Monday, December 28, 2009
Damnable Heresies
(II Peter 2:1-3)
False prophets frequently led Israel astray, and Peter warns New Testament believers that they are not immune from the influence of false teachers. In fact, the Apostolic age itself saw the rise of a number of Christian-based cults—groups claiming the name of Christ but denying orthodox Christian doctrine (1).
Typically, false teaching attacks the person and work of Christ—usually denying something fundamental about Jesus and His ministry. For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses cult denies that Jesus is God. Their position is not merely a difference of opinion which may be tolerated among gentlemen; their position is a “damnable heresy” that will condemn many to Hell.
Some sincere believers, in an attempt to be polite and affable, avoid any discussion of doctrinal issues. Sadly, many in the evangelical world seem ready to abandon plain Bible truth for the sake of unity and popularity. (Remember Rick Warren’s declaration that Christians and Muslims worship the same God?) Such carelessness with the person and work of Christ is not merely a point upon which good men differ. Rather, such doctrinal looseness is heresy that damns the souls of men (2).
The average contemporary evangelical would condemn Peter’s anti-heresy polemic as “unkind” and even “unchristian.” Perhaps they would decry Peter as a cantankerous fundamentalist, zealous to grid a theological axe. Whatever the case, they would argue “fraternity over orthodoxy” in an attempt to appear even-handed, open-minded, and tolerant. And, in so doing, they would willingly deny “the Lord that bought them.” What a pity! What a shame!
