Tradition May Support an Heresy

Heresy cannot reliably be diagnosed by comparing individuals’ or other groups’ doctrinal positions or practices to the traditions of my own group and calling any that don’t match well “heretical.” Religious tradition, even Christian religious tradition, may support a heresy. Heresy is the division, not the disagreement.

            Heresy cannot reliably be diagnosed by comparing individuals’ or other groups’ doctrinal positions or practices to the traditions of my own group and calling any that don’t match well “heretical.” This is so for two reasons. First, as already noted, it is a person’s divisiveness rather than his doctrine that constitutes the heresy. Secondly, this is true because organizational traditions sometimes support heretical positions. This can be illustrated from the scriptures regarding the response of the Jewish authorities, who certainly represented the “authorized” religious tradition of their day, to Jesus and His followers. During Jesus’ earthly lifetime, these traditional religious leaders accused him of not instructing his disciples to observe their traditions. (Matthew 15:1-2; Mark 7:1-5.) In response, Jesus pointed out that the Jewish leaders placed their own traditions above the word of God and that some of the traditions they enforced actually nullified God’s words. (Matthew 15:3-14; Mark 7:3-13). Jesus called these leaders who insisted on tradition “hypocrites” and “blind guides,” just as Paul later warned us not to let anyone take us captive through empty deception in accord with mere human tradition. (Colossians 2:8).

            Then, after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the same Jewish leaders accused the Christians of being a “sect” — the Greek word being hairesis, i.e., an “heresy.” (Acts 24:5, 14; Acts 28:22). Indeed, in presenting the charges against Paul to Governor Felix, Tertullus, the Sanhedrin’s attorney, clearly explained what was meant by the charge that Paul was the leader of a hairesis:

For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect (hairesis) of the Nazarenes.

Acts 24:5 (KJV).

            Thus, Christians were branded as “heretics” by the Jewish leaders because they allegedly stirred up “sedition,” “insurrection” or “dissension” (as in the NASB) among the Jews, contrary to Jewish traditions. However, as shown by the record found in the Acts and the Epistles, it was really the Jews who separated themselves from the Christians over the Christians’ failure to observe these traditions. (See, e,g,, Acts 13:44-51; Acts 18:4-18; Acts 21:17-30; Galatians 2:11-14). It was those who represented the previous divinely “authorized” religious tradition, and those who wished to be seen as loyal to them and to their traditions, who created the division. Thus, tradition may support an heresy.

NEXT: Recognized Leaders May Lapse into Incorrect Positions and Divisiveness