Summary:
In the early church many problems started to arise and become evedent. These problems were in church doctrines and what it ment to be a Christian. Eventually the named them heresy. The church fathers did say that as the heresys arose, it helped clearify what Christians really believe.
Three main heresy's at the time of the earlly church were, Gnosticism, Marcionism, and Montanism. These beliefs are very similar to what we have today. I can see that the ideas are not completly different but they have a new name for everything. This is what made the church form the Christian orthodoxy, our right belief. The heresys did in help form and cleaify what christians believe cause it made them sit down and defend the christian faith. God used even things like destructive heresys to help build His Church!
Questions:
1. When someone thinks that they have a "higher understanding of something" how do you correct them? When is the point you have to do church disciple because someone belive outside the bible?
2. Montanism was said to have been very hard to spot the error in. It seems very similar to what we have today? How would you spot this kind of thinking and how would you refute it in a biblical way? it seems the hardest out of them because it appeals to and sounds like Christianity.
3. The task of orthodoxy is to: A) Stating the Faith
B) Maintianing the Mystery
In doing these things do we need to study both the bible and the heresy? It sounds like the heresy just makes us focus on certain truths of the bible!
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1 comment:
A1. Patience is key I think. God has sovereignly opened your eyes to an area of His truth. He hasn't done the same for that individual. Pray that He would. And then humble offer to pull the speck out of his eye.
2. Montanism at its worst is an evil prophet heresy. Remember, Montanists wanted to consider the prophesies of Montan as scripture. This is a horrible desire. Yet even today cults openly add or remove scripture. And nominal christians casually elevate the fortune telling of people to the authority of scripture.
3. Though heresy is valuable pragmatically for strengthening the church's knowledge of orthodoxy, we shouldn't fail to realize Orthodoxy proceeds heresy. The truth is always the truth whether or not the current church recognizes it.
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