Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Incarnation, the Death of Jesus, the burial, the Resurrection, and the Ascension to Heaven, the Second Advent, the resurrection of the dead and Judgement. That is a sketchy list but it tries to head in the right direction. A Christian should believe all of those things in my opinion, but I am only a back-pew layman.

 

Thanks.

 

I do not believe heresy, which denies essentials of the explicit teaching of the word of God by which one must believe to be a genuine Christian is in any way a gray area.

 

The Nicene Creed teaches the Son of God is caused. ". . . begotten of the Father before all ages . . . ." Teaches baptism for the forgiveness of sin.

 

Heresy would be holding to theology and doctrines against the historical understanding of Christian theology.
Examples would be holding to Jesus as not God, no resurrection, no atonement by the Cross, and belief that one can still speak in tongues not heresy, but holding to one must do that to be saved is!