FALSE PROPHETS, FALSE TEACHERS, AND RECYCLED HERESIES

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. (2 Peter 2:1 ESV)

Even in this modern age, we live with an abundant supply of false prophets, false teachers, and recycled heresies. Many in the church believe that God’s Holy Word may be manipulated to appeal to a new generation of people. We have preachers on television who distort the Gospel by appealing to men’s pride and wish for the pleasures of materialism. Truth is abandoned in order to enlarge membership rolls.

R. C. Sproul wrote these lines to discuss heresy in our day:

It seems that the only real and intolerable heresy today is the despicable act of calling someone a heretic. If the one accused is guilty of heresy, he or she will probably elicit more sympathy than his accuser. Anyone who cries “Heretic!” today risks being identified as a native of Salem, Massachusetts. …