What is a heresy?

The word "heresy" is an ugly, yet common one. Similar to "Pharisee", it is a word that is often used, but rarely understood. This confusion is actually understandable, as there is no universally accepted meaning, nor are any of the most common definitions especially helpful. These common definitions include "adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma", or "dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice".

The problem with these definitions is that they are ultimately self serving, and quite flimsy. If we accept the first definition, for example, is that it first requires us to establish which Church's dogma should be used as the standard. But what if two Churches consider each other heretical, since they hold contrary dogma? If being a proud member of one Church makes you a proud heretic in another, the word is meaningless.

The second definition is even worse, because it fails to account for shifts and schisms. Dominant theories, opinions, and practices, change drastically, to the extent where the early Church would have to be considered heretical.

But God does not leave us floundering here. According to Paul, His hand chosen Apostle, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17). This means that as long as we have full access to the Scriptures, we have everything we need. We can learn doctrine, we can reprove evil, we can correct error, and we can be trained in righteousness. It even makes the stronger statement that in all of this, the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work. In other words, we need literally nothing else.

Now, obviously, we do need something else. We can't just bean someone with a Bible and expect them to magically transform into Jesus. But Scripture operates under the assumption that it is sufficiently clear that those who meditate on it, even if they are simple, will become wise. This, in fact, is the theme of the longest book in the Bible, Psalm 119. Furthermore, there are both commands and admonitions not to alter it. Tradition is not, in and of itself, a problem, but it should be in keeping with Scripture, and secondary to it.

Because Scripture is so clear, we must be the insufficient ones. However, there are different ways to be insufficient. We can be insufficient in faith, knowledge, or integrity. That is, you have to believe the Bible, know what it teaches, and have the willpower to put it into practice. If a single one of those is missing, you will deviate.

Faith, of course, is essential to our religion. If you're entirely faithless, you're not a heretic, you're an unbeliever (or an apostate if you once had faith, but lost it). But there are degrees of faith. How confident are you that the Bible is true? Do you believe it all, or are there some points in which you are not so confident?

This, of course, assumes you even know what it says. It's a big book, there's a lot in it, and even if you read it every year for decades, you're going to learn new things, and even re-discover things you've forgotten.

Finally, none of that matters if you just don't care. You can believe in God, know what He teaches, and still be such a devil that you will teach the exact opposite.

Suffice to say, these three essential elements can cause any degree of error. This means there must be a distinction between "error" and "heresy". Otherwise, we're all heretics. So where do we go from here?

Because Scripture champions its own clarity, but also accepts the limitations of man, I believe the best definition for heresy is "a belief that cannot be reasonably reconciled with Scripture." This definition keeps Scripture in its rightful place, as the word of God Himself, above any Church. It also prevents the inevitable cultural shift. Finally, it incorporates the nuanced nature of man, both allowing for the inevitable differences in opinion, and accounting for the fact that it's actually possible for even the most diligent Bible student to make some rather large errors.

Let's apply this definition to some examples. We can say that Arianism is a heresy, not because it goes against a Church dogma, or because it's against the dominant theory, but because it cannot be reasonably reconciled with Scripture. Scripture very clearly teaches the doctrine of the Trinity, and leaves no room for doubt. By contrast, while I believe Calvinism and Arianism are errors, I cannot consider them heresies, because their beliefs can, at the very least, be reasonably understood from Scripture.

Of course, I cannot speak for the entire Church. When other Christians use the word, they may not even have thought about what it means, much less use this same definition. It's also possible - probable, even - that they are using one of the other definitions we looked at earlier. But as far as Bible Brain goes, whenever we use the word "heretic", the definition we use is "a belief that cannot be reasonably reconciled with Scripture."