Jesus warned against “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9). Are you teaching the doctrines of Scripture – the teachings of Jesus and the apostles – or the commandments of men? Here are four questions to answer:

Question #1: When did your teachings originate?

Perhaps you believe in eternal security, predestination, praying to saints, salvation by faith alone, keeping a literal Sabbath, or another doctrine. Were these teachings taught in the time of Jesus, the apostles, and the early believers; or were they developed later, perhaps during the Middle Ages or the Reformation?

During the first 250 years of Christianity, the early believers faced a similar issue. A heretical movement known as Gnosticism was threatening to overtake the church through false teachings. The Gnostic leaders would develop their teachings and then twist Scripture passages in an attempt to make them fit the false doctrines. Obviously, this was a confusing situation for new believers who were trying to discern the truth, and many people during and after the time of the New Testament were deceived by Gnostic heresies (Gal. 1:6-8; 1 Tim. 6:20-21; 2 Pet. 2:1-12; Jude 3-13).

To combat the teachings of the Gnostics and prevent new believers from being led astray, the early Christians wrote a significant amount of material against these new heresies. One of the arguments they used was the principle of time. Tertullian explained this principle and applied it to the situation in his day. As you read, consider whether your beliefs withstand the argument of time.

• “I say that my Gospel is the true one. Marcion [a Gnostic teacher] says that his is. . . . Now what can settle this matter for us – unless it is the principle of time? This principle maintains that the authority lies with that doctrine that is found to be more ancient. It assumes as a fundamental truth that corruption belongs to the side that is convicted of comparative lateness in its origin. For inasmuch as error is falsification of truth, it must necessarily be that truth precedes error. . . .
• “If that [doctrine] has existed from the beginning which has the apostles for its authors, then it will certainly be quite evident that the doctrine which comes down from the apostles is that which has been kept as a sacred deposit in the churches of the apostles. . . .
• “Such are the summary arguments that we use . . . maintaining both the order of time (which rules that a late date is the mark of forgers) and the authority of churches (which lends support to the tradition of the apostles). For truth must necessarily precede the forgery, and it must come down directly from those by whom it has been handed down. . . .
• “‘For the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, of which you have heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, has come unto you, just as it has unto all the world’ [Col. 1:5]. . . . Now, if it is our gospel that has spread everywhere (rather than any heretical gospel, much less Marcion’s), . . . then ours will be the gospel of the apostles. But even if Marcion’s gospel succeeded in filling the whole world, it would not even then be entitled to be characterized as ‘apostolic.’ For the term ‘apostolic’ . . . can only belong to that gospel which was the first to fill the world.” – Tertullian (c. 207)

Question #2: Are you teaching anything new?

Are you teaching the Scriptures in the simplicity with which they were taught in the earliest churches, or were your doctrines developed later in time? The early Christians believed that a true teacher of God should not teach anything new:

• “In the Lord’s apostles, we possess our authority. For even they did not of themselves choose to introduce anything [new], but faithfully delivered to the nations the teaching that they had received from Christ. If, therefore, even ‘an angel from heaven should preach any other gospel’ [Gal. 1:18] than theirs, he would be called accursed by us.” – Tertullian (c. 197)
• “You [the church] lay down a rule that this faith has its solemnities appointed by either the Scriptures or the tradition of the forefathers, and that no further addition in the way of observance must be added, because innovation is unlawful.” – Tertullian (c. 213)
• “Nor will any one of the rulers in the churches teach doctrines different from these (however highly gifted he may be as to eloquence) – for no one is greater than the Master. . . . For the faith is ever one and the same. So he who is able to teach at great length regarding it makes no addition to it. Nor does he who can say but little diminish it.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “From this, therefore, do we draw up our rule. Since the Lord Jesus Christ sent the apostles to preach, no others should be received as preachers [i.e. founding teachers] than those whom Christ appointed. For ‘no man knows the Father except the Son, and he to whomever the Son will reveal Him’ [Matt. 11:27]. Nor does the Son seem to have revealed Him to any other than the apostles, whom He sent forth to preach.” – Tertullian (c. 197)
• “Those who seek to set up any new dogma have the habit of very readily perverting into conformity with their own notions any proofs they care to take from the Scriptures. . . . The apostolic word marks out the case in these words: ‘If anyone preaches any other gospel to you other than that which you have received, let him be accursed’ [Gal. 1:18]. Consequently, in addition to what has been once committed to us by the apostles, a disciple of Christ should receive nothing new as doctrine.” – Disputation of Archelaus and Manes (c. 320)
• “It is evident from the high antiquity and perfect truth of the church that these later heresies (together with those even later in time) were new, falsified inventions.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “No controversy or discussion could have arisen at all if each one of us had been content with the venerable authority of all the churches and if, with fitting humility, each one had desired to innovate nothing.” – Treatise on Re-Baptism (c. 257)

Question #3: Were your doctrines taught in the first-century churches?

Many of the second- and third-century Christian writers grew up in the churches established by the apostles in the first century, and they held faithfully to the apostolic teachings. Were your doctrines taught in these churches? (Hint: You would need to read their writings to know!)

Some of the earliest writers of the second century had conversed with the apostles and sat under their instruction:

• “If, then, anyone who had attended on the elders came, I asked minutely after their sayings. I asked what Andrew or Peter said, or what was said by Philip, Thomas, James, John, Matthew, or any other of the Lord’s disciples – things which Aristion and presbyter John, the disciples of the Lord, say. I concluded that what was to be gotten from books was not so profitable to me as what came from the living and abiding voice.” – Papias (c. 120), as quoted by Eusebius
• “In the third place from the apostles, Clement [of Rome] was allotted the bishopric. This man had seen the blessed apostles and had been conversant with them. Therefore, he might be said to have the preaching of the apostles still echoing [in his ears] and their traditions before his eyes. Nor was he alone in this. For there were many persons still remaining who had received instructions from the apostles.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Polycarp also was instructed by apostles, and he spoke with many who had seen Christ. Not only that, but by apostles, in Asia he was appointed bishop of the church in Smyrna. I also saw him in my early youth, for he lived a very long time. . . . He had always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the church has handed down, and which alone are true.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)

The apostles entrusted to the churches the message that they had received directly from Jesus. We know that the early Christians faithfully preserved the apostolic doctrines (although the churches began to stray in later years) because they were commended in Scripture. Acts 2:42 indicates that the early believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” At the end of the first century, the apostle John wrote to the “fathers” and “young men” in the collective church, saying, “You are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:14).

Who were these “fathers” and “young men” in the church at the end of the first century? Undoubtedly, two of them were Polycarp and Ignatius, both disciples of John and bishops of the church at Smyrna and Antioch, respectively. (In Revelation 2, Jesus commended the church at Smyrna and had nothing negative to say about either Polycarp or the church itself. In contrast, He wondered if He would even find faith on the earth in the Last Days’ church [Luke 18:8].) As John wrote these words, perhaps he was also thinking of Papias, Clement of Rome, and Hermas, the latter two of which are likely referred to in Scripture (Philippians 4:3; Romans 16:14).

The apostolic doctrines of the first-century were preserved by the bishops of the churches founded by the apostles. These bishops were not unknown names and faces. Rather, many of them were the prominent Christian writers that we can still learn from today – men such as Clement of Rome (bishop of Rome), Ignatius (of Antioch), Polycarp (of Smyrna), Irenaeus (of Lyons, France), and Cyprian (of Carthage, North Africa). Let us see what the two most prominent writers against Gnosticism – Irenaeus and Tertullian – wrote about the apostolic faith:

• “Suppose there arises a dispute relative to some important question among us. Should we not have recourse to the most ancient churches with which the apostles had constant communication? Should we not learn from them what is certain and clear in regard to the question at hand? For how would it be if the apostles themselves had not left us writings? Would it not be necessary to follow the course of the tradition that they handed down to those to whom they did commit the churches? To which course, [the] many nations of those . . . who believe in Christ do agree. For they have salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit, without paper or ink. And they carefully preserve the ancient tradition. . . . Therefore, the tradition from the apostles exists in the church in this manner, and it is permanent among us.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “If that [doctrine] has existed from the beginning which has the apostles for its authors, then it will certainly be quite evident that [the doctrine] which comes down from the apostles is that which has been kept as a sacred deposit in the churches of the apostles. Let us see what milk the Corinthians drank from Paul. Let us see to what rule of faith the Galatians were brought for correction. Let us see what the Philippians, the Thessalonians, and the Ephesians read. What utterance also do the Romans give?” – Tertullian (c. 207)
• “It is within the power of all, therefore, in every church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the apostles manifested throughout the whole world.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Now, the message that [the apostles] preached (in other words, what Christ revealed to them) can . . . properly be proved in no other way than by those very churches which the apostles founded in person. For they declared the gospel to them directly themselves. . . . If then, these things are so, it is equally clear that all doctrine that agrees with the apostolic churches – those molds and original sources of the faith – must be considered as truth, as undoubtedly containing the teaching that the said churches received from the apostles, the apostles from Christ, and Christ from God.” – Tertullian (c. 197)
• “No other teaching will have the right of being received as apostolic than that which is at the present day proclaimed in the churches of apostolic foundation.” – Tertullian (c. 207)

While the early Christians faithfully taught the doctrines established in the first-century churches, the heretics invented new doctrines contrary to that which the apostles taught. One of the telltale signs of their false doctrine was the diversity of teaching among the Gnostic groups:

• “Let the heretics contrive something of the same kind [i.e. a list of episcopal succession back to the apostles]. . . . However, even if they were to produce such a contrivance, they will not advance even one step. For when their very doctrine is compared with that of the apostles, its own diversity and discrepancy proves that it had neither an apostle nor an apostolic man for its authorship. . . . The heretics will be put to this test by those churches, who, although they do not have as their founder the apostles or apostolic men (as being of much later date, for churches are in fact being founded daily), yet since they agree in the same faith, they are considered to be no less apostolic because they are alike in doctrine. Therefore, let all the heresies, when challenged to these two tests [i.e. episcopal succession and apostolic doctrine] by our apostolic church, offer their proof of how they consider themselves to be apostolic. . . . For the heretics are in no sense themselves apostolic because of their diversity as to the mysteries of the faith.” – Tertullian (c. 197)
• “To this cause also are due the various opinions that exist among the heretics, inasmuch as each one adopted errors just as he was capable. But the church throughout all the world, having its origin firm from the apostles, perseveres in one and the same opinion with regard to God and His Son.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Suppose, then, that all churches have erred. . . . If so, is it likely that so many churches, and they so great, should have gone astray into one and the same faith? No accident distributed among many men leads to one and the same result. Error of doctrine in the churches must necessarily have produced various results. However, when that which is deposited among many is found to be one and the same, it is not the result of error but of tradition. Can anyone, then, be reckless enough to say that the ones who handed on the tradition were in error?” – Tertullian (c. 197)
• “There are many who think they hold the opinions of Christ. However, some of these men think differently than their predecessors. Therefore, that alone is to be accepted as the truth which differs in no respect from ecclesiastical and apostolic tradition. For the teaching of the church . . . remains in the churches to the present day and is still preserved.” – Origen (c. 225)

While the Gnostics espoused a wide variety of teachings, the early Christian writers of the second and third centuries differed very little regarding the fundamentals of their faith:

• “Although dispersed throughout the whole world, even to the ends of the earth, the church has received this faith from the apostles and their disciples. . . . Although she is scattered throughout the whole world, yet she carefully preserves it, as if she occupied only one house. She also believes these points just as if she had only one soul, and one and the same heart. She proclaims these things, teaches them, and hands them down with perfect harmony as if she possessed only one mouth. For although the languages of the world are different, yet the significance of the tradition is one and the same. For the churches which have been planted in Germany do not believe or hand down anything different. Neither do those in Spain, Gaul, the East, Egypt, Libya, or in the central regions of the world.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “We hold communion with the apostolic churches because our doctrine is in no respect different from theirs. This is our witness of truth.” – Tertullian (c. 197)
• “True knowledge is that which consists in the doctrine of the apostles and the ancient constitution of the church throughout all the world. . . . [The church] is guarded and preserved without any forging of Scriptures by a very complete system of doctrine. She neither receives any addition to, nor does she allow any diminishing of, the truths which she believes. True knowledge also consists in reading the Word of God without falsification, but with a lawful and diligent exposition in harmony with the Scriptures – both without danger and without blasphemy. Above all, it consists in the pre-eminent gift of love, which is more precious than knowledge, more glorious than prophecy, and which excels all the other gifts of God.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)

The early Christians held faithfully to the apostolic teachings. Were your doctrines taught in these first-century churches?

Question #4: Are your teachings obvious from a plain reading of Scripture?

The early Christians understood Scripture to mean exactly what it said. They had no need to reinterpret Scripture, explain away “difficult passages,” or create complicated theological systems. They simply read the Bible (or, before a complete Bible was compiled, listened to it read in the apostolic churches) and did what it said.

Are your teachings obvious from a plain reading of Scripture? (Hint: If you read it in a commentary, the answer is probably NO!)

• “When the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, came unto all, He gathered alike the learned and unlearned, and He proclaimed to [male and female] and [to] every age the precepts of salvation. He made a large summary of His teachings, that the memory of the scholars might not be burdened with celestial learning, but might quickly learn what was necessary to a simple faith.” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “The disciples of Jesus scorn mere elegances of style and what is called in Scripture ‘the wisdom according to the flesh’ [1 Cor. 1:26]. . . . They resemble those who investigate to provide the most wholesome food for the largest number of persons. For this purpose, they adapt their language and style to the capacities of the common people.” – Origen (c. 248)
• “Being accustomed to sweet and polished speeches or poems, [educated people] disdain the simple and common language of the sacred writings as being menial. . . . With the greatest foresight, He wished those things that are divine to be without adornment, that everyone might understand the things that He Himself spoke to all.” – Lactantius (c. 304-313)
• “It should be known that the holy apostles – in preaching the faith of Christ – delivered themselves with the utmost clearness on certain points. For they believed those points to be necessary to everyone – even to those who seemed somewhat dull in the investigation of divine knowledge.” – Origen (c. 225)

The early Christians warned against delving too deeply into the mysteries of God:

• “Wide are men’s inquiries into uncertainties. Wider still are their disputes about conjectures. . . . To the Christian, however, only a few words are necessary for the clear understanding of the whole subject. For in the few words, there always arises certainty to him. Nor is he permitted to give his inquiries a wider range than is necessary for their solution, for the apostle forbids ‘endless questions’ [2 Tim. 2:23; Tit. 3:9].” – Tertullian (c. 210)
• “The secrets of God cannot be known; therefore, our faith should be simple. We read in the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians: ‘We see now through the glass in an enigma, but then we will see face to face. Now I know partly; but then I will know even as I am also known’ [1 Cor. 13:12]. Also, in Solomon, in Wisdom: ‘And in simplicity of heart, seek Him’ [Wisd. 1:1]. . . . Also in Solomon: ‘Be not excessively righteous, and do not reason more than is required’ [Sir. 7:17]. . . . Also, in the epistle of Paul to the Romans: ‘Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How incomprehensible are his judgments and how unsearchable are his ways!’ [Rom. 11:33].” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “At the beginning, I lay down the fact that there is one definite thing taught by Christ. . . . You must ‘seek’ only until you have found; once you have ‘found,’ you must believe. After that, you have nothing further to do but to keep what you have believed. . . . For nothing else is to be believed, and so nothing else is to be sought.” – Tertullian (c. 197)

Commandments of Christ or of men?

Are you teaching the commandments of Christ or heresies of men? Following the example of Scripture, the early Christians warned against relaxing any of the divine commandments and proclaiming as doctrines the teachings of men:

• “The Pharisees rebelled from the Law by introducing human teachings.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “He who has spurned the ecclesiastical tradition and darted off to the opinions of heretical men – he has ceased to be a man of God and to remain faithful to the Lord.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “Show me your authority. . . . If you are an ordinary Christian [not an apostle], believe what has been handed down to us. . . . That which had been handed down was true, for it has been transmitted by those whose duty it was to hand it down. Therefore, when you rejected that which had been handed down, you rejected that which was true. You had no authority for what you did.” – Tertullian (c. 210)
• “What presumption there is to prefer human tradition to divine ordinance! How can we not see that God is indignant and angry every time a human tradition relaxes the divine commandments and passes them by?” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “There will be no light punishment upon him who either adds or subtracts anything from the Scripture.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Study, therefore, to be established in the doctrines of the Lord and the apostles.” – Ignatius (c. 105)

Conclusion

Are you teaching the true apostolic faith? If so, your teachings will have originated – not from modern theologians – but from Jesus and the apostles. You will not be teaching anything new, but all of your doctrines will find their origin in the first-century churches founded by the apostles. Finally, your teachings will be obvious from a plain reading of Scripture. If all of these aspects are true, you can proclaim with confidence that you are teaching the true gospel.