What Did the Early Christians Teach? Part 1

First of all, What was their Bible? (there was no NT Cannon until forth Century) There Bible Consisted of: The Septuagint, a Greek Version of the Jewish Old Testament. AND:

The Epistles of Paul, Peter, James & John. (And the Gospel Accounts)

The Official Language of Scripture was: Common Greek. (this is ancient Greek)

Most of the Original Apostles were gone by the Year 50, except for John, who lived till 90-100 AD

From these evolved their Doctrines and Understanding of God’s Truth. They Did Not have a Systematic Theology, only a Doctrine Which is According to Godliness, as handed down to them from the Lord.

Basically their Doctrine Consisted of the following:

1)       Jesus as a Teacher of Righteousness, Setting an Example to follow after

2)       The Ransom Model, in that Christ Rescued us from the corrupting influence of sin

3)       Reconciliation to God through Repentance Proven by Deeds. Sin had to STOP!

4)       Faith Working by Love, Actively Obeying God

5)       Contending earnestly for the faith to keep it Pure

Presently Christian Doctrine Does not Resemble the Primitive Model:

1)       Substitution  (Jesus took our place, suffered our Penalty, Became Sin & went to Hell)

2)       Moral Transfer  (imputed Righteousness)

3)       Pre-forgiveness of future sins

4)       Rewards System

5)       Eternal Security  (No further condemnation for ongoing sins)

The Ransom Model: (Matt20:28, Mk10:45, 1Tim2:6)

For the first 1000 years of the Church the Death of Christ was a RANSOM to Purchase His People from the Corrupting influence of sin. To which they had been Sold into, (the Power of sin & Death) by Adam.

Thus forgiveness can be granted without a Payment or Penalty. (Matt18) On Virtue of Christ’s Death (Blood, Heb9:14) that Purchased us from the Dominion of Satan (god of this age) ON CONDITION that we Repent, (Get Clear of our wrong doings! 2Cor7:10-11) and Seek the Mercy of God in Reconciliation. The Early Saints understood that Man had Sold himself into sin (slave to whom you obey!) Satan’s Kingdom, and had to be Redeemed by the Blood of Christ to Cleanse them & Make their hearts PURE. This was accomplished through the Reconciliation. (2Cor5) 

NO ONE Taught or Believed:

1)       That any kind of Moral Transfer of Virtue or Vice had Taken place

2)       Or that Christ’s Death was any kind of Substitution

3)       Or that future sins were automatically forgiven

The Fathers saw man as Subject to Death & Temptation of Satan, But NEVER as inheriting Adam’s Sin & Guilt. Man possessed a Free Will capable of Seeking & Obeying God without coercion. (Grace was Divine Influence extended to all) Sin was ALWAYS a CHOICE, Never a SUBSTANCE, inbred into the flesh.

Until Augustine, 4the Century Rome, No one suggested such a thing, because it was Gnosticism!

ONLY the Gnostics taught the DUAL Nature of Man. Never the Christians! Today this is Reversed!

This ONE False Doctrine has Predicated all the Others:

1)       Man Can’t Obey God, so Jesus Obeyed for him!

2)       Man can Never be Righteous, so God Transfers it to him

3)       Man can Never Stop sinning, so his Future sins must be Covered

4)       Justification is a One Time Deal, for all time, a Complete Package!

5)       Salvation is accomplished by: Receiving, Trusting and Resting in all this.

The COMPLETE OPPOSITE of Bible Doctrine & Early Church Teaching. No Doers, Just Hearers!

For Review:

The Major Difference between Penal Substitution (taught today) and Ransom is:

One Deals with Divine Justice (PS) and the other with Deliverance from sin & Bondage of Devil.

Penal Sub calls for Retribution, Satisfaction of God’s Wrath by Punishment. Moral Gov denies need for Public Justice, thus the Good of God’s Gov is upheld and man is influenced toward Repentance by His Great Love. BOTH call for a SUBSITUTION which is Absent in Early Times because the Aim of Ransom is to FREE man from Bondage of Sin, NOT provide him with a Sub for his sins.

Ransom in the Scriptures:   (What the Early Saints were seeing as Redemption from Sin)

I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Hos13:14

just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many Matt20:28

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark10:45

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 1Tim2;5

Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. Acts20:28

Being Justified freely by His Grace through the Release by Ransom that is in Christ Jesus Rom3:24

Redemption: Apolytrōsis: releasing effected by payment of ransom, redemption, deliverance, liberation procured by the payment of a ransom. Translated: 9-Redemption, 1-Deliverance

Rom8:23, 1Cor1:30, Eph1:7, 14, 4:30, Col1:14, Heb9:14, 11L35

 

Ransom: Lytron: the price for redeeming, ransom, paid for slaves, captives, for the ransom of life, to liberate many from misery and the penalty of their sins. Used: Mk, Matt

1Tim2 Passage: antilytron, what is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption, ransom

The Teaching of Imputed Righteousness:

the Father embraces us in Christ when he clothes us with the innocence of Christ, and accepts it as ours, so that in consideration of it he regards us as holy, pure, and innocent ... Provided with this righteousness, we constantly obtain the remission of sins through faith. Our imperfection and impurity, covered with this purity, are not imputed, but are as it were buried, so as not to come under judgment ..." - Calvin, Institutes, Book III, chap. 14, #12.

To declare that we are deemed righteous, solely because the obedience of Christ is imputed to us as if it were our own, is just to place our righteousness in the obedience of Christ.

The imputation of righteousness we need very much, because we are far from perfect. As long as we have this body, sin will dwell in our flesh. Then, too, we sometimes drive away the holy spirit; we fall into sin, like Peter, David, and other holy men. Nevertheless we may always take recourse to this fact, that our sins are covered, and that God will not lay them to our charge. Sin is not held against us for Christ's sake." -- Martin Luther: August 1st, 1521