What does the Bible say about heresy?

The Bible passages below can be used in sermons, prayers, or pastoral care focused on heresy.

• 1 Corinthians 11:19, factions among you (divisions within the church body)
• Galatians 5:19-20, quarrels, dissensions, factions (factions are included in the "works of the flesh")
• Colossians 2:8, empty deceit (based on human tradition, not on the teachings of Christ)
• 2 Peter 2:1, destructive opinions (false teachers will bring in heresies)
• Titus 3:9-11, avoid worthless quarrels (avoid those who cause divisions)

Though heresy in the New Testament originally meant a faction or a sect, by the second century it came to represent a corruption of theological truth corresponding to the distortions of false teachers. As 2 Peter 2:1 says, false teachers will arise in the church and bring in destructive opinions [haíresis].

As a human construct with a strong distaste for revealed mystery, heresy cleans up orthodoxy's bad math — on the Trinity, for example (e.g., Arianism), or on the two natures of Christ (e.g., Docetism). As it is almost always an oversimplification of God's revealed mystery, heresy is a species of theological laziness. As it is almost always a triumph of human reason over divine revelation (Colossians 2:8), heresy is also grounded in human hubris — and hence is a species of faction classified as one of the works of the flesh, along with such things as licentiousness, idolatry, and envy (Galatians 5:19-20).

A sermon on heresy can explore how, more than mere disagreement on peripheral matters, heresy is the opposite of orthodoxy. Thus, in its opposition to the truth (2 Timothy 3:8), it is a denial of the one who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6, 1 John 2:21-22). Heretical persons are thus to be opposed and avoided by believers who, led by the Word and Spirit, "contend for the faith that was once and for all handed on to the saints" (Jude 3).

Sermon ideas about heresy

Following are sample excerpts from Zeteosearch.org sermon resources about heresy:

• "And as time passes by, old heresies once condemned by generations long gone resurrect themselves years or centuries later." Article about Theology and Church History by René Albert from Patheos - Catholicism
• "All the old heresies are still mucking about in one form or another, but which one is the most dominant in our day and age? There are certainly lots of candidates for the position." Article about Theology by Jonathan Mitchican from The Living Church
• "Do you begin to see why warning bells were starting to ring in Paul's mind? Why he felt it so important to write to Timothy and make sure that this trusted companion of so many years was on top of the situation and not getting dragged into what was plainly a heresy." Scripture Meditation or Sermon by John Birch from Faith and Worship