Title: Distinguish between true and false
Distinguish between true and false
Text: 1 John 4:1
“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but judge whether the spirits are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
Heresy and false religion are rampant in this world.
“Many deceivers have gone out into the world, who deny that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, such a deceiver and antichrist” (2 John 7)
The word heresy presupposes orthodoxy. Heresy exists because there is orthodoxy. There are lies because there is truth. Theologically, “deviations or deviations from the standards of the proper church” and “teachings that destroy or reject the Christian faith” are referred to as heresy.
What does the Bible say about heresy?
1) The emergence of heresy is not a new phenomenon, and there were false prophets even in the Old Testament times.
'These prophets run, though I have not sent them, and have prophesied even though I have not spoken to them' (Jeremiah 23:21). (Jeremiah 23:26)
2) Jesus and the apostles also foretold the advent of false prophets.
'Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inside are ravenous wolves' (Matthew 7:15) 'After I left, ferocious wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock, and will also attract disciples from among you. I know that there will be people who talk perversely to make them follow '(Acts 20: 29, 30).
3) In the process of teaching and interpreting the Bible forcibly by ignorant people and people with weak faith, they create heresies that will perish.
'There are many who are disobedient, speak vain and deceitful people, especially among the Circumcised, and shut their mouths, for these are the things they teach that are not worthy of filthy gain, and destroy whole families.' (Titus 1:10, 11) And in all of his epistles they also spoke of these things, but some of them are difficult to understand, and the ignorant and the ungrateful, like the other scriptures, force themselves to unravel them and bring them to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:16).
Jesus said that we can discern them by the fruits of their actions.
“Therefore you will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:20).
These are the fruits of true community.
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
meekness and self-control; against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22, 23).
On the other hand, the fruit of heresy and lies is following the desires of the flesh.
'The works of the flesh are clear: fornication, uncleanness, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, envy, anger, selfishness, divisions, heresies, envy, drunkenness, debauchery, and the like. I warn you as I warn you, that those who do these things will not inherit the kingdom of God' (Galatians 5:19-21).