Quotes From the Early Christians
Apostolic Constitutions:
“The Holy Spirit always abides with those who are possessed of Him, so long as they are worthy. . . . The Holy Spirit remains with a person so long as he is doing good, and He fills him with wisdom and understanding.”
Apostolic Constitutions:
“If anyone follows unrighteousness and does those things that are contrary to the will of God – such a person will be considered by God the same as the disobedient unbeliever.”
Barnabas:
“The whole past time of your faith will profit you nothing, unless now in this wicked time we also withstand coming sources of danger.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“Nothing happens without the will of the Lord of the universe. It remains to say that such things happen without the prevention of God. For this alone saves both the providence and the goodness of God. We must not, therefore, think that He actively produces afflictions. . . . Rather, we must be persuaded that He does not prevent those beings who cause them. Yet, He overrules for good the crimes of His enemies.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“But ‘to convert’ means that we in fact cease from our sins and no longer look behind.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“The Father is the only One who is able to undo what has been done and to blot out our former sins by the dew of the Spirit. He says, in effect, ‘I will judge you by the state in which I find you.’ So there may be a person who has done incredibly good deeds during his lifetime. But if he runs headlong into wickedness at the end of his life, then all his previous good deeds will fail to profit him. At the conclusion of the drama, he has given up his role. On the other hand, it’s possible for the man who once led a wicked and immoral life to eventually repent. During the remainder of his life after his repentance, he may overcome the evil conduct of a long time. But to do so requires great care, because he is like one who has suffered from a prolonged disease and needs to follow a certain regimen. He needs special attention. Thief, do you want to be forgiven? Steal no more. Adulterer, burn no more with lust. Fornicator, live purely in the future. You who have robbed, give back – and give back more than you took. False witness, practice truth. Perjurer, swear no more. All of you, get rid of the rest of your fleshly passions – wrath, lust, grief, and fear. In doing so, at the end of your life, you may be found to have already been reconciled to your adversary during your stay in this world (Luke 12:58). It is probably impossible to eradicate all your inbred passions at once. But by God’s power, by human intercession, by the help of the brothers, by sincere repentance, and by constant care, they will be corrected.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“Open your compassion to all who are enrolled as the disciples of God. Don’t look contemptuously at personal appearance. Don’t be carelessly disposed to only a certain age group. If someone appears to be penniless, or ragged, or ugly, or feeble, don’t let your soul fret about it and turn away from them. Our bodies are only a form cast around us. They are the occasion of our entrance into this world, and they allow us to enter into this common school. But inside of us dwells the hidden Father, and His Son, who died for us and rose with us.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“He who does not believe God is cheated of his own hope. And he does not believe God, who does not do what God has commanded.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“To keep from wrong is the beginning of salvation.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“Sometimes heretics quote from the prophetic Scriptures, but they misuse them in several ways. First, they don’t make use of all the Scriptures. Second, when they do cite a passage, they don’t quote it in its entirety. Thirdly, they quote prophetic statements out of context. Furthermore, they like to select ambiguous passages, so they can distort them to agree with their own opinions. Finally, they gather a few expressions here and there, not looking to the meaning, but making use of the mere words, while altering the meaning. “But truth is not found by twisting the meaning of Scripture. Doing violence to the Scriptures is no way to establish one’s teachings. Yet, people have used this method to corrupt all true teaching. However, to find truth, a person must consider what perfectly belongs to the Sovereign God and what is becoming to Him. One must also establish the meaning of any particular Scripture passage by using other similar passages from Scripture. “In contrast, heretics don’t want to turn to the truth. . . . When they promote false teachings to men, they are plainly fighting against almost the whole body of Scripture.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“Those who glory in their looks – not in their hearts – dress to please others.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“Likewise, no one is saved simply by trusting and believing that he will be saved. Instead, people should investigate the hope that the Savior gives them. By investigation, they should find out how they can confirm that which is unexpected. They can thereby possess the thing they hope for.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“He who hopes for everlasting rest knows also that the entrance to it is toilsome and narrow. So let him who has once received the Gospel not turn back, like Lot’s wife, as is said – even in the very hour in which he has come to the knowledge of salvation. And let him not go back either to his former life . . . or to heresies.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“So believe the prophecies, the gospels, and the apostolic words. By living in accordance with them, lending your ears, and practicing these deeds, when you die, you will see the fulfillment of these truths. For anyone who welcomes the angel of repentance in this world will not need to repent when he dies. He will not be ashamed when he sees the Savior approaching in His glory and with His army. He will not fear the fire. On the other hand, if you choose to continue to sin perpetually in pleasures – if you prefer to indulge yourself here rather than to seek eternal life – if you turn away from the Savior who offers forgiveness – blame neither God, nor riches, nor the fallen flesh. Blame your own soul, which voluntarily perishes. For whoever desires salvation and asks for it vehemently and boldly, the good Father in heaven will grant true purification and eternal life.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“It is neither the faith, nor the love, nor the hope, nor the endurance of one day; rather, ‘he that endures to the end will be saved.’”
Clement of Alexandria:
“The teachings of both the Old and the New Testaments are unnecessary if a person is saved by nature (as Valentinus [a Gnostic heretic] would have it) and is a believer and an elect man by nature (as Basilides thinks).”
Clement of Alexandria:
“I wonder how some dare to call themselves ‘perfect’ and ‘Gnostics.’ They are inflated and boastful, viewing themselves above the apostle. For Paul himself acknowledged about himself: ‘Not that I have already attained or am already perfect.’”
Clement of Alexandria:
“Trusting is more than faith. For when one has believed that the Son of God is our Teacher, he trusts that His teaching is true.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“What necessity is there for self-restraint to the one who has no need of it? For to have such desires that one must exercise self-restraint in order to control them is characteristic of someone who is not yet pure. Rather, he is still subject to lusts. Now, fortitude is taken on because of fear and cowardice. It is no longer fitting that the friend of God . . . should fall into pleasures or fears and be occupied with the repression of lusts.”
Clement of Alexandria:
“Abstinence from sins is not sufficient for perfection, unless a person also assumes the work of righteousness – activity in doing good.”