Heresy is not departing from the figure of truth, but from the Spirit of truth, and it is the spirit of the heretic we are called upon to judge as a work of the flesh more than the fruit in the form of doctrine.
The Scriptures are given to us by God as “a complete depository and standard of truth”; they contain all we need to know as Christians, and by them every error may be detected. But who is the interpreter of Scripture? I answer, the Holy Spirit is the only authorized and infallible interpreter of it. True, He gives to each babe in Christ the unction whereby to know all things, and He gives, too, various measures of capacity in understanding. He may also give teachers to the church and gifts of wisdom and knowledge. But still the Holy Spirit Himself alone is the interpreter. In honoring Him the saints find great power, with enlargement and unity in the truth; the reverse is true if they dishonor Him.
The word hairesis, heresy, means a choice; the verb hairetizo, to heretize, occurs in Matthew 12:1818Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. (Matthew 12:18): “My servant whom I have chosen.” There is another word akin to it, haireomai, in Philippians 1:2323For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:23): “What I shall choose I wot not.”
The most insidious way in which heresy is introduced is in setting the gifts above the Giver; trusting to the teacher or his wisdom, or to the divine mind in ourselves, and its measure of development, and thus really to forget the Person and agency of the Holy Spirit, without whose present energy everything will only work ruin.
The Work of the Flesh
The first thing I would observe is that heresy is said to be a work of the flesh (Gal. 5:2020Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (Galatians 5:20)). The flesh is the root whence it arises and is the energy in which it displays itself. If anyone, instead of looking for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, dabbles with his own mind in Scripture, he will see either something in the book which is not there, or the contents of the book out of their proper order and relative importance, and here heresy begins. He has, unconsciously perhaps, dishonored the Holy Spirit, and honored himself. The leaven of heresy now may be at work in him; if so, and if he does not judge himself, the leaven will by-and-by show itself. He will either broach things which are not at all in the book, or he will broach a connection of things which is not true; he may diminish the importance of foundation truth, or magnify unduly the importance of some item or point of superstructure truth. How the captiousness shows itself matters not. He will not deal with the truth as a Spirit-led man would. Moreover, when the enemy is working by heresy, he rarely takes as instruments those who are offensive to human nature; many natural beauties and ornaments may cover the plot, but the puffing and breaking of the bubbles within will soon call on the saints for judgment. If they do not anticipate the evil, it will rise and fall over; he will draw away disciples after him, a sect will be formed round himself, and the man is a heretic (Titus 3:19).
A Moral Evil
Heresy is a moral evil and is inside the church; it begins in a man interposing self in the place of the Holy Spirit as to the interpretation or apprehension of truth. The captiousness of the human mind becomes evident, and the evil works on to the schism of the body into sects. Thus heresy becomes in practice a denial of Philippians 3:15-1715Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 16Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. 17Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (Philippians 3:15‑17). It is a solemn word: “There must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you” (1 Cor. 11:1919For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you. (1 Corinthians 11:19)). The Holy Spirit assures us that it is God alone who can and who will preserve His own, but the saints should watch. Heresy has a great deal more to do with the spirit in which things are held, taken up, and propagated, than with the thing itself which is held or propagated. Every Christian, however simple, can watch the spirit in which friends hold and set out their views. Is it Christlike? Is it like the apostles? Does it keep truth in its place and proportion? Is conscience, and not only intellect, drawn into action’? These are questions the simplest can apply.
The Mind Playing With Truth
As heresy begins with the natural mind playing with truth, so its mode and means of success are in getting the saints thinking upon hard points and questions, instead of praying. Paul communicated his gospel privately to them of reputation (Gal. 2:1212For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. (Galatians 2:12)); the heretic does it privately also, but to the weak. In twenty years’ experience I have always found it so, for the simple may be deceived and deny, through ignorance, what the heretic would deny through wickedness. Error does not constitute heresy, and the worst heresies grow out of truths misapplied.
Every Christian is responsible to guard against heresy, but in doing so, great watchfulness must be kept over our own spirit. A man may be very positive in holding, and heady in pressing, fancies. His manner of holding and pressing his views might be as bad as his doctrine was defective, and yet grace might see that there was no sanction of evil — bitter herbs are not leaven — and the things after all may be kept in a subordinate place. But God will not teach those who will argue and think out truth, instead of praying it out. When truth becomes a matter of argument, naughty arguments are sure to be had recourse to, inferences and consequences, and tradition, and threats perhaps used. To them that do such (Rom. 16:17-1817Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. (Romans 16:17‑18)), one has well said, “To the man who will systematize it, the Bible says, ‘I am none of your sort.’” Canons of interpretation and human standards are poor things in sanctuary light.
Foundational Doctrines
Some heresies have been formed upon the denial of foundation doctrines, as Arianism (an error which makes the Lord Jesus Christ a created being), and some upon points of superstructure, as Anabaptism (a refusal to consider Christian household baptism as valid). But of all kinds of heresy, the worst is that which is so formed upon truth as to make truth appear to be on one side and the Holy Spirit opposed to it on the other. If God saw me (for example) separating myself in spirit, affection, thought or action from the members of Christ now on the earth and trying to form a party characterized either by knowledge of truth or by supposed freedom from error, He would, I judge, see marks of incipient heresy. In both cases I should be opposing truth to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s aim is not to form schools well taught or free from defect and error, but to build up the living members of God’s household in separation to God and in brotherly love. If such a thing worked out into a sect, it would be preeminently evil.
A Sect
Not only is a sect which takes a truth for its basis and opposes it to the Holy Spirit the worst form of heresy, but also, the intensity of the evil increases directly as the purity of the truth. For example, a sect built upon a correct view of an ordinance would be bad, but a sect built upon a correct view of resurrection and glory, or any points about them, would be worse. Worst of all would be a sect built upon such a truth as the power of the Holy Spirit, through the blood of Christ, to give present peace with God, and this might easily be the case. The result might be that because I hold assurance to be of the essence of faith, I might refuse to accredit as Christians those who had not assurance and might form a sect on that most blessed and precious truth. I would be rending an inflamed limb from the sickly and enfeebled body, because I mistook the feverish state for the warmth and glow every member of the body should possess when in health, whereas the Holy Spirit has united in one all who know the blood of Jesus as salvation.
Heresy is in principle the flesh playing with truth, and it is the sending into parties those who should be one. May the Lord keep His saints watching and praying.
The sum of what I say is this: God has given us a standard of truth and a Guide for the understanding and use of it. Heresy is not, as some take it to mean, some undefined error in doctrine, but consists in the flesh setting aside the Guide, and itself attempting to use the standard, the end of which will be sects.
G. V. Wigram (adapted)