Questions to consider

• Do you believe that salvation is by faith alone?
• Do you believe that those who are truly saved can never lose their salvation?
• Do you believe that people were predestined to be saved or lost?
• Do you believe that baptism is merely a symbol and has no role in salvation?

If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, it may surprise you to learn that this doctrine is definitely NOT what the early church taught in the centuries after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

It may surprise you even more to learn that this is NOT what Jesus and the apostles taught, either.

But how can this be?  Perhaps you have had theological training, which taught you that these doctrines are directly from Scripture. Perhaps your parents or church leaders taught you these beliefs at a very young age.  Perhaps you have read books about it.

Have you ever read what the early church taught?

Who were the early Christians?

You may be surprised to learn that the beliefs and practices of the early church are very well documented.  The early Christians wrote detailed descriptions of their teachings, quoted extensively from Scripture (both the Old and New Testaments), vigorously defended the historic faith against heresy, and were willing to pay the ultimate price of martyrdom for their beliefs.  Who were these heroes of the faith?

• Barnabas, an apostle according to Acts 14:14, traveled with the Apostle Paul and John Mark on several missionary journeys.  He was martyred in AD 61.
• Clement of Rome (35-99) was bishop of the church at Rome.  He likely learned from Peter and Paul, and tradition holds that he is mentioned in Philippians 4:3.
• Ignatius (35-107) was a disciple of John and bishop of the church at Antioch.  He died as a martyr in Rome.
• Polycarp (69-156) was a personal disciple of the Apostle John and was appointed by John to be the bishop of the church at Smyrna.  He was a friend of Ignatius and teacher of Irenaeus. He lived an exemplary life and died as a martyr.
• Justin Martyr (100-165) was a philosopher who considered the ideas of numerous secular teachers before converting to Christianity.  He was a devoted evangelist and apologist for the Christian faith and was executed in Rome as a martyr.
• Irenaeus (130-200) learned from Polycarp and was the bishop of the church at Lyons, France.  One of his most significant works is Against Heresies, which was written to combat the teachings of the Gnostics.
• Clement of Alexandria (150-215) was a philosopher and teacher at the Catechetical School of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt.  Origen was one of his pupils.
• Tertullian (160-230) was a teacher from Carthage, North Africa who wrote numerous apologies, warnings against heresy, and exhortations to other believers.
• Origen (185-255) studied with Clement of Alexandria and also taught at the same school.  A prolific writer known for his apologies and commentaries, he was tortured for his faith and later died as a martyr.
• Cyprian (200-258) was bishop of the church at Carthage, North Africa during a time of intense persecution.  He died as a martyr.

Why is it helpful to study the writings of the early Christians?  While their writings were not inspired Scripture (as they themselves testified to the authority and supremacy of Scripture and were influential in determining its canon), the early believers had significant advantages that we do not have today:

• The majority of them were taught and mentored by the apostles, either directly or indirectly.  Barnabas traveled with Paul, Clement of Rome studied under one or more of the apostles, Ignatius and Polycarp were disciples of John, and Irenaeus learned from Polycarp.
• The early Christians were members of churches started by the apostles, under the leadership of bishops appointed by the apostles.
• If they had questions, they could ask John or any of the other living apostles, or they could consult the church leaders.
• They had the advantage of proximity (in time, geography, and culture) to the events of the New Testament that we do not have today.

Have you ever talked to Paul?  Was John your personal mentor in the faith?  Did you grow up in the first-century church at Ephesus?  Why not take a few minutes to read the writings of those who did – and see what they learned?

Acts 2:42 says that the early Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”  The early church was remarkably unified in their teachings on nearly every topic.  Would their answers to the four opening questions have been the same as yours?

What the early Christians said: Salvation by faith alone or obedience to Christ?

• “But there is no other [way] than this: to become acquainted with Christ; to be washed in the fountain spoken of by Isaiah for the remission of sins; and for the rest, to live sinless lives. . . . Those who did that which is universally, naturally, and eternally good are pleasing to God.  Therefore, in the resurrection, they will be saved through this Christ.  They will be saved equally with those righteous men who were before them – namely, Noah, Enoch, Jacob, and whoever else there may be – along with those who have known this Christ.” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “This, then, is our reward if we will confess Him by whom we have been saved.  But in what way will we confess Him?  We confess Him by doing what He says, not transgressing His commandments, and by honoring Him not only with our lips, but with all our heart and all our mind. . . . Let us, then, not only call Him Lord, for that will not save us.  For He says, ‘Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will be saved, but he that works righteousness.’  For that reason, brethren, let us confess Him by our works, by loving one another.” – Clement of Rome (c. 96)
• “To put on the name of Christ, and yet not to go in the way of Christ – what else is this but a mockery of the divine name!  It is a desertion of the way of salvation.  For He Himself teaches and says that the persons who keep His commandments will come into life.” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “With respect to obedience and doctrine, we are not all the sons of God.  Rather, it is only those who truly believe in Him and do His will.  Now, those who do not believe, and do not obey His will, are sons and angels of the devil.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)

What the early Christians said: Once saved . . . always saved?

• “Those who do not obey Him, being disinherited by Him, have ceased to be His sons.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Those of you who have confessed and known this man to be Christ, yet who have gone back for some reason to the legal dispensation, and have denied that this man is Christ, and have not repented before death – you will by no means be saved.” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “Certain ones of those [heretics] who hold different opinions misuse these passages.  They essentially destroy free will by introducing ruined natures incapable of salvation and by introducing others as being saved in such a way that they cannot be lost.” – Origen (c. 225)
• “The world returned to sin . . . and so it is destined to fire.  So is the man who after baptism renews his sins.” – Tertullian (c. 198)
• “For do not many afterwards fall out of [grace]?  Is not this gift taken away from many?  These, no doubt, are they who, . . . after approaching to the faith of repentance, build on the sands a house doomed to ruin.” – Tertullian (c. 203)

What the early Christians said: Predestination or free will?

• “We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true, that punishments, chastisements, and rewards are rendered according to the merit of each man’s actions.  Otherwise, if all things happen by fate, then nothing is in our own power.  For if it is predestined that one man be good and another man evil, then the first is not deserving of praise or the other to be blamed.  Unless humans have the power of avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for their actions. . . . I have proved in what has been said that those who were foreknown to be unrighteous, whether men or angels, are not made wicked by God’s fault.  Rather, each man is what he will appear to be through his own fault.” – Justin Martyr (c. 160)
• “It is our responsibility to live virtuously.  God asks this of us as being our own doing – not as being dependent on Him, nor on any other, nor on Fate (as some think).  The prophet Micah proves this when he says: ‘It has been announced to you, O man, what is good, or what does the Lord require of you, except to do justice and to love mercy?’” – Origen (c. 225)
• “The liberty of believing or of not believing is placed in free choice.  In Deuteronomy, it says: ‘Look!  I have set before your face life and death, good and evil.  Choose for yourself life, that you may live.’” – Cyprian (c. 250)
• “Neither praise nor condemnation, neither rewards nor punishments, are right if the soul does not have the power of choice and avoidance, if evil is involuntary.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)

What the early Christians said: What Is meant by baptism?

• “When we come to refute them [the Gnostics], we will show in its proper place that this class of men have been instigated by Satan to a denial of that baptism which is regeneration to God.  Thus, they have renounced the whole faith. . . . For the baptism instituted by the visible Jesus was for the remission of sins.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Blessed are they who, placing their trust in the cross, have gone down into the water. . . . We indeed descend into the water full of sins and defilement.  However, we come up, bearing fruit in our heart, having the fear [of God] and the trust in Jesus in our spirit.” – Barnabas (c. 70-130)
• “In the same way, therefore, we also repent of our sins, renounce our iniquities, and are purified by baptism.  Thereby, we speed back to the eternal light as children of the Father.” – Clement of Alexandria (c. 195)
• “[Scripture] says, ‘And he dipped himself seven times in the Jordan.’  It was not for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being baptized.  Rather, this was a symbol for us . For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean from our old transgressions by means of the sacred water and the invocation of the Lord.  We are spiritually regenerated as new-born babes, just as the Lord has declared: ‘Unless a man is born again through water and the Spirit, he will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “Matthew alone adds the words, ‘to repentance,’ teaching us that the benefit of baptism is connected with the intention of the baptized person.  To him who repents, it is saving.  However, to him who comes to it without repentance, it will produce greater condemnation.” – Origen (c. 228)

Commandments of men or of Christ?

Remember that Jesus warned against “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).  Were these teachings of the early church the commandments of men or of Christ?  Let’s look at the Scriptures:

What the Bible says: Salvation by faith alone or obedience to Christ?

• “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 7:21
• “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples” – John 8:31
• “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” – John 15:10
• “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” – Romans 8:14
• “Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” – Galatians 5:19-24
• “And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.” – Hebrews 5:9
• “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” – James 2:17
• “If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” – 1 John 1:6-7

What the Bible says: Once saved . . . always saved?

• “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away. . . . As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” – John 15:2, 4
• “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62
• “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard.” – Colossians 1:21-23
• “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons…” – 1 Timothy 4:1
• “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.  But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” – Hebrews 3:12-13
• “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.” – 2 Peter 2:20-21
• “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.  Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.  How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” – Hebrews 10:26-29

What the Bible says: Predestination or free will?

• “The soul who sins shall die. . . . But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die.  None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live.  Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?  But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live?  None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.” – Ezekiel 18:20-24
• “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” – John 3:16, 18
• “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9
• “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’  And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’  And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” – Revelation 22:17

What the Bible says: What is meant by baptism?

• “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” – John 3:5
• “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 2:38
• “Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” – Acts 22:16
• “He saved us . . . by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” – Titus 3:4-5
• “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” – Hebrews 10:22
• “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” – 1 Peter 3:21

Were there any opposing views?

It may also surprise you to learn that there actually WAS a group of people during the time of the New Testament and early church that answered “yes” to the four questions about salvation, eternal security, predestination, and baptism.  These people were the Gnostics, and they were denounced as heretics by the apostles and the early church.

The Gnostics believed that the material world was inherently evil.  Therefore, they concluded the following:

• Jesus was not actually God in the flesh.
• Good works are not necessary for salvation.
• Those who are saved are eternally secure regardless of how they live.
• People are predestined to be good or evil.
• Baptism is not for the remission of sins.

What did the early Christians say about the Gnostics?

• “The ‘most perfect’ among the Valentinians [a sect of Gnostics] addict themselves without fear to all kinds of forbidden deeds . I mean, the deeds of which the Scriptures assure us that ‘those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.’” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “When we come to refute them [the Gnostics], we will show in its proper place that this class of men have been instigated by Satan to a denial of that baptism which is regeneration to God.  Thus, they have renounced the whole faith. . . . For the baptism instituted by the visible Jesus was for the remission of sins.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “You should keep at arm’s length those [Gnostics] . . . who are servants above their Lord, and disciples above their Master.” – Tertullian (c. 197)
• “Marcion [a leading Gnostic] met Polycarp on one occasion, and said, ‘Do you know me?’  Polycarp replied, ‘I do know you, the first-born of Satan.’  Such was the horror that the apostles and their disciples had against holding even verbal communication with any corrupters of the truth.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “John, the disciple of the Lord, preached this faith.  And he sought, through the proclamation of the Gospel, to remove that error that Cerinthus [a Gnostic] had disseminated among men.” – Irenaeus (c. 180)
• “In his epistle, John especially designates those as antichrists who ‘denied that Christ was come in the flesh,’ and who refused to think that Jesus was the Son of God.  The first dogma Marcion maintained; the second one Hebion [two of the Gnostics] taught.” – Tertullian (c. 197)

What does the Bible say about the Gnostics?

As Irenaeus and Tertullian observed, the apostles themselves warned of this group of false teachers:

• “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” – 2 Peter 2:1
• “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh.  Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.  Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward.  Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God.  Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.  If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” – 2 John 7-11

What about you?

The Gnostics were guilty of “teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).  Has your church been guilty of the same?  Have you?

Perhaps you, like so many others, have been deceived.  You were taught a certain interpretation of Scripture before you had even read the Bible.  You were taught that the doctrines of salvation by faith alone, eternal security, and others were true, inspired, and the only way of salvation.  Most likely, your leaders did not intend to lead you astray – they were teaching what they honestly believed was right – but they had been deceived as well.

But now the uncomfortable truth is that according to Jesus, the apostles, and they early church, those doctrines are far from the truth – in fact, they are heresy; and the Scriptures have some strong words for heretical teachings.  So what will you do now?

Will you stand up for what is right?  Will you be the first – in your church, in your community, in your family – to return to the true Christian teachings of Jesus and the early church?  Will you influence others to do the same?