Today, I want to look at some of the heresies
in the Early Church that we still need to be on guard against. It's time to UNLEARN the lies. UNLEARN Hey, welcome to UNLEARN. My name is Lex, I'd like to invite you to
join us each week as we UNLEARN the lies and dig deeper into the truth of God's Word. Now, let's get started. Winston Churchill said, “Those who fail
to learn from history are condemned to repeat it.” The early Church was constantly dealing with
heresy and false teachings. They understood the importance of preserving
the truth, and they stood against those who taught contrary to sound Biblical doctrine. We need to be familiar with those false doctrines
and heresies of the early church so that we aren’t doomed to repeat them. Jude exhorts us to contend earnestly for the
true faith and to beware of false teachers who bring in heresy. “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write
to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting
you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who
long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God
into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.” - Jude 1:3-4 What lessons can we learn from studying these
ancient heresies so that we don’t repeat their errors? Heresy is a belief or opinion that is contrary
to sound Biblical doctrine. It could also be defined as false doctrine
or false teaching. Heresy typically manifests in a wrong belief
about God. The Bible warns us about false teachers who
bring in destructive heresies. “But there were also false prophets among
the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive
heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways,
because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.” - 2 Peter 2:1-2 Peter warns about destructive heresies that
deny our LORD and blaspheme the way of truth. These are the type of heresies I want to look
at today. These destructive heresies that deny important
things about our LORD and speak blasphemy against Him. In the early church, much like today, there
were many debates and confusion about the nature of Christ. Was He God, was He man, or was He some mixture
of the two? These debates led to certain doctrines that
are considered to be heretical. The first heresy I want to look at is Monarchianism
because it lays the foundation for several other heresies that follow. Monarchianism is an overemphasis on the oneness
of God at the expense of the other members of the Godhead. Belief in one God is foundational to Christianity,
but Monarchianism stressed monotheism to the point of denying God’s triune nature. Monarchians opposed the Trinity doctrine because
they feared it would lead to tritheism. There are two main forms of Monarchianism,
which are known as Sabellianism and Adoptionism. Sabellianism, also known as Modalism, is the
belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three different modes or aspects of God,
rather than three distinct "persons" in one God. Modalism holds to the deity of Christ but
does not distinguish Him from the Father or Holy Spirit. This view simply sees the Son as one manifestation
of God and the Holy Spirit as another manifestation of the same God. They see God revealing Himself in the Old
Testament in one mode, then changing modes to reveal Himself as the Son in the New Testament,
and changing modes again to reveal Himself as the Holy Spirit later. Thus the terms Father, Son, and Spirit are
only different names for the same Person, not three distinct Persons. Modalism ignores and contradicts the distinction
that is made between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Bible. For example, we see the Son praying to the
Father throughout the Gospels, and even making a clear distinction between Himself and the
Father. “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His
eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify
You… And this is eternal life, that they may know
You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent… And now, O Father, glorify Me together with
Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” - John 17:1,3,5 Notice that before the foundation of the world,
the Son had glory “with” the Father, not “as the Father”. So, even in His glory, there is a distinction
made between the Father and the Son. Likewise, we see all three persons of the
Godhead present and revealed individually at the baptism of Yeshua. The Son was baptized, the Father spoke from
heaven, and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove, all three portrayed simultaneously
and distinctly from one another. “…it came to pass that Jesus also was
baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form
like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son;
in You I am well pleased." - Luke 3:21-22 The Bible also tells us that the Son sits
at the right hand of the Father. One person cannot sit next to himself, which
indicates there are two distinct persons being spoken about. “God, who at various times and in various
ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken
to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the
worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding
all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down
at the right hand of the Majesty on high” - Hebrews 1:1-3 We also see that the Son set aside His own
will to do the will of the Father, indicating the Son has a separate will from that of the
Father. If the Father and Son are the same identical
person, this would not make sense, because the Son would not need to set aside His own
will to do the will of the Father if in fact, they are the same person, because they would
have the same will. "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup
away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." - Luke 22:42 Yeshua even explained there are things the
Father knows that the Son does not know, which indicates they are separate persons having
separate knowledge. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not
even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” - Mark 13:32 We again see this distinction being made by
Yeshua when He spoke about returning to the Father, and He explained that His Father is
greater than Himself. If the Father and Son are the same person
taking different modes or forms as modalism insists, then how can the Son claim the Father
is greater, or how can the Son return to the Father if they are in fact the same person? “…If you loved Me, you would rejoice because
I said, 'I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.”
- John 14:28 The biggest issue with modalism is the denial
of the existence of the Father and the Son. Their claim that the Father and Son are different
manifestations of the same person, is at its core a denial of the existence of Father and
Son. The Bible warns that anyone who rejects the
Father or Son is an antichrist. “…He is antichrist who denies the Father
and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father
either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” - 1 John 2:22-23 Modalism teaches that the Father and Son do
not co-exist as separate persons in the Godhead. They insist that God is simply taking different
forms at different times. Therefore, according to the Bible, this doctrine
is antichrist. God is not changing forms, but He exists eternally
as three distinct persons. We have seen modalism surface at various times
throughout history, but the most notable in recent years is in the Oneness Pentecostal
churches. Now, let’s look at the second form of Monarchianism
known as Adoptionism. Adoptionism teaches that Jesus was born fully
human and not divine. They believed he earned his adoption as the
“Son of God” because of his virtue. Adoptionism denies the eternal pre-existence
of Christ, and is often, but not always, associated with a denial of the virgin birth. Adoptionism was one of the earliest heresies
identified in the Church, being declared a heresy in the 2nd century. One example of Adoptionism is found in the
Ebionites who believed that Jesus was adopted as the “Son of God” because of his sinless
devotion to the will of God. They believed Jesus was the Messiah but they
denied both his divinity and His virgin birth. We see this similar belief about Jesus in
modern unitarian theology, Mormonism, and various other heretical sects. Unitarian Christians believe that Jesus was
inspired by God in his moral teachings, and that He is a savior, but that He was not a
deity or God incarnate, which is basically the same thing Muslims believe about Jesus. Unitarians believe that Jesus was a great
man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. The denial of the divinity of Yeshua has taken
various forms throughout history, but they all share the common belief that Yeshua was
created by the Father, that he had a beginning in time, and that the title "Son of God" was
a courtesy that was granted to Him. The denial of the deity and eternal nature
of Christ can be seen in several modern non-trinitarian sects. These groups believe that Jesus was a created
being and not eternally God, although some believe He became divine based on His sinless
life. The most notable examples of this include
Christadelphians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormons, among various other lesser-known
sects. Like Modalism, Adoptionism stands in opposition
to the Word of God, ignoring, twisting, and even rejecting certain Scriptures that contradict
their doctrine. As previously mentioned, many in this category
deny the virgin birth that was prophesied by Isaiah and confirmed in the Gospels. Likewise, by denying His pre-existence to
creation, they contradict Scriptures such as John 1 which describes Yeshua as the Word
of God who created all things, or Colossians 1 which says all things were created by Him. How can ALL things be created by Him if He
was a created being? “For by Him all things were created that
are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for
Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all
things consist.” - Colossians 1:16-17 We see Christ spoken of as the creator again
in Ephesians which shows the Son to be present with the Father before creation began. “and to make all see what is the fellowship
of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created
all things through Jesus Christ” - Ephesians 3:9 These heretics also contradict the words of
Yeshua when He spoke of the glory He had with the Father before the world was. How could a created being claim to have had
glory with God before the foundation of the world? That is a fundamental impossibility. “And now, O Father, glorify Me together
with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” - John 17:5 This doctrine also ignores the words of Yeshua
when He spoke about how He came down from heaven. Yeshua even points out that He is unique in
this claim, saying we are from this world but He is from above. This is not something a mere human could claim
about himself. "You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.” - John 8:23 He also claimed that He is the only one who
has ascended or descended from heaven. “No one has ascended to heaven but He who
came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.” - John 3:13 This is a reference to Proverbs 30 which speaks
about God having a Son. “Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name,
If you know?” - Proverbs 30:4 Adoptionism is a denial of the deity and eternality
of the Son of God that requires one to ignore or reject many verses of Scripture. Now, let’s take a look at one of the most
prominent and well-known heresies in the early church known as Arianism. Arianism is similar to Adoptionism in certain
ways. Where Adoptionism says Jesus became the Son
of God by adoption, Arianism says Jesus was born the Son of God but did not exist prior
to His creation. The Arian concept of Christ is based on the
belief that the Son of God did not exist eternally, but was begotten in time by God the Father. Arius stated: "If the Father begat the Son, then he who
was begotten had a beginning in existence, and from this it follows there was a time
when the Son was not." - Arius, as quoted in Church History, by Socrates
of Constantinople, Book I, Ch. 5 Arians believed the Logos was a divine being
begotten by God the Father before the creation of the world, and that God used the Logos
as a medium through whom everything else was created. Although Arianism claims to believe the Son
is a deity, they are commonly accused of denying His deity since they claim He was a created
being who did not exist eternally as God. Jehovah's Witnesses are often referred to
as "modern-day Arians" because their beliefs are so similar to Arianism in regard to Christology. Likewise, the Church of God (7th day) Salem
Conference holds similar views to Arianism as well. The big problem with Arianism is the idea
that there was a time when Yeshua was not God, because the Bible says there was no God
formed before or after God. The Bible also says that God is the only savior. So, if Yeshua is not God for eternity, then
He is not the savior. “…Before Me there was no God formed, Nor
shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, And besides Me there
is no savior.” - Isaiah 43:10-11 This is why Paul calls Yeshua our great God
and Savior because there can be no savior other than the one true God. “looking for the blessed hope and glorious
appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”
- Titus 2:13 Arianism basically portrays two Gods: a lesser
God who was created by the Greater God. This doctrine produces two gods, which is
completely contrary to Scripture that explains there is only one God. “I am the Lord, and there is no other; There
is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known
Me, That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none
besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other”
- Isaiah 45:5-6 Paul explains that God was manifested in the
flesh as Yeshua, and he admits that this is a great mystery. “And without controversy great is the mystery
of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh” - 1 Timothy 3:16 Arianism also has problems with the Bible
saying that Yeshua is the fullness of the Godhead because they don’t see Him as the
fullness of God, but as a created being who was as a lesser god. “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily” - Colossians 2:9 Another thing to consider is that if there
was a time when the Son did not exist, that means there was a time when God was not the
Father, because one must have a son to be a father. This implies a change in the nature of God
from being a God without offspring to being a Father, but the Bible says that God does
not change. “For I am the Lord, I do not change…” - Malachi 3:6 Arianism is considered heresy because it does
not portray a Biblical Christology. It makes Christ into a created being and not
the eternal God who always was and never changes. The Scriptures tell us that Yeshua has not
changed. He is the same in the past as He will be in
the future because He is the same forever. This speaks of His eternal and unchanging
nature. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today,
and forever.” - Hebrews 13:8 The last heresy I want to address is Docetism,
which teaches that Jesus did not actually have a physical body, but His body was merely
an illusion. Similarly, they claim His crucifixion was
also an illusion since He lacked a physical human body. This particular heresy denies the humanity
of Yeshua by denying His incarnation. John says this particular heresy of denying
that Yeshua came in the flesh is actually a doctrine of the antichrist. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but
test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out
into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every
spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit
that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,
which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.” - 1 John 4:1-3 “For many deceivers have gone out into the
world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist… Whoever transgresses and does not abide in
the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has
both the Father and the Son.” - 2 John 1:7,9 This denial of the humanity and death of Christ
is completely contrary to the message of the Gospel since the heart of the Gospel is the
death and resurrection of Yeshua. Denying His death and resurrection is a denial
of the Gospel. This is why John was so adamant that this
teaching comes from the antichrist. Paul explains that anyone who teaches a Gospel
other than what is revealed in Scripture is accursed. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon
from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another;
but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again,
if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” - Galatians 1:6-9 The Bible portrays Yeshua as having the same
nature as God, and being equal to God, but taking on flesh so that He could die for our
sins. “…Christ Jesus, who, being in the form
of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He
humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” - Philippians 2:5-8 True Biblical Christology recognizes the divinity
of Yeshua as well as His incarnation, death, and resurrection. All of the heresies mentioned in this video
contradict the clear teaching of Scripture about the nature of God in Christ. The doctrine of Christ is extremely important,
and having a wrong understanding on this topic makes you a heretic who speaks blasphemy through
the spirit of antichrist. That’s a serious condemnation. Therefore we need to be careful not to be
led astray by such false teachings about God. SHARE THE TRUTH
UNLEARN THE LIES Thanks for watching. If you found this video helpful then share
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generosity. Thank you so much. And remember, the truth will set you free. See you next time.
