I want to take a brief moment to introduce some of the current heretical teachings that are coming from “Christian” churches nowadays, and possible responses to them. This is just a taste of the heresies that are out there.
1. “There was no virgin birth. ‘Virgin’ meant she was a young woman or that she got pregnant the first time she had intercourse. So Jesus wasn’t really God.”
If they can destroy the idea of the virgin birth, they can deny the deity of Jesus Christ. They can make Him into just a man, just another good teacher you can choose to follow if you want to.
But what about Matthew 1:18, which says that Mary and Joseph hadn’t “come together” yet? They didn’t have intercourse, and yet she was found to be with child. But if it wasn’t through intercourse with Joseph and it wasn’t supernatural, then you would have to conclude that she had an affair. Are “Christians” who want to deny the “virgin birth” ready to claim that?
And what about the fact that the angel told Joseph (in Matt 1:20) that the child conceived in Mary was from the Holy Spirit? (Also see Luke 1:35)
And that John 1:14 and 1 Timothy 3:16 refer to the fact that God the Son came down to earth and put on human flesh?
And then there’s John 1:18, which says “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only [a reference to Jesus], who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”
Colossians 2:9 tells us that all the fullness of God lives in bodily form in Christ. Philippians 2:5-6 tells us that Jesus had the very nature of God.
Even Jesus Himself said, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9) because He and the Father “are one.” (John 10:30). In John 10:33, the Jews were going to stone Him because He was calling Himself God. Jesus Himself acknowledged His Godhood. The question is, “Do you believe Him?”
[Along similar lines, I think another heresy would be "Christians can mix creation and evolution." I agree with Ken Ham that to try to fit evolution into the creation account in Genesis is to do great damage to the authority of Scripture. It's essentially claiming that God didn't really mean what He said the way He said it in Genesis (which is clearly not written like poetry as seen in other parts of the Bible, such as Song of Solomon). This, in turn, has caused people to question what was written in other places in the Bible. If what God said in Genesis about how He created the world is allegorical and not meant to be taken literally, then why shouldn't we view what the Bible says about Jesus's life, death, and resurrection as allegorical and non-literal? How about what it says of heaven and hell? Of angels and demons? Of the way to be saved? Etc. Altering God's Word to fit man's ideas is so damaging to the faith and to God's Word. And yet we Christians continue to do it because, well, "because of science." I, however, think that science confirms the creation account in Genesis and that the "evidence" the world uses to support evolution is actually better explained by Noah's flood, further confirming Genesis as true. Who do you think is the one whispering "Did God really say ...?" about what God said in Genesis? Because I've got a pretty good guess. See this post of mine for a little more on this and for links to Ken Ham videos.]
2. “Because 'God is love', He loves me so much that He just wants me to be happy, in whatever way makes me happy.”
This one makes me crazy because it’s being used to excuse everything, acting like what matters most to God is that we are happy and enjoying our lives, whether we find that happiness in homosexual relationships or pre-marital ones or even ones where we leave our spouses for someone that makes us happier. After all, “It’s all about the love. And a loving God would never judge us or punish us or deny us anything that makes us happy.”
It’s not said in this way, but this is the belief going around out there.
Yes, God is love. And it’s critical to know His love, and to share His love and grace and forgiveness with others. But what people are forgetting is that God is also just and holy, as much as He is love. And He demands holiness and righteousness from people. He has rules and guidelines, and He expects them to be followed, and there are consequences for when we break His rules and stray outside of His guidelines.
You can only get a clear, accurate picture of God and a proper fear of Him when you keep His love and His holiness/justness in proper balance.
I fear that this “God is all about - and only about - the love” teaching is going to be what causes more people to stray from the Truth than anything. Because they think they are honoring God, yet they still get to live life the way they want. It probably seems like the perfect blend to them, the perfect teaching to tickle their ears, telling them what they want to hear so they can continue to live whatever way they want while feeling good about their “faith.”
But Scripture paints a different picture of God. It is very clear about His holy and just side, about His wrath, and about our need to fear the Lord and seek righteousness:
Psalm 33:5: “The Lord loves righteousness and justice…”
1 Peter 1:15-16: “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
2 Corinthians 7:1: “… let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
Hebrew 12:14: “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
Ephesians 5:3-6: “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. . . . For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.”
Ezekiel 38:22-23: “I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Ezekiel 39:7: “I will make known my holy name among my people Israel. I will no longer let my holy name be profaned. . .”
Rev. 14:6: “… ‘Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come.…”
Deut. 5:29: “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever.”
Proverbs 8:13: “To fear the Lord is to hate evil…”
Romans 1:18: “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”
Romans 2:5: “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”
John 3:36: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death....”
Matthew 10:28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Hebrews 10:31: “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
2 Thess. 1:8: “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
Matthew 7:21-23: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!”
Matthew 25:41, 46: “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ ... Then they will go to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
And this is just a small tiny bit. And it’s far different from the popular teaching of “God is love and He just wants you to be happy, so go ahead and do whatever you want because He won’t say anything against you.” Far, far different.
[Additionally, our society has made the mistake of turning love into a god. And we define who God is based on how we want love to look and act, when we should be defining love based on who God is. God is love, but love is not a god.]
3. God promises Christians health and wealth.
I covered this in a "Bible study" lesson I wrote on another blog, “A Full, Abundant Life.” So all I will say here is that Scripture never promises us health and wealth. In fact, Christians are promised that we will be persecuted and face hardships and trials. We might even end up being killed for our faith. The world will hate us because it hates Jesus.
And while we are promised that all things will be healed and made right again in eternity, it is not guaranteed to happen in this lifetime. We will face just as much poverty and illness and heartbreak as everyone else. Because that’s life. But thankfully, we will have the Lord’s help in getting through it, and we can trust that He will turn it into something good.
If your church is teaching you that God wants you to have an abundance of stuff and that He wants to give you everything you ask for and that He wants to shower you with the pleasures of this world, they are lying. Get out of there fast and find a church that teaches you the truth. We are not to store up our treasures on earth, but to store them in heaven.
4. “We are all God’s children. And so He wouldn’t condemn any of us.”
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God . . .” (John 1:12)
As I've said before. we are all God’s creation ... but we are not all His children. His children are those who believe in Jesus, who call Him Lord and Savior.
5. “The most important commandment is ‘Love others’ and as long as we are loving others, we are doing all that God requires.”
“ ‘Of all the commandments, which is the most important?’
‘The most important one,’ answered Jesus, ‘is this . . . ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Mark 12:28-31)
It is a very common teaching nowadays that “Love others” is the greatest commandment, the best way to show that we are following God. And loving others is crucial. It’s great. But what we seem to forget is that “love God” comes before “love others.” And when we put “love others” over “love God,” we base our view of God and His truths on how we want to show love to others. And this is wrong! We should be letting our love for God and His truth dictate how we love others. Not the other way around.
Many people believe that it’s not loving to call anything “sin,” and so they excuse everyone’s choices because it’s “loving” to be accepting and supportive and open-minded. They believe it’s not loving to hold up the Bible as The Truth or Jesus as the only way to heaven. To them, it’s much more loving to tell everyone that they are all going to heaven.
But the most important command is not “Love others.” It’s “Love God.” And we cannot define who God is or what His Truth is based on how we want to "love others." Not without consequences.
Our love for others needs to be based on the Word, on the Truth. Not the other way around.
Our love for others needs to be based on the Word, on the Truth. Not the other way around.
And if I may point out one huge misunderstanding: Loving God does not mean having warm feelings toward Him. It does not mean simply acknowledging that there is a God. Loving God means obeying Him, living your life the way He wants you to.
1 John 5:3: “This is love for God: to obey his commands. . . .”
John 15:10: “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”
John 14:15, 23,24: “If you love me, you will obey what I command ... If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. . . . He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.”
Acts 5:32: “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Who has been given the Spirit? Those who obey Him!)
Oh, the things that people try to get away with by claiming that “God is love” and that all God requires of us is to “love others”! [A recent post I wrote on this: "Love others" or "Love God"?]
6. “All faiths lead to the same place, to heaven.” Or “God is the same God, no matter what your faith is.” Or “all good people go to heaven.”
“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.” (1 John 4:15)
“Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.” (1 John 2:22)
“But he who disowns me [Jesus] before men will be disowned before the angels of God.” (Luke 12:9)
“This is how you can recognize the spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” (1 John 4:2-3) (Notice that you have to acknowledge Jesus Christ, that Jesus is the Christ, not just that Jesus was a real person.)
“The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (1 Corinthians 4:4)
“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (2 Thess. 1:8)
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:21-23)
“ ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved . . .’” (Acts 16:30-31) Believe in who? Buddha? Allah? Krishna? Mother Earth? The Force? No! Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Scripture is so clear on this. Couldn’t be clearer!
“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
I just don’t see how there is room for misunderstanding here!
7. “There is no literal hell.” Or “A loving God would never condemn people to hell.” Or “In eternity, there will be enough time for everyone to eventually accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and to make it into heaven.”
I don’t know how anyone can conclude that there is no hell, no eternal separation from God. If they do, they are ignoring clear biblical teaching. In fact, the New Testament says more about hell than about heaven. And it clearly says how we end up there.
“... They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thess. 2:10) They didn’t perish because God didn’t love them. (Or, contrary to Calvinism, they didn't perish because God predestined them to perish, because He didn't elect them for heaven. That's hogwash!) They perished because they refused to believe in the truth, because they rejected Him, His love, His forgiveness, and the salvation He offers through Jesus. And according to the concordance, “perish” means exactly what you think it would mean. It means that something is utterly destroyed or ruined, but not as in “annihilation or ceasing to exist.” It’s about a conscious and eternal loss of well-being, eternal spiritual ruin.
“... They were broken off because of unbelief ... And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in ...” (Romans 11:20, 23) Once again, the people ended up in hell by their own refusal to believe. Not because God didn’t love them or because He predestined them to hell. In His love, He made a way to save us. All of us. But it’s our own resistance to Him and Hs ways that lands us in hell.
“But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself . . .” (Romans 2:5) And again, it’s we who bring hell on ourselves.
“For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die.” (Romans 8:13)
Also, according to Hebrews 9:27, man is destined to die once and then “after that to face the judgment.” And according to the next verse, Jesus will return to bring salvation ... to everyone? No! He returns to bring salvation to “those who are waiting for him.” This doesn’t sound to me like there are multiple judgments or opportunities throughout eternity to make Jesus your Lord and Savior. It sounds like you are judged for the decision you made in this lifetime at the judgment that we face after we die.
After He returns, we face judgment for the decisions we made in this life. And He will separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the weeds. (Matthew 13:30, Matthew 25:31-46)
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’ ... Then they will go to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:41, 46) Hmm? Eternal fire. Eternal punishment. Eternal life. At the final judgment. Sounds pretty final to me. Not temporary at all. (And remember that hell wasn’t made for man. It was made for the devil and his angels. But we end up there when we choose to reject Jesus and the offer of salvation that God made available through Jesus’ sacrificial death.)
And this “eternal fire”?
“If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev 20:15)
“But the cowardly [those who turned their back on their faith], the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Rev 21:8) The second death? Once again, it sounds pretty final to me. And you don’t have to be evil or immoral to end up in hell. You simply have to not believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. “Being good” is not the path to heaven. Believing in the Lord Jesus is.
I see nothing in the Bible to indicate that this is a temporary separation or that there will be future, ongoing judgments as each person finally reaches a decision to choose Jesus as Lord. I see that our decision is made in this lifetime, and it’s made final at the time of our death, and then there is judgment which leads to either eternal life or the second death. Permanently.
“He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day that he [returns].” (2 Thess. 1:9-10)
8. Doctrine doesn’t really matter. It’s not what you believe that’s important; it’s how you live that really matters.
I think just reading the above heretical views shows how dangerous it is to have false views. Your views of things like Jesus, the authority of Scripture, if heaven and hell really exist, if God predestines everything (as Calvinists say) or if we really do make decisions, if God is only "love" or is He has a just and holy side, too, etc., will greatly affect your faith and the way you live and what you teach others. And we will be held accountable for it.
“For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” (2 Timothy 4: 3-4)
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God." (1 John 4:1-3)
If someone does not acknowledge that Jesus was the Christ, that He was God in the flesh and that He is the way to salvation, then they are not speaking truth. We are not speaking truth if we say that Jesus wasn't born of a virgin, didn't really die on the cross or rise again, that we can work our way to heaven by being good or simply loving others, that any of the other faiths are just as good, that it doesn't matter what you do or how you live or who you love as long as you don't hurt anyone, that God just wants you to be happy and wants you to enjoy lots of riches on earth, etc. And yet these kinds of falsehoods are coming from "Christian" churches, too.
Doctrine matters. Truth matters. Many Christians (or I should say “Christians," with air-quotes) are changing Scripture nowadays to fit what they want to hear, to be popular and to fit in with society. But while we can deny Scripture or refuse to accept what it says or ignore it, we cannot change it. It is God’s Word, God’s truth. And we will all be judged by it in the end.
We cannot let our feelings determine our faith. This is what is happening all over the place. And it’s causing chaos and confusion about what the Truth really is. Truth is not determined by what you feel or by what you wish was true. Truth is truth, whether you agree with it or not.
In this day and age, it’s critical to get back to the basics about what the Bible says, to really get to know it. Because far too many people - and churches - are changing the truth based on their feelings. And far too many are presenting half-truths which lead people astray, such as “God is love!” Yes, God is love, but that’s a half-truth. The other half is that He is just and holy, too.
It’s the same trick the serpent played in the Garden of Eden. He led them astray with a half-truth, telling them that they will gain the knowledge of good and evil if they eat the fruit. But the half he didn’t tell them was that it’s horrible to know about evil and they'll wish they never did.
(I think one of the biggest, most-alarming-because-it's-so-subtle heresies in the evangelical church today is Calvinism. For more on that, see "Why is Calvinism So Dangerous?" and "If Calvinism is True Then God is a Liar" and "When Calvinism's 'Bad Logic' Traps Good Christians". If you are part of an evangelical church, make sure to educate yourself on what Calvinism is, how to spot it, and how it differs from - contradicts! - the Bible. Because it's out there and it's spreading.)
[For more about controversial/heretical issues, check out these posts:
"Is Yoga Ok for Christians? (Here's a hint: It's not!)"
"The Dangers of Misunderstanding 'Church'"
"'Why is the Old Testament God so angry?' is the wrong question"
"What kind of Christian are you? 12-ish different kinds of 'Christian'"
"Hillsong Unapologetically Mixes Evolution And Creation"
"How Christians Are Led Into Accepting Homosexuality"
"A Biblically-Based Commentary on Homosexuality"
"Is Evolution True?"
"Why I Don't Trust Women-led Churches!"
"What's The Best Way To Make People Agree With Your Calvinist Views?"
"Yes, Christians Are Supposed To Judge!"
"Be Wary of The Christian Post"
"Why Are Christians Apologizing For The Truth?"
"Jesus Wasn't Always 'Nice'"]
"Is Yoga Ok for Christians? (Here's a hint: It's not!)"
"The Dangers of Misunderstanding 'Church'"
"'Why is the Old Testament God so angry?' is the wrong question"
"What kind of Christian are you? 12-ish different kinds of 'Christian'"
"Hillsong Unapologetically Mixes Evolution And Creation"
"How Christians Are Led Into Accepting Homosexuality"
"A Biblically-Based Commentary on Homosexuality"
"Is Evolution True?"
"Why I Don't Trust Women-led Churches!"
"What's The Best Way To Make People Agree With Your Calvinist Views?"
"Yes, Christians Are Supposed To Judge!"
"Be Wary of The Christian Post"
"Why Are Christians Apologizing For The Truth?"
"Jesus Wasn't Always 'Nice'"]
