Justin Martyr And Heaven

Justin Martyr, an early Christian who lived in the second century, wrote:

There are people who are called Christians. ... They say that there is no resurrection of the dead, but when they die, their soul is received up into heaven. If you encounter such people, do not imagine that they are Christians. (Dial. 80)

In context, Justin was affirming the resurrection of the dead as an essential element of the Gospel, such that anyone who denies the resurrection of the dead cannot rightly be called a Christian.

We may disagree with Justin about whether the soul enters heaven after death, but that is a separate matter; he just happens to think that such a belief is necessarily a denial of the resurrection of the dead. Of course, contrary to Justin, these two beliefs are not actually mutually exclusive. Many Christians today affirm the resurrection of the dead while also believing that the soul enters heaven after death.

How often have we accused someone of false teaching because we thought that what he has affirming was necessarily a denial of something else?