Paul gives us the warrant for a Christian worldview/philosophy, but not one that is grounded in non-Christian thought, but ultimately rooted and grounded in Christ. For this reason, we must test all ideas, philosophies, and ideologies by the standard of Scripture, which is nothing less than Christ’s word. The question we must always ask is this: Are the claims of non-Christian philosophy, science, psychology, sociology, etc. consistent with the truth of Scripture? This is the standard by which Christians are to judge all matters and critique all thought.

As one reads the New Testament one is struck by two complementary truths about the proclamation, defense, and passing on of the gospel. First, there is the sad fact that people quickly depart from the truth and substitute it for false teaching. As fallen creatures, we seem to love and embrace error faster than we love and rejoice in the truth. Second, in light of the first reality, we are constantly exhorted to stand for the truth, which requires constant diligence and Spirit-wrought faithfulness to our triune God in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ and his word.

The Drift and the Stand

The first truth is ubiquitous throughout the New Testament. For example, think of Galatia. Paul himself is astonished at how quickly this church has turned to another gospel, which he makes very clear is “really no gospel at all” (Gal. 1:7). But Galatia is not an isolated occurrence. Think of Paul’s warnings to his young pastor-apprentice Timothy where he describes the “last days” as characterized by those who identify with the church but who are “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth” (2 Tim. 3:7). Or, as Paul continues to remind Timothy: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Tim. 4:3). Many more examples could be given, but the sad truth is this: the tendency is for fallen people, even those who profess Christ, to rapidly depart from the truth.

However, the second truth is also unmistakably taught. In light of the fact that people so quickly depart from the truth, Scripture exhorts us to “guard the good deposit” (2 Tim. 1:14); for leaders to “keep watch over yourselves and all the flock” (Acts 20:28); and for the entire church to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). Scripture is clear: We must love God and the gospel by being vigilant in proclaiming it, standing against those who attempt to replace it by “another gospel,” and faithfully passing it on to the next generation.

Nothing New under The Sun

What is true in the New Testament is also true in church history. In every era, the church is in a constant battle to stand for the truth and not to substitute it or “mix” it with something else. In the Patristic era, the church battled against Gnosticism and Arianism as she faithfully proclaimed Christ and formulated Trinitarian and Christological orthodoxy rooted and grounded in Scripture. In the Reformation, the church had to correct numerous errors of Roman Catholicism and stand firm on biblical authority and the finished work of Christ resulting in our justification, as reflected by the Reformation solas—sola Scriptura, sola gratia, sola fide, solus Christus, soli Deo gloria. In the rise of the “modern” world, the church had to stand against “liberalism” which sought to “mix” the gospel with worldview thinking that stood opposed to the truth of Scripture.

Today, the church must stand against forms of secularism, naturalism, pluralism, and postmodernism as represented by critical theories, the LGBTQ+ agenda, and the false ideologies of our age. In every era of the church, syncretism—taking the Bible and correlating it to the current thought of the day—has always been a constant danger for the church to stand against. For, in the end, syncretism results in a distortion and rejection of the truth of the gospel. But sadly, within the church, the call to stand for the truth has not always been heeded. Ours is a day of untethered niceness, winsomeness, and nuance, and too often these characteristics are a cover for accommodation. But the reality is this: until Christ returns, the church is called to stand for the truth of the gospel without compromise, which often requires a “loving confrontation” (to use the words of Francis Schaeffer).

How to Spot a Heretic

In light of these two truths, it’s important to ask: how do we recognize false teaching in order to counter it? Jeremy Jackson has suggested that what unites all heresies is the denial of Christ and his work.[1] I agree with him. So how do you recognize a “false teacher” or a “false view,” whether it’s an ancient or a present-day one? We must ask the all-important question: Who do you say that the Lord Jesus Christ is? What do you think about him and what he achieved for us?

Why is Jesus so central to all heresies? The answer is quite straightforward: He is the one who takes us to the heart of who God is, as the divine Son, the second person of the Trinity. To get him right means that we get our entire doctrine of God right, who is the Creator and Lord of all. Furthermore, to get his work right means that we grasp the God of sovereign grace who alone can save us. For fallen creatures, the idea of salvation by God’s grace—involving a real incarnation, effected on a cross, publicly demonstrated in an empty tomb, and doing something we cannot do—offends us. As sinful people, we have a hard time receiving Christ and his finished work; it reminds us that we have nothing to contribute. In our sin, we think we are good enough to save ourselves. But to grasp Christ and his work reminds us that salvation is by God’s sovereign initiative and invitation, not ours. God’s solution in Christ speaks to the nature of our radical problem! We think we can contribute something, but we cannot. We want to be our own Lord and master, so we hate the idea of a sovereign God and Savior. That is why getting Christ right is central to getting the truth of the gospel right!

But if a wrong view of Christ and his work is at heart of all heresy, then the remedy to false teaching and the temptation of syncretism is a proper view of Christ and his work. This truth is taught throughout the New Testament, but specifically in Colossians 2:6–10. The church at Colossae was in danger of succumbing to syncretism. They faced what some have called the “Colossian heresy.” This heresy seemed to be the attempt to dilute the glory, sovereignty, and sufficiency of Christ with some version of Greek and Jewish thought.

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