Destructive Heresies: Christological Heresies Note: to all CYCC saints, read and study this to know Jesus Christ better. Godspeed! “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-- bringing swift destruction on themselves” (2 Peter 2:1 NIV) We need to look out for these “destructive heresies” or “heresies of destruction.” The word “heresy” (hairesis) means “an opinion, especially a self-willed opinion, which is substituted for submission to the power of truth, and leads to the division and formation of sects” (Vines). Opinions can be dangerous, especially when they replace the truth of Scripture. They must be shunned thoroughly and exposed for what they are: man-made doctrines that damn the soul! Peter describes these heresies as “destructive” (apoleia), that those who believe them and follow those who teach them are assured of hell. Unfortunately, the church then and until now is inundated by these destructive heresies. Thus, the need to know what these heresies are. In this brief study I will focus on the destructive heresies that relate to Jesus Christ or Christological heresies. A wrong view of Jesus Christ is very dangerous. I. Heresies that Overemphasized/Overstate the Deity of Christ 1. Docetism (from dokeo – to seem, appear). One of the earliest and simplest Christian heresy. It denied the reality of Christ’s humanity and was shaped by Greek thinking that the good God cannot be joined to an evil flesh. Docetism teaches that Christ’s humanity was only a mirage or a phantasm of some kind but not truly real. Docetism (akin to Gnosticism) is refuted in John 1:14; 1 John 2:22, 4:2,3; 2 John 7. Docetic tendencies have cropped up time and again within the Christian church throughout the centuries. It is based on the Greek notion of dualism. 2. Gnosticism. From the Greek gnosis which means knowledge. Gnostics championed a secret knowledge that they claimed rendered them superior to common Christians who were not privy to the same. The movement arose from pre-Christian pagan philosophies from Babylon, Egypt, Syria and Greece. Combining pagan philosophy, some astrology and Greek mystery religions with the apostolic doctrines of Christianity, Gnosticism became a strong influence in the ancient church. It’s basic premise is a dualistic perspective. The Supreme Father God emanated from the “good” spirit world. From him proceeded successive finites spirit beings (aeons), one of which (Sophia) gave birth to the Demiurge (creator God). The creator-God or demiurge, created the material “evil” world together with all of various organic things that constitute it. Christian Gnostics such as Marcion and Valentinus taught that salvation comes through one of the aeons, Christ, who slipped by all evil powers of darkness to convey a secret knowledge (gnosis) and release captive spirits of light from the material world. Christ, although appearing to be human, never assumed a human body, and therefore was not subject to human emotions and weaknesses. Some evidence suggest an incipient form of Gnosticism arose in the apostolic era and was the focus of NT epistles (1 John and the pastoral epistles). The greatest polemic against the Gnostics appeared however, in the patristic period with the apologetic writing of Irenaeus, Tertullian and Hyppolytus. Gnostic were branded as heretics and have always been regarded as such by orthodox Christians. Gnosticism is currently undergoing much research due to the discoveries in 1945-46 of the Nag Hammadi texts in Egypt. Many cults and occult groups claim some influence from ancient Gnosticism. 3. Modal Monarchianism. A slight variation of Monarchianism that held that God manifested himself in three different modes throughout history (Oneness). In contrast to orthodox Christianity which believes and teaches the Trinity, this view hold that God manifested Himself first as being the Father, or Creator. At the incarnation, He became the Son, and finally as the Holy Spirit as the sanctifier, teacher and comforter of the church. This view was condemned as heretical because it failed to distinguish between the single essence of the Godhead and the three persons of the trinity. 4. Appolinarianism. A Christology by Appolinarius who vigorously opposed Arianism. Appolinarius taught that Christ was divine and no human nature existed in Him. He believed that for Christ to possess human nature (or human soul) would imply that as a man Jesus would have to undergo suffering, moral development, etc. For him this was inconceivable. In place of Jesus’ human nature (or human soul) was the divine logos. Christ was in full possession of deity, thereby countering Arianism. He did not keep Christ’s human nature intact, thus countering the confession at Nicea that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Appolinarianism was condemned at the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381 on the grounds that this Christology did not recognize the human nature of Christ, of which the Bible so clearly speaks. To reject the human nature of Christ is to reject the very point of the incarnation, namely, that God clothed Himself in human flesh to redeem humanity. 5. Eutychianism (One Nature). Eutyches taught that Jesus divinity was of sole importance. This thinking ran counter to the already established orthodox doctrine of Christ with two natures, human and divine. 6. Monophysitism (mono – one and physis – nature). A Christological controversy that taught that Jesus possessed only one nature, not two (as Chalcedon had maintained), and that one nature was essentially divine. It was not until the ecumenical council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451) that Monophysitism was condemned. 7. Monothelitism. Christology that taught that Jesus possessed only one single divine will or energy. Similar to Monophysitism, the Monothelitist controversy was fought in the 7th century. Honararius I issued his Ecthesis, in which he sanctioned the use of the term “one will.” Sophronius, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, challenged this notion insisting on describing Christ as having “two wills,” human and divine. The council of Constantinople of A.D. 680 settled the controversy, accepting that Christ has two wills. II. Heresies that Overemphasize/Overstate the Humanity of Christ 1. Ebionism (claimed to be derived from the Hebrew word ebyon for “poor.” They uphold Jesus’ humanity by deny His essential deity. 2. Dynamic Monarchianism. It originated from Paul of Samosata, bishop of Antioch who insisted that the man Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, was indwelt by the Logos of God at His baptism and was thereby equipped with power (dunamis) for the exercise of His messianic ministry, hence the term “dynamic monarchianism.” He claimed the Logos, the attribute of reason, had indwelt Moses and the prophets. Yet this impersonal Logos indwelt and energized Jesus more fully than any other man. Through this special presence of the Logos, God adopted Jesus as His Son (Mark 1::11 cf. Ps. 2:7). The bond between the human Jesus and the indwelling Logos was moral only, being in a unity of will and purpose. As a reward for His obedience, Jesus was exalted to heaven at the end of His life to a state of perfect fellowship with God. Paul of Samosata denied the deity of Christ by asserting that Jesus was God only in the sense that the power of God rested on him. Also called Adoptionism. It was also taught by Artemon and Theodotus. Intended as a safeguard of the unity of God, it was one of two Monarchian errors (Monarchianism). The other was called Modalistic Monarchianism. Paul of Samasota’s denial of the proper union of God and man in Jesus Christ was condemned by the Synod of Antioch in A.D. 268. 3. Arianism. Named after Arius (A.D. 250-336). Arianism denied the eternality (deity) of Christ. Orthodox Christianity teaches that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was co-eternal with the Father. Arius maintained that Jesus was “begotten” or created by the Father out of nothing. It was vehemently opposed by St. Athanasius and condemned at the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325). The Council utilized the term homoousios to describe the cosubtantiality of the Son with the Father. Arius was banished but his destructive teaching lived on. Eusebius, the first church historian was an Arian. 4. Nestorianism (2 persons). Named after Nestorius which held that the two natures of Christ were related in such a way that the human and the divine were clearly distinguishable from each other. This led to the conclusion that Jesus Christ was two separate persons. Nestorianism was rejected at the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431) but remained an extremely Christological tendency embraced by religious groups throughout the centuries. Thus, pastors and churches that do not believe in Jesus Christ as the God-Man are heretics promoting destructive heresies. Have nothing to do with them.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 02:03:28 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015