From Heresy to Revelation: When God Changes Your Mind

I still remember sitting in that auditorium with 10,000 other people, my children on my lap, feeling absolutely trapped—not just by the crowd, but by what I was hearing from the platform. The preacher was declaring something that made my blood boil: "You're not a sinner—you're the righteousness of Christ."

Heresy! I thought. This man is teaching pure heresy.

But God had a plan for that moment that would completely transform how I approach difficult teachings and challenging perspectives. Sometimes what sounds like heresy at first hearing turns out to be revelation we desperately need.

Trapped in the Truth

Picture this: an auditorium designed for 8,000 people with 10,000 in attendance. People sitting in aisles, on stairs, anywhere they could find space. My kids were small, sitting on my lap, and we were squeezed into the middle of a row with no escape route.

I couldn't leave, even though everything in me wanted to march out in protest.

This preacher was systematically dismantling everything I believed about identity, sin, and righteousness. With each statement, I felt my theology being challenged at its core. I was fuming—not just annoyed, but genuinely angry at what I perceived as false teaching.

But sometimes God orchestrates circumstances to force us to hear things we would normally reject without consideration.

The Difference Between Sincere Seekers and Argumentative Spirits

Looking back, I'm grateful I couldn't storm out of that conference. Because while I was furious, my heart was still genuinely seeking truth. There's a huge difference between:

• Sincere disagreement that comes from a desire to understand God's heart

• Argumentative opposition that comes from a need to protect existing power structures

In my case, despite my emotional reaction, I went home determined to prove this preacher wrong through careful study. But I was willing to be corrected if I discovered I was the one who was mistaken.

This is very different from the kind of confrontational spirit that attacks without genuine investigation—like the gentleman who confronted me with the Greek Bible but hadn't even known the grammatical evidence existed.

The Humbling Journey Home

That night, I couldn't sleep. The preacher's words kept echoing in my mind: "You're not a sinner—you're the righteousness of Christ." Everything in my religious training screamed that this was wrong.

But as I lay awake, I found myself praying something dangerous: "Lord, if he's right and I'm wrong, show me."

That's a prayer that will change your life if you're brave enough to pray it sincerely.

When God Rewrites Your Theology

What followed was a journey through Scripture that completely transformed my understanding. As I studied passages I thought I knew by heart, God began showing me the difference between:

• My former identity as a sinner

• My current identity as the righteousness of Christ

I discovered that while I had sinned, that was no longer my fundamental identity. In Christ, I had become something entirely new—not just forgiven, but transformed. Not just pardoned, but righteous.

The preacher wasn't denying the reality of sin or the need for salvation. He was declaring the radical transformation that occurs when we truly understand what Christ accomplished for us.

I had to eat humble pie. The man I'd labeled a heretic was actually teaching profound biblical truth that I'd been missing.

The Pattern of Resistance and Revelation

This experience taught me something crucial about how God often works in our lives. Sometimes the messages that initially trigger our strongest resistance are exactly the truths we most need to hear.

Think about it:

• The Pharisees called Jesus a heretic for claiming equality with God

• Religious leaders accused Paul of teaching lawlessness when he preached grace

• Reformers throughout history were labeled dangerous for challenging established interpretations

The pattern is consistent: revolutionary truth often sounds like heresy to those invested in existing systems.

Grace for the Journey

Now, when I encounter people who react strongly to teachings about women's equality in Scripture, I try to remember my own journey. I remember how threatening it felt to have my understanding challenged. I remember the anger, the fear, the feeling that everything I'd built my faith on was being attacked.

But I also remember the incredible freedom that came when I discovered God's design was more beautiful than I'd been taught.

This is why I try to extend grace to those who oppose these teachings—even when they approach me with hostility. I know that sometimes the strongest opposition comes from the deepest fear of being wrong about something fundamental.

The Strategic Nature of the Encounter

Looking back at that Friday night confrontation I mentioned in my previous post, I believe it was strategically timed. We had just wrapped up teaching about 1 Corinthians 14, and immediately someone challenged that exact passage with an aggressive spirit.

But instead of being discouraged, I felt confirmation. When the enemy works that hard to oppose a message, it's usually because that message carries significant power to set people free.

The very intensity of the opposition confirmed we were onto something important.

Staying Open While Standing Firm

One of the most challenging aspects of walking in revelation is learning to hold convictions strongly while remaining open to correction. It's a delicate balance between:

• Confidence in what God has shown you

• Humility to recognize you might still be learning

I'm absolutely convinced that mutual submission reflects God's heart for relationships. I've spent years studying these passages, and I've seen the fruit of this understanding in my own marriage and ministry.

But I'm also still learning. If someone approaches me with genuine questions, scholarly evidence, or sincere concerns, I'm always willing to examine new perspectives.

The key is discerning the spirit behind the approach. Is this person genuinely seeking truth, or are they defending territory?

The Difference in Fruit

One of the most reliable ways to test any teaching is to examine its fruit. Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognize them" (Matthew 7:16, NIV).

When I believed and taught traditional gender roles, I saw:

• Women struggling with depression and anxiety

• Men burdened by unrealistic expectations of authority

• Marriages characterized by hidden resentment and power struggles

• Gifted women sidelined from their callings

• Children learning unhealthy patterns of dominance and submission

When I began teaching and living mutual submission, I saw:

• Couples flourishing in genuine partnership

• Women stepping into their callings with confidence

• Men experiencing the joy of serving rather than controlling

• Children learning healthy patterns of mutual honor

• Churches becoming more unified and effective

The fruit of truth is always freedom, love, and flourishing.

The Courage to Change

Changing deeply held beliefs requires tremendous courage. It means:

• Admitting you might have been wrong about something important

• Potentially disappointing people who trusted your previous teaching

• Facing criticism from those who prefer the old interpretation

• Walking into territory that feels uncertain and unfamiliar

But the alternative—staying stuck in error because change feels too risky—ultimately causes more damage than the temporary discomfort of growth.

A Personal Testament

I can honestly say that discovering the truth about mutual submission and women's equality has been one of the most liberating experiences of my spiritual journey. It didn't diminish my respect for Scripture—it increased it. It didn't make me doubt God's design—it made me marvel at how beautiful His design actually is.

My marriage with Gregory is living proof that mutual submission isn't just a nice theological idea—it's a practical reality that creates flourishing relationships. His strength isn't diminished by our equality; it's channeled into protection and empowerment rather than control.

An Invitation to Courage

If you're reading this and feeling that familiar resistance—that sense that this teaching threatens everything you've believed—I want to encourage you to pray that dangerous prayer: "Lord, if I'm wrong about this, show me."

It's scary to pray that prayer because God might actually answer it. But if you're truly seeking His heart, He will guide you into all truth, just as He promised.

You might discover, as I did, that God's design is more beautiful, more liberating, and more reflective of His character than you ever imagined.

The Ongoing Journey

Truth isn't a destination—it's a journey. I'm still learning, still growing, still discovering new depths in Scripture and new applications for my life.

But I'm no longer afraid of having my theology challenged. I've learned that God's truth is strong enough to withstand honest examination, and His love is deep enough to guide us through any confusion or uncertainty.

The preacher who first taught me about righteousness identity was right: I'm not a sinner trying to become righteous. I'm righteous, learning to live out that identity more fully.

And the scholars who taught me about mutual submission were right too: God never intended for relationships to be characterized by dominance and control. He designed them for mutual honor, mutual submission, and mutual empowerment.

Sometimes what sounds like heresy is actually the revelation we've been waiting for.

Have you ever had an experience where teaching that initially offended you turned out to be liberating truth? How do you balance standing firm in convictions while remaining open to correction? I'd love to hear about your own journey from resistance to revelation.

Blessings,
Susan 😊