S. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE IN HERESY?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE IN “HERESY”?

Listen closely, you may be surprised! Heresy means to pick or choose. If I have forty Scriptures on two pages and I choose ten verses I want to believe and teach (while ignoring the thirty), I am already in heresy. Vine’s Greek Lexicon states, “Heresy means to choose, especially the choosing of a self-willed opinion. It is frequently because of personal preference or the prospect of advantage.” Whatever the reason, it will lead to spiritual ruin and destruction (2 Peter 2:1). Without acknowledging all the Scriptures on all subjects, we will be led to wrong conclusions that result in wrong doctrine. Wrong doctrine leads to spiritual ruin and destruction of oneself and others (1 Timothy 4:16).

“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).