The Apostolic Age – (The Ministry of the Apostles 1st Century)

§  The Oneness of God

§  Baptism in Jesus Name

§  Holy Ghost Baptism with speaking in tongues

§  (Acts 2:38, 8, 10, 19)

From The Book “A History of Christian Doctrine Vol.1” by David K Bernard

Ebionites

§  Jewish Group – Oneness Teaching seems to be intact in their group

§  Baptism in Jesus Name – Didn’t change the baptismal formula

§  Holy Ghost Baptism with speaking in tongues seem to continue in their time

§  This is the early writings of Paul that warn against “Judiazers” and “law-keepers” the following text address the spirit of this group:

Romans 10 - (v4 –“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.”)  Also the verses 9-14 which are addressing the Jewish converts to Christianity reminding them that they no longer needed the law of Moses after being baptized in Jesus Name and filled with the Holy Ghost, but to continue in faith of their confession of the Lord Jesus and believing in their heart in the resurrection.”)

Galatians 3:1-3

§  (1)  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

§  (2)  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

§  (3)  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

Titus 1:10-14

§  (10)  For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

§  (11)  Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

§  (12)  One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

§  (13)  This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith;

§  (14)  Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

 

Gnosticism

§  Gnosticism originated in paganism as a combination of Oriental religion and Greek philosophy. The result was a form of mystical philosophy that was supposed to bring salvation. (David K Bernard p 33)

§  The Gnostics received their name from the Greek word gnosis, which means “knowledge.” (David K. Bernard p 34)

§  The Gnostics held that, while a person could experience salvation by faith, the true way of salvation was by supernatural knowledge. This saving knowledge did not come through study of the Scriptures but through

divine, mystical revelation, an idea similar to the concept of enlightenment as taught by some Eastern religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism.

 

Marcion

§  The basis of Marcion’s theology was a belief in two deities—the Creator, or Demiurge, and the Redeemer. The Creator is evil and the one who inspired the Old Testament, which Marcion rejected. The Redeemer is good and the only God Christians should worship. He came to this world as Jesus Christ. He did not truly come in the flesh, however, for Christ was a spirit being only. Here we see Gnostic dualism and docetism mixed with biblical concepts about the oneness of God and the full deity of Christ.

§  Marcion accepted as Scripture only ten of the Pauline Epistles and a mutilated version of the Gospel of Luke. He rejected the rest of the New Testament because of quotations from the Old Testament and contradictions to his doctrine.

§  Marcion taught that salvation is by faith in Jesus Christ, and his followers practiced water baptism “in the name of Jesus Christ.”1 Here too we see echoes of biblical teaching.

§  On the whole, though, Marcion’s doctrine was not scriptural but heretical.

§  The Marcionites broke away from the mainstream church around 144.

§  Their emphasis on the supreme deity of Christ and their baptismal formula were not points of contention, however.

§  Evidently, at this date the church as a whole still taught that Jesus was fully God (rather than a second person) and practiced Jesus Name baptism as in the Book of Acts and in the first century.

(All from David K Bernard – page 38,39)

 

Montanism

§  They were expelled from the institutional church around 177.

§  No deviation from the Salvation message of Acts, specifically endorsed speaking in tongues as the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

§  Embraced strict holiness of life.

§  Tertullian converted to Montanist

§  Severe error of Montanus is claiming to be the Parcelete of John 14.

§  Stressed the priesthood of all believers, over adjusting the authority of laity over the clergy.

§  Believed Montanus to be the last great prophet before the end of the world.

§  Absolutely were Modalist believers, did not accept the trinity doctrine, although may have been influenced by Tertullian’s teaching, but the trinity doctrine was not fully develop by this time, but some of the group went into teachings of the early deviations of trinitarian teaching.