Many who claim to follow Christianity may be surprised to know that the Bible does not teach there is a supernatural devil or satan who opposes God and tempts men and women to sin. This idea is of pagan origin and was introduced into the early church.
While there is only Bible, the history of the Christian church is full of bitter dispute and differing versions of the Bible’s message.
Christians often wonder why there has been such divisions. Have they arisen because of important issues or should those who follow Christianity stay together despite many doctrinal differences?
A history of change
Over the approximately two thousand years since Christ and the establishment of the early church, major changes have occurred in:
- Church practices and rituals
- Church doctrines and attitudes
The major churches believe that these changes are inevitable and have been directed by Christ. They claim that the church is infallible and the Holy Spirit has progressively revealed God’s will through it.
But is this claim true? Let us examine the history and facts revealed in the Biblical record.
Apostolic Christianity
After Jesus’ ascension to heaven, his followers were unified under the guidance of the Holy Spirit-gifted apostles.
Warnings of apostasy to come
This faithful and unified state did not last very long, and both Jesus and the apostles had warned it would be so.
Jesus said: “Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).
The apostles encouraged the believers to remain steadfast but warned that eventually the truth of the Gospel message would be lost through false teachers:
“Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned …..” (2 Timothy 3:13, 14).
“There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies” (2 Peter 2:1).
“Of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things” (Acts 20:30).
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Timothy 4:3, 4).
“For that day (the day of Christ’s return) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed …. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God … so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God …. Then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming” (2 Thessalonians 2:3 – 8).
False ideas introduced into Christianity
Teaching opposed to that of original Christianity had begun to appear amongst Christians even during the apostles’ ministry. This is apparent in the letters which they wrote to the various groups of believers.
Paul had to contend with Jewish converts to Christianity who tried to impose the Law of Moses on believers. He described their message as “another Gospel, which is not another” which perverted the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6, 7).
Others promoted the wrong idea that there was no resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-23).
Instead of believing the angels’ promise that Christ’s return would be literal and bodily (Acts 1:11), others claiming to be believers began to teach that his coming would be in a mystical way which denied its reality.
After the apostles’ death
From their writings, it is clear that the apostles worked constantly to preserve the original Gospel message. But the warnings of apostacy became more dire as time passed. The apostle John stated that “many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
Jude also spoke of ungodly men who had crept in unawares, “turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness (Greek – licentiousness), and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Jude v 4).
In acknowledgement of the state of affairs which had begun to exist, in his letters to the seven churches of Asia, Jesus urged his followers to uphold original Christianity. They were to be watchful, to remember what they had been taught, to “hold fast” and “repent” (Revelation 3:2, 3).
Greek philosophy enters Christianity
In the second century, many from the schools of Greek philosophers (particularly followers of Plato) joined the Christians. These converts ignored the teaching of the Scriptures about the true state of man and his need for salvation. Over the next centuries, doctrines which had their origin in Greek thought began to be taught as Christianity.
Paul had warned against this: “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Colossians 2:8).
Philosophical teachings
Immortal soul Plato’s idea of man’s innate immortality ( i.e. an immortal soul) gained a strong foothold and began to be accepted as orthodox Christian doctrine in the face of clear Scriptural teaching. The Bible is explicit that man is mortal and is destined to return to dust for ever, apart from the promises God has made for his salvation (see “The truth about the immortal soul”).
Sadly, this doctrine is at the root of the rejection of many fundamental beliefs of Apostolic Christianity.
The Millennium rejected The apostles had taught that Christ would return, raise the dead, and set up a world-wide Kingdom of God which would last for 1,000 years (known as the Millenium) (Revelation 20:4). This doctrine began to be discarded, because the belief that immortal souls received their reward at death could not be reconciled with it.
Other false ideas
Holy Spirit guidance The church began to claim that they were guided by the Holy Spirit in the same way as the original Apostles. This claim was clearly untrue, given the many changes to Biblical doctrine which had been accepted into the church and the cruel and unchristian methods which began to be used to maintain its position.
In fact, the Bible records that only the immediate apostles had been able to pass on the gifts of the Holy Spirit and those to whom it was given by them could not. For example, when Philip went to Samaria to preach the Gospel, Peter and John had to be called to come down to give the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who had believed and were baptised (Acts 8:5, 14). Gifts of the Holy Spirit were only given until the Scriptures were complete and able to be used for guidance (1 Corinthians 13:8-10).
Church and government Early Christians were known for their lack of worldliness and their withdrawal from social and political life. They looked toward the future when Christ would return, rather than to the present. They followed the teachings of Jesus and the apostles to be separate from the world around them:
“What part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (Greek – unbeliever) …… Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing …. And ye shall be My sons and daughters” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15).
As it began to discard the doctrine of Christ’s literal second coming to establish a world-wide Kingdom, the church began to take part in the affairs of the Roman state. This culminated in the adoption of Christianity as the State religion by Constantine, the first Christian emperor, early in the fourth century AD.
The history of the church recorded
Many scholars have studied the history of the church from the days of the apostles and have documented the changes in belief and practice which occurred. Some of these include:
Edward Gibbon (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire); A. Neander (History of Christian Religion); J.L. von Mosheim (Ecclesiastical History); Dr. F. Bennett, Dean of Chester (The resurrection of the dead 1929); Dr. Agar Beet (The immortality of the soul, a protest; The Last Things); Dr. A. Robinson (Lectures on the Kingdom of God in the history of Christian Thought 1901)
Corruption, decline, attempts at Reformation
While it rose to great wealth and prestige over the centuries, the church became corrupt and immoral. Reaction against its practices set in. One of these was led by Martin Luther, who tried to reform the church, but still sadly maintained many of its doctrines.
Others, like the Anabaptists, tried to return to the teaching and practice of the Christians of the first century from outside the church. Their teachings included the revival of adult baptism as taught by the apostles.
“Christianity” today
Today there are many religious groups, all claiming to be Christians. Some are trying to follow the teaching and practices of the original Christians, some claim to have new revelations from God, and some retain various church doctrines while discarding others. How can we tell who is correct?
The Bible our standard
The only standard by which Christians can reliably measure any doctrine or practice is that of the Bible itself. The Jews at Berea checked the preaching of the apostle Paul against the (Old Testament) scriptures to see whether the things Paul and Silas told them “were so” (Acts 17:11).
The prophet Isaiah directed the people of Israel to measure the teachings of any man against the Scriptures themselves: “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:19-20). This was because only God’s word was reliable: “Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
What can we do?
History has shown that, by and large, those who claim to be Christian have not maintained Christian teaching or practice. Often it has been a very small minority who have endeavoured to do so, usually in the face of strong opposition.
Jesus warned that it would only be a few who would seek to truly serve him:
“Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” (Matthew 7:13, 14).
Today, great efforts are made to compromise over differences of belief. A variety of interpretations of the Christian message are now accepted so that those claiming to follow Christ can be united. However, these efforts are diametrically opposed to the Bible’s standards :
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all ….” (Ephesians 4:4-6).
The task of anyone who wishes to follow the original teachings of Christianity is to base his or her belief on what is revealed in the Bible, disregarding any religious teaching which is not found in its pages. Whenever people have followed this course, a striking unity of thought has emerged on all the essential teachings of the original Christian message.
Biblical Christianity
Other articles on this website endeavour to set out what the Bible really teaches (as opposed to standard church teaching).
True Biblical Christianity can be summarised as:
- A belief that God is One; there is no trinity
- The Spirit of God is His power by which He created all things
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour who died as a representative of mankind so they can obtain salvation
- Jesus Christ will literally return from heaven to establish the Kingdom of God and rule the world for one thousand years
- The Kingdom of God existed on earth before as the Kingdom of Israel; it will be re-established at Christ’s return but will extend over the whole world
- Jesus Christ will raise the dead and reward the righteous at his return with places in this literal Kingdom; there is no immortal soul which receives prior reward
- At the end of Jesus’ reign, sin and death will be no more; Jesus will then hand the Kingdom to God
- Salvation is dependent on belief in the Gospel (the good news and glad tidings of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ), and baptism by full immersion in water
Conditions prior to Jesus’ return
Jesus warned that just prior to his return, faithfulness to his teaching would markedly decline:
“When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8).
So as to be ready for Christ’s reappearing, it is necessary to read the Bible with an open mind, checking the original languages in which it was written in order to determine correct meaning and context. This method will avoid translation errors which may be coloured by orthodox beliefs and enable the Bible’s message to be clearly seen.