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Trinitarian
Errors, part 1: Heresy |
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The word
"heresy" makes many people uncomfortable. There is the feeling that
"heresy" is the theological equivalent of a racial slur - it is one
of those nasty words that one group of people hurl at those they disagree
with. And while it is true that some
people have misused the term, the word "heresy" actually has a
specific and very useful definition. Basically,
a heresy is a man-made teaching that is substituted for an essential revealed
truth. An essential truth is a teaching, revealed by God in the Bible,
which is necessary for our salvation. A teaching is defined as heresy if that
teaching replaces any essential truth. Heresies are very serious because they
endanger the salvation of those who believe them. An
example may help clarify what is meant. God has revealed that Christ Jesus is
the only Savior of mankind, and that men must come to Him in order to be
saved. This is an essential doctrine
because those who deny it cannot be saved (Acts 4:12). Thus, to teach that Jesus is not the only
way, or that there are other ways to be saved apart from Jesus is to teach
heresy. On the other hand, God has left room for disagreement within the Body of Christ over teachings that are non-essential in nature. To disagree on these teachings is simply to disagree – it is not to engage in heresy. Some non-essential areas where there is disagreement include the method of baptism, the form of church government, the elements of communion (wine or something else?), the frequency of communion, etc.. What a person believes about these things does not effect his or her salvation, and in that sense, these things are non-essential. Recently we
looked at what God has revealed in the Bible about His Trinitarian
nature. My plan for the next few
weeks is to look at some of the errors that people have made (and in some
cases, continue to make) about the Trinity.
Since the Trinity is an essential, revealed truth, the errors we will
be discussing are historically known as heresies. Our goal in looking at them
is to check our own thinking and to avoid the same mistakes. |
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