The line between heresy and true religion today has been totally blurred. Truth has become relative and people are allowed to determine the standard that defines truth. Our standard as Christians should be the Bible, because the Bible shows us clearly that God is the author and leader of true religion. Religion itself should be rooted in the will of God. When we learn God’s will, we are learning to discern truth from lies—orthodoxy from heresy.
In God’s account of his creation, he dwelt with Adam until Adam betrayed him. That is when God’s spirit left the sinful hearts of the people he created. God left Adam and went to dwell with Noah, a man who found favour in God’s eyes (Gn 6). Who was the heretic and who had true religion? Adam decided to leave God and follow the words of the serpent. He chose to follow the path that lies opposite God’s truth (Gn 3). In other words, Adam’s “religion” became heresy. If we understand this correctly, we can see that God’s word never changed. God chose Noah, because Noah also refused to change. Noah had a heart that followed God’s truth. When Adam strayed from the truth he received, God was forced to leave because Adam no longer belonged to him.
Although the descendants of Abraham still have immense pride in claiming to be God’s chosen people, they cannot change the fact that they broke the promise they made with God (Jer 31:31-34; Hos 6:7) just like Adam did (Gn 2:17; Gn 3). When they failed to keep God’s covenant, God chose to dwell with Jesus (Jn 1:32). There was a need for a new covenant because of the disobedience of God’s people. Physical Israel left God; they chose to turn from the truth of God’s original word. Instead, they followed a new religion of their own creation and became heretics. Since Jesus had God’s word and preached the truth of its original meaning, those who followed Jesus were orthodox.
It has been approximately 2000 years since Jesus came and created Spiritual Israel. Just like he chose Adam and gave him authority, God created a new chosen people in Spiritual Israel and appointed them to become rulers over all his creation. At the time of his first coming, Jesus prophesied (Lk 18:8) that Spiritual Israel would also fall from its position of authority and return to mere flesh. In other words, they would no longer be God’s possession and would no longer have God’s spirit within them because of their disobedience. The New Testament prophecies describe the Christian world falling into darkness, moving away from the light of God’s word. Jesus prophesies about this when he talks about the sun, moon, and stars falling from the sky (Mt 24:29; Rv 1:1-2; Rv 6:12-14). Once these things take place according to God’s word, Jesus’ angel appears (Rv 1:1-2; Rv 22:16) to fight against and overcome Satan’s lies (Rv 12:10-11). This angel receives the revealed word (Rv 10) and makes them known to another advocate—the one with whom God chooses to dwell after Spiritual Israel breaks its covenant (Jn 14-16). The advocate testifies Jesus’ truth. Because he speaks only the teachings of God, following him becomes the standard of orthodoxy.
Those who leave Jesus and his teachings are betraying and opposing God. They are choosing to follow lies instead of the truth of God’s word. They break their promise to God, yet still call their religion truth. In doing so, they create a new religion from their own imaginations instead of receiving it from God. This is heresy and these people are heretics. The evidence is in whether the words they teach are God’s true word or words that have been corrupted by men. Those who teach a worldly knowledge of God are teaching lies (i.e., sowing the weeds). People who accept such teachings can never unite with Jesus. Although they claim to be orthodox, they are preaching lies that run directly counter to God’s truth and God’s will, which never change.
There are people in every generation who break their promises with God. God cannot dwell with them unless they recognise their mistakes. They must find the place in which and the person in whom love, forgiveness, blessings, and truth exist, because all these things are orthodox. When people persecute, criticize, and judge those who speak according to the Bible, they are only proving that they do not possess true religion. They prove the religion they follow is heresy that has its origins in the hearts and minds of mere men.
By reading this, I hope you will understand how people have misunderstood what distinguishes true religion from heresy. Orthodoxy is defined by God and his word. If God and his will are with you, you are orthodox. If God and his word are not with you, you are a heretic who believes lies.
The restoration of those who have sinned is only possible through God and God’s word. Shinchonji is the place God and his words dwell, and it is the only place believers can be born again in the image of God through the seed of his original and true word (Rv 21:1-6).
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