The early Christians believed that salvation is a two-step process.  The first step is repenting of sin, putting one’s faith and trust in Jesus Christ, and committing to follow His teachings.  The second step is to continue in obedience to His commands.  Salvation involves both trusting Jesus and obeying His teachings, and the early Christians opposed those who rejected either of these steps.  Read more about salvation here.

The early Christians believed that salvation means entering into a covenant relationship with Jesus. Like the other covenants in Scripture, the New Covenant comes with a condition – continued obedience to the commands of Christ. They believed that the word grace simply means “favor,” and that those who trust in Jesus and keep His commands will obtain His favor.

The early Christians believed that salvation can be lost by apostasy or failure to live in obedience to Jesus’ teachings.  They strongly opposed the Gnostic doctrine of once saved, always saved.

The early Christians believed that God gives each person the freedom to either choose or reject Him.  While God knows beforehand the choice that each person will make, He does not arbitrarily predestine people to salvation or condemnation.  Read more about free will and predestination here.

The early Christians believed that baptism is for the remission of sins.  Although it has no saving merit of itself, it is an important part of the salvation process.  In baptism, a person’s past sins are forgiven, he/she is “born again,” and the soul is regenerated to God.  Read more about their understanding of baptism here.

The early Christians refrained from worldly entertainment choices, particularly the theater and public games.  They taught that believers have no place watching or participating in events that glorify man and sinful choices rather than glorifying the Lord.  Read more about their beliefs on entertainment here and holidays here.

The early Christians believed that both men and women are responsible to dress modestly and simply, rejecting luxury and not drawing unnecessary attention to themselves.  Based on these principles, they avoided jewelry, cosmetics, perfumes, and expensive clothing.  Read more about modesty here.

The early Christians believed that at death, the souls of both the saved and the unsaved await the resurrection in Hades.  Those who are saved fellowship with other believers in paradise, while the unsaved receive a foretaste of their punishment in a separate place in Hades.  At the resurrection, all souls are reunited with their bodies and appear before the Lord to be judged.  The righteous obtain eternal life, and the wicked are sent to eternal punishment in Gehenna.  Read more about what happens after death here.

The early Christians rejected the teachings of the Gnostics, the primary heretical group during the first several hundred years of Christianity.  The early Christians opposed the false teachings of the Gnostics including their denial of Jesus’ virgin birth and divinity, their belief that salvation is by faith alone and not through continued obedience to Christ, their teaching of arbitrary predestination, their belief in eternal security, and their acceptance of worldly entertainment choices and lifestyles.  Read more about the Gnostics here.

The early Christians believed that Jesus called people to be citizens of a new kingdom – the kingdom of heaven. To them, becoming a kingdom Christian meant a radical change of mind, heart, thoughts, actions, and lifestyle. The Didache, a short document written in the first century, summarizes these foundational teachings of Christianity. Read more about the kingdom life here.

The early Christians believed that Jesus taught simply so that anyone could understand His message.  His simple teachings stood in contrast to the complicated theological systems of the Pharisees.  The early Christians had no need of commentaries, study Bibles, and seminary degrees because they believed that Scripture was written for the common person to read, understand, and obey.  Read more about how the early Christians lived out Jesus’ teachings here, and read the testimonies of those who gave their lives for the One they loved here.