or there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you (1 Cor. 11:19).
By heresies here, some understand no more than divisions and sects, and conceive that heresies, with regard to opinions or doctrines, are not here meant.
The apostle Paul has the word heresies twice in his epistles, and in both places he makes some difference and distinction between heresies and divisions, or strifes and variance (1 Cor. 11:18-19; Gal. 5:20). For every division, strife, or variance, is not heresy; therefore, in what I now address, I understand heresy to be something more than division.
It seems that they who understand only divisions to be meant by the word heresies, do not observe the rising of the apostle's speech; for after he has spoken of their schismatical divisions, contrary to the rule of love, he adds, for there must also be heresies among you. I partly believe it, he says, that there are divisions among you; for there must be not only schisms, but, worse than that, there must be heresies also.
If you ask now, "What is heresy?" I shall now ground my answer on Scripture itself -- first negatively, then positively.
Negatively: Heresy is neither to be so far taken at large as to be extended to every error which may be confuted by Scripture -- even if such error is too tenaciously maintained. Neither is it so restricted so that no error shall be accounted heretical but that which is destructive to some fundamental article of the Christian faith. When Peter speaks of such heresies as take away the very foundation, Jesus Christ, he thinks it too little to call them simple heresies, and calls them damnable heresies.
We must not think that no man is a heretic unless he is judicially admonished, and continues in his error anyway. For where it says (Tit. 3:10), "A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject," it is intimated that he was a heretic before such admonition.
Positively: I understand that six things come together to make heresy.
1. It is an error held by a minister or member of a church -- either a true church, or an assembly pretending and professing to be a true church. For Peter and Paul, when they foretold that heresies were to come (2 Pet. 2:1; 1 Cor. 11:19), they add among you. The same thing is seen in Acts 20:30. Therefore, Scripture does not give the name heretic to those who are outside the visible church altogether, but calls such by the name of heathen or unbeliever.
2. It is an error voluntarily and freely chosen, both in the invention of it (which is the work of heresiarchs), and in the maintaining of it (which is common to all heretics). This can be gathered from the very name given to it in Scripture. The word heresy comes from the verb meaning I choose. Therefore we do not give the name of heretic to those Christians who are compelled, in time of persecution, to profess some error or other, even if it would be a heresy if voluntarily chosen.
3. It is a choosing of error which accompanies a rejection of truth. A heretic puts light for darkness, and darkness for light; good for evil, and evil for good; he chooses error as truth, and refuses truth as error. The Bible describes those who give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils as departing from the faith (1 Tim. 4:1), resisting the truth (2 Tim. 3:8), and turning ears away from the truth (2 Tim. 4:4). Heretics are leaving the truth as well as approaching error.
4. It is an error maintained in such a way as it becomes a snare to others. For although there may be heresy hidden in a man's thoughts (as well as other sin), this belongs to the judgment of God, not man. The heresies spoken of in 1 Cor. 11:9 are certainly known among men. And heretics are scandalous persons, to be avoided and rejected (Rom. 16:17; Tit. 3:10), which could not be done unless their errors were known.
5. It is an error contrary to some chief and substantial truth, grounded upon, or derived by necessary consequence from Scripture. There never has been a heretic in the Christian world who contradicted that which is literally and syllabically set forth in Scripture. The most damnable heretic will offer to subscribe to the Scriptures instead of to a confession of faith.
But I do not call every error heresy, even if it is contrary to a consequential truth grounded in Scripture. Heresies are mentioned as greater evils than schisms (1 Cor. 11:18-19) which could not be so if every error were a heresy.
6. It is an error factiously maintained, with a schism in the church, with disciples drawn away from the church. Heretics are deceivers and seducers, who endeavor to pervert others and overthrow their faith (2 Tim. 3:13; Acts 20:30; 2 Tim. 2:17-18; Rom. 16:17-19; 2 Pet. 2:2). All known and noted heretics are also schismatics, who make a rupture, and strengthen their own party by drawing after them disciples and followers.
Heretics break one band of church communion, which is consent in doctrine; schismatics break another, which is love.
From all of the above observations from Scripture, we may define heresy this way: Heresy is a gross and dangerous error, voluntarily held and factiously maintained by some person or persons within the visible church, in opposition to some chief or substantial truth or truths grounded upon and drawn from the Holy Scripture by necessary consequence.
It is God's purpose to permit heresies, and to overrule them for this end, that His graces in His children may shine forth, and that even heresies (contrary to the intentions of Satan and heretics) may make manifest those who are approved.
