| Sermon Thought by PKD Lee |
How does one discern teachings which one needs to be careful of? It is not easy, since all claim to be based on the Bible. Of course there are those who assume new revelations to the Bible and we can easily avoid them, but what about those who stay with the Bible but go in different directions?
Earlier, this was not too much of a problem since they were localized, but now thanks to the internet, their teachings go in every nook and cranny of the world we live in. So, how do we protect ourselves?
We need to recognize that there are as many interpretations of the Bible as there are people on the earth, and so a lot of variations do not matter, and should not be argued about or treated as heresy. Paul warns against unnecessary arguments over trivial issues. So, are there any guidelines that we can adopt?
One question that looms large is our understanding of Jesus. We have the non-Trinitarian, Unitarians, with whom we do not argue, and those who deny the divinity of Jesus. The latter we avoid as heresy. So, the question of Jesus and His relationship with Yahweh has been one area of controversy, and a clear guideline is that anyone who rejects the divinity of Jesus is rejected.
Another is the question of works in the plan of salvation. Here again, while most agree that works should be there in the life of a Christian, the role of works in salvation has been heavily debated. Personally, I feel that this need not be debated, but just accept each other. Where we call it a heresy is when someone says that we need not worry about works and live a self-indulgent life, then we reject that. So, the rejection of works in one’s life is another guideline to identify a heresy.
Then there is the other extreme. Salvation depends on certain works being done. Here also there is a wide breadth of interpretation, and my perspective is do not argue about it. Acknowledge each other's perspective. This is because most of the works prescribed are not harmful spiritually in themselves. But an over emphasis on works can rob one of the joy or confidence of salvation.
The one teaching which is flooding the world is what is known as the prosperity gospel. It highlights and centres its teaching on those promises of the Bible to reward the people of God. Since they are teaching something that is taught right through the scriptures, it is difficult to confront. While praying for needs is encouraged in the Bible, praying for wants becomes questionable. The main issue to me is that there are many passages that stresses the rejection of worldly desires. 1 John 2:15-17, 1 Tim 6:9-10, Matt 16:24-28 etc. So, an overemphasis on running after the world can be a dangerous heresy, as the focus of our life can become the world instead of the kingdom of God.
The difficulty with this teaching is, that it is basically true, but over emphasis is a heresy.
Another area of confusion are end time theories. Generally I do not reject people for their views on the end times, but when does it become a heresy? When one denies the return of Jesus, it becomes a heresy. This list can be continued, as pushing the boundaries of Christian theology in any one direction begins to border on heresy. So, let us not attack each other, but be wary about what you believe.