CHURCH OF GOD IS HERESY? NO. ITS TRUE-CHRIST AHNSAHNHONG TAUGHT ALL LAW OF GOD

What Is Heresy?

The Church of God believes in Christ Ahnsahnghong, who came, wearing the flesh, in accordance with the prophecies of Jesus’ second coming. However, the world rejects the Church of god, arguing, "They believe in a man," and, "They keep the Sabbath." The Bible testifies that the churches keeping Sunday service, Christmas, and Thanksgiving Day, and who revere the cross and the Virgin Mary—without ever referring to the Bible—are the true heretics.
We need to come to understand what "heresy" truly is. If we do not realize what is seen as heresy in the eyes of God, we will be led into destruction. The word "heresy" means the dissent or deviation from a dominant truth of God—that is, the adherence to lawlessness.
Definition of Heresy
1) The dictionary’s definition
① adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma
② dissent or deviation from a dominant theory, opinion, or practice
③ an opinion, doctrine, or practice contrary to the truth or to generally accepted beliefs or standards
2) The origin of the word
The word "heresy" comes from the Greek αἵρεσις, hairesis (from αἱρέομαι, haireomai, "choose"), meaning either a choice of beliefs, or a faction of dissident believers.
3) The Bible’s interpretation
Looking in the Bible, let us first locate the verses which mention the word "heresy."
Gal. 5:20, KJV 『Idolatry, witchcraft...wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,』
2 Pet. 2:1 『...They will secretly introduce destructive heresies...』
Tit. 3:10, KJV『 A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject...』
4) The Doctrine of Christianity
At the time of the Early Church, heresy was considered to be any opinion or doctrine which deviated from the truth of the Early Church, from those who followed only the teachings of Jesus. In other words, the religious organizations that do not follow the words of God, which have been written in the Bible, are heretical.
Characteristics of Heresy
2 Pet. 2:1『But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.』
① Heresy results in destruction.
② Heresy brings the way of truth into disrepute.
③ Heretics teach the rules of men—that is, they teach the stories that have been made up by men—not the words of the Bible.
④ Heretics are false prophets who rebel against God.
⑤ Heretics can never be saved.
It is not wise for a man to pass judgment on a church, simply because it is a church that he has never attended. The Bible must be our standard of judgment. All of the churches that do not follow the Bible will be destroyed in the end.
Matt. 7:21-29 『"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven...Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock...But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."』
The Result of Heresy: Destruction
As we have studied, those who follow the ways of heresy will be led to destruction.
From the standpoint of Christianity, heretics are those who do not follow the teachings of the Bible. Heresy is the weeds that have been sown by the devil in an effort to bring the way of truth into disrepute. Then, which church can be considered heretical: the Church of God—that follows the teachings of the Bible—or the religious bodies that do not follow the teachings of the Bible, obstinately blaming the Church of God because it follows doctrines which are different than their own?
Jesus foretold the appearance of heretical teachings.
Matt. 13:24-42『... "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away...Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn...As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age...They will weed out everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."』
Comparison Between Heresy and Truth
As stated above, heretics are those who do not follow the laws of God—those who practice lawlessness. Among the many heresies in the world, let’s focus on the concept of Sunday service.
The Sabbath day—the seventh day, Saturday—is one of God’s commandments. All history books testify to this fact. For example, one of the many Catholic books, The Faith of Millions by Reverend John A. O’Brien, records as follows: "But since Saturday, not Sunday, is specified in the Bible, isn’t it curious that non-Catholics who profess to take their religion directly from the Bible and not from the Church, observe Sunday instead of Saturday? Yes, of course, it is inconsistent; but this change was made about fifteen centuries before Protestantism was born, and by that time the custom was universally observed. They have continued the custom, even though it rests upon the authority of the Catholic Church and not upon an explicit text in the Bible"(pp. 400-401). It is clear that Sunday service is a rule of men, not of God.
Among so many heresies, we have only explored the origin of Sunday service. The Sabbath day is God’s commandment, but Sunday service is a man-made teaching—heresy. Therefore, the Church of God, which follows the teachings of Second Coming Christ Ahnsahnghong, can be proven as the true Church because it keeps the Sabbath day.
Was Jesus a Heretic?
Sometimes, senseless people blame the true Church, calling it "heresy," when the number of the heresy-believers surpasses that of truth-believers.
1) Jesus, too, was treated as a heretic
The Jewish people who lived two thousand years ago referred to Christianity as the "Nazarene sect,"persecuting Christians for following Jesus, who was from Nazareth (Acts 24:5). Regarding Him as a heretic, the Jews tried to kill Jesus many times.
John 8:59 『At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.』
John 10:30-31 『"I and the Father are one." Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him...』
John 11:53 『So from that day on they plotted to take his life.』
The religious leaders of that time, who regarded Jesus as a heretic, had not recognized their sin until they handed Him over to be crucified. They believed that their actions were just, even faithful to God, and they boldly shouted, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!"(Matt. 27: 23-25).
When God appears in the flesh, He is still God, not a man; however, the people thought that Jesus’divinity was only self-proclaimed. When Jesus asked the Jews why they wanted to stone Him, they answered very confidently, "We are not stoning you for any of these, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God"(John 10:33). By their actions, the Jews treated Jesus as if he had been a heretic.
2) Jesus’disciples were also called heretics
Do you think that the people who condemned Jesus, by claiming that He was a heretic, acknowledged His disciples? When the Apostles preached the gospel, the Jews denounced them, too. They assumed that the disciples were only heretics who had worshipped Jesus, the son of a carpenter, and had fabricated His divinity. The disciples, who proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, were flogged (Acts 5:40), chased (Acts 9:23-25), and even stoned to death (Acts 7:59).
Acts 24:1-9 『"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect."』
Acts 7:59-60 『While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed..."Lord, do not hold this sin against them."When he had said this, he fell asleep [died].』
3) A present-day view of heresy
When a deacon of the Protestant church first heard the truth, he asked the pastor of the Protestant church, "I happen to know of a church that proclaims that the Sabbath day is Saturday, not Sunday, and that the 25th of December is not the birthday of Jesus. Are this church’s teachings correct?"
The pastor’s answer was ridiculous, "Biblically, the Sabbath day is Saturday, and the 25th of December is not the birthday of Jesus, but any church that keeps the Sabbath and does not celebrate Christmas is heretical."
What does his answer mean?
His standard of judgment is not the Bible, but the doctrine of his own denomination. Since Jesus and His disciples kept the Sabbath day and did not celebrate Christmas, were they heretics? Today, people accuse those who follow the teachings of Jesus, calling them heretics. They use the same arguments as those who denounced Jesus as a heretic.
The Truth Always Prevails
Copernicus and Galileo, advocates of the heliocentric theory, were also judged and regarded as heretics. In those days, the Roman Catholic Church supported the geocentric theory, the belief that the earth is the center of the universe and that the sun, the moon, and the stars move around the earth.
The theories of Copernicus and Galileo were treated as mere heresy for a long time. However, as the field of science developed, their heliocentric theory became common knowledge, and the astronomers are now respected as pioneers.
By studying the Bible, we can clearly understand what heresy is. If you believe in God, and if you believe that the Bible was written by people who were moved by the Holy Spirit, you will surely be able to discern the true church from the churches practicing heresy.
Our standard of judgment must be the Bible, not the opinions of men. The Church of God, established by Christ Ahnsahnghong, follows only the teachings of the Bible, and can thus be easily recognized as the true Church.
Just as a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and as a bad tree cannot bear good fruit, the people who refuse to follow the teachings of the Bible will never be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.