Heresies about Jesus Today

Although it is an old word and often used when movie studios mock Christians who are the villains shout it, heresy is useful. Heresies about Jesus abound. Perhaps it is a heresy when an atheist claims there is no God (or the absurdity that he never existed), but we will focus on heresies among professing Christians.

Unfortunately, people believe at least three of the most common false teachings. Why do they believe them? Because they are easily deceived. Bluntly, this usually comes from spiritual laziness and biblical illiteracy.

The Good Shepherd, Public Domain Pictures / Bernard Plockhorst, mid-1800s

As mentioned before, I was raised in a theologically liberal denomination. When I went to a conservative Christian school for my last three years, I had no understanding of the Trinity or that Jesus is God the Son. Yes, the Trinity cannot be fully understood and must be taken by faith, but we can learn basic teachings in the Bible. Some teachings are not heresies but are heterodox, often introduced by traditions; Jesus did not always have a halo or a glow, for example. That's artistic license.

Devotional guides are okay, but they should never take the place of spending time reading the Bible. If you're too busy to carve out even ten minutes a day for it, you're too busy, period. And get into some solid biblical teachings! Know where cults get numerous converts? From mainstream churches. That's because their spiritual laziness in the midst of this spiritual war leads them to a little bit of knowledge, and those outfits exploit that weakness.

The three main heresies (among others) deny the Trinity and the clear biblical teachings that Jesus is God. A simple way to refute many false teachings when Scripture is presented is to simply look at the context; these sidewinders often ignore the verses above and below their "proof" texts. Also, question teachings you encounter. Questioning aloud is good, but at least to yourself, ask "Where does it say that? What biblical principles are being used?" Do some work your ownself. Then you'll have wisdom enough to walk away when someone presents "the divine energy of the Christ spirit" or other snake oil. You savvy that?

When looking at a text, it is important to consider what the author was trying to communicate, and the identity of his audience can also be helpful.

As mentioned earlier, there are three main heresies from long ago that still infect Christians today. One thing they have in common is denying the Trinity. Don't be intimidated by the names. In fact, there are shorter definitions given before more details are presented. I strongly recommend that every Christian reads this article.

The most important question ever is who is Jesus Christ? Is he the eternal Son of God or just a created being like us? Well, a 2022 survey showed that professing Christians’ understanding of the Lord Jesus is slipping, as more than half held heretical views about him.1 According to the survey, only 54 percent agreed that “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” An astonishing 73 percent agreed with the statement that “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.” Given this belief, it is not surprising that 43 percent affirmed that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.” False beliefs regarding the identity of Jesus are not new but have been condemned throughout church history as heresies, such as Sabellianism, Subordinationism, and Socinianism. Each of these heretical positions continue to this day but just under different names (see below).

Kindly see the rest at "The Rise of Christological Heresy."