Christian HistoryWe will also examine how modern Christian theology evolved and eventually perverted Apostolic Biblical truth. The Apostle Paul, just before he was martyred wrote that this would happen,
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 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 4:2-4). and Jesus made it abundantly clear what would happen to those who turn "their ears from the truth" when He was talking to His disciples about the Pharisees,
Pivotal to understanding Christian history is understanding the dual nature of Christ and the implications of misunderstanding this truth by traditional religion. Traditional theology teaches that Jesus is "the Son" in a "trinity of persons", that have the titles, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. In Jesus Christ is the Fullness of the Godhead you will learn that Jesus was fully man and fully God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. After this revelation, you will understand what the Apostle Paul meant when he said,
That, in fact, Jesus Christ is not part of the Godhead, one of three persons in a trinity, but is the only person in the Godhead and all three titles of the Godhead, that is, the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost are applicable to our Lord and Savior.
First Century Apostolic Christian HistoryTo understand Christian history, it is necessary to examine what Christ preached and taught and how the Apostles carried out these instructions in the first century, AD. Jesus taught that to see Heaven, one must be “born again”,
Jesus gave the Apostle Peter “the keys to the Kingdom” (Matthew 16:19). So Peter preached the first sermon to the church, the “body of Christ” on the day of Pentecost. Out of that sermon, three thousand lost souls were born again. For a full discussion of these apostolic teachings, which will lay the foundation for this discussion on Christian history, follow the link to Apostolic Christian Doctrine. Post Apostolic Christian HistoryWith this knowledge and wisdom of Biblical truth, it is obvious that being born again means that one must obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ through:
1. Repentance, and living a repentant lifestyle. 2. Being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. 3. Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance. Keeping this Biblical truth in mind, we will look at the Christian doctrine that was taught from the death of the Apostle Paul in 69 AD over the next few hundred years by following the link to Post-Apostolic Christian History. The discussion on "Post-Apostolic Christian History", can be summarized as follows:
1. At the end of the second century lost souls were still being baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ" and those receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost spoke in "other tongues", which means repentance and living a repentant lifestyle was still being preached at that time.
2. In the third century, Tertullian declared that there was no reason why the Unity of God in one person could not be the Trinity of God in three persons. He made "the Son" inferior to "the Father" and "the Holy Spirit" inferior to both the Father and the Son. Tertullian also removed Jesus' name from the baptismal formula, thus beginning the tradition of baptizing according to Matthew 28:19, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost".
3. In the fourth century Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, taught that God and Jesus Christ were one substance, using the Greek word "homoousios" to describe this sameness of Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. At the same time though, he also maintained that each is a different person. Even though the concept of "homoosious" is not Biblical, it became the cornerstone of the Trinity doctrine that was formalized in the Nicene Treaty of 325 AD at the Council of Nicea and later modified at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD. 4. By the end of the fourth century, the Trinitarian method of baptizing "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" and the sprinkling or pouring water over the lost soul became the standard formula that is used today by the non-Apostolic Christian denominational world. Also by the end of the fourth century there is little evidence in Christian history of the fifth century that God continued pouring out His Spirit as the presumably saved person did not "speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance".
Sacraments and Traditions of CatholicismThus the stage had been set for the rise of Catholicism around the world. Tertullian's declaration that there was no reason why the "Unity of God in one person could not be the Trinity of God in three persons" led the religious leaders of the times into a fundamental shift from the truth of the Holy Bible. The word "trinity" was never used by the Apostles as they knew their Lord and Savior was the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Nevertheless this man made theology became the main tenant of Catholicism. For a discussion of Catholic theology follow the link to Sacraments and Traditions of Catholicism.
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