The Apostolic (or "Apostate") Fathers of Christianity

If Satan does have ministers plying their ungodly trade in the Church (2Cor.11), then we should expect them to mix the pure water of the word with error, not merely to tell falsehoods. Otherwise, they could deceive no one. Just as the Lord warned Israel against the prophets whose prophecies came true but who afterward exposed a secret desire to lead God's sheep astray (Deut.13), so we should beware of teachers whose doctrines follow faithfully in the steps of Jesus, but who also embrace doctrines which are contrary to revealed truth. This is what we find in the teachings of the men who are called by Christians "the Apostolic (or Ante-Nicene) Fathers". Men such as St. Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, Mathetes, Justin Martyr, Iranaeus, and others which Christianity extols as its "fathers", are actually the fathers of "apostasy", and I maintain, are the very ones of whom Jesus and the real apostles gave ample and earnest warning to the church about, but to no avail.

The false teacher is profane in his spirit; he cannot discern the very great difference between what is truly of God and what is not. Then, the decisive test of a true man of God is not whether he often speaks the truth of God to the church, but whether he speaks only the truth of God to the church. That is the measure of a man sent from God to teach the church, and it is the measure we must use to judge the writings of these "fathers" of the Christian faith.

We, therefore, do not at all deny that there is truth to be found in the writings of Christianity's church fathers, for we should expect to find the truth in their writings whether they were sent from God or not. What we are searching for are the conclusive proofs of the lack of God's ordination: false doctrine, which always seeks welcome into the church's heart by first extending, with a kind smile, the gentle hand of familiar, faithful confessions of truth.

This extensive study, which will be published on the Internet for all sincere seekers to read will come in several parts, this introduction being the first. The following categories will be the principal ones used to judge these writings. With them, I have briefly summarized by what standard these men's writings will be judged:

Though the prophets and apostles referred to the hardness of the Jews' heart toward their God, there is never an attitude of hatred, sarcasm, or contempt for the Jews in any of their writings. Paul said that he was willing to be cursed by God Himself, if that would make his Jewish brothers and sisters understand what they were missing by rejecting Jesus as the Messiah (Rom.9:1-3). The animosity historically shown to the Jews by Christianity is disgraceful, unworthy of Christ, and is one of the sure earmarks of fleshly arrogance and false religion. A condescending or sarcastic attitude toward the Jews is certainly one mark of a false teacher.

The faith which Jesus created among men by the Spirit, and which Paul the apostle preached, excluded any ceremonial form. There is no ceremony in the kingdom of God. That this is contrary to the Jewish church's behavior in the book of Acts is undeniable (e.g. having certain hours for prayer (Acts 3:1), offering sacrifices at the temple (Acts 21:23-26); but that is, in fact, the point. The Jewish church continued performing ceremonies of the Law after the Spirit came. When God raised up Paul as an apostle, he sent him to the Gentiles with what Paul called "the gospel of the uncircumcision" (Gal.2:7), which excluded every religious ceremony known to man, including those of the Law of Moses.

What is extremely important for this study is this: in this matter of ceremony, Paul's gospel completely differed from Peter's (Peter's was the "gospel of the circumcision") for Jews. Fortunately, for us who are seeking to know who has heard from God and who has not, this simple fact has escaped Christianity's notice from its inception, making it easy to spot a false teacher by his practice of any ceremony whatsoever. Any man's endorsement to the church of the performance of any religious ritual is a positive indication that he is deluded; he is not from Jesus.

The government of the church is entirely directed by the Spirit; it is not of the will of man. Therefore, any endorsement of such worldly political methods, such as a congregation "voting" on its ministers, is another identifier of false teachers.

Any blatant contradiction of Scriptural truth, propagation of ungodly ideas, or twisting of the Scriptures to suit a purpose, obviously is evidence enough that a man is not sent from Jesus for the good of his people.

Christianity is at its heart a worldly political institution, using religion as it's cover. It was born in Rome's lap, and inherited that empire's control over a vast array of peoples and nations. Any entanglement in the political affairs of this life is evidence of carnal desire for power over people, and lust for authority and control over others is a mark of a false teacher.

Because of the present confusion in much of Christianity concerning the definition of salvation, I separate this issue for special treatment. Remarkably, and again apparently unnoticed by many "saved" Christians, the doctrine of their fathers contradicts their own. In the main, and to their credit, on this subject the "apostolic fathers" of Christianity taught in accordance with the doctrine of the prophets and apostles, who all steadfastly maintained that without obedience to the will of God, no one would be saved in the end. Neither the true nor false teachers in the early church knew anything of our modern century's tradition which has developed among large segments of Christians who claim to "be saved" (before the day of judgment!) merely because they have been converted. For the good of present day Christians, I will therefore point out the great difference between what their fathers taught and the present persuasion.

For the sake of those Christians who reject the notion that miracles ever really happened, or that they existed only during the time of Christ and his apostles in the Bible, I thought it would be beneficial to point out some of the references in the writings of their fathers to the presence of spiritual power in their own time. This could serve to encourage Christians who entertain doubts concerning the miraculous power of the holy Spirit to seek the kind of faith which their "fathers" possessed, but which they now deny exists!

Peter said that in proclaiming the gospel "we have not followed cunningly devised fables" (2Pet.1:16), Therefore, it is clear that any man who in his teaching employs, as factual material, heathen fables is not of God. References to the Phoenix (as used by the Christian father Clement), or to the amazing seventy day production of the Septuagint (Justin), are sure indications of a mind that cannot differentiate between the holy and the unholy; that is, a false teacher.

In some circles, the validity of faith in Christianity stands or falls principally on the doctrine of a trinity of divine persons. I have made this an issue so that Christians may see what their fathers believed concerning the Father and the Son, and the holy Spirit as well. There was no doctrine of a "trinity" expressed in most of the writings of the fathers of Christianity, principally because there is no doctrine of a trinity expressed in the Scriptures they read. Though, in their writings, we will search for elements of philosophical heathen notions which other fathers might have built on that perverted the truth concerning this issue.

We trust this study has now, and in the future parts, will enlighten those who sincerely want the truth. Are searching for it? Are you desiring to be led by the Spirit? If you would like to continue on with us in this study, take a moment to let us know. Click on this LINK and in the message part of the mail, just type "tell me the truth!" You can leave your name if you want, or not, that's up to you. We want to know how many desire to find THE TRUTH about these important matters. We hope to hear from you soon and God bless you!

If this message has challenged and blessed you, we invite you to order our FREE "Gospel Tract Sampler Packet". This set of tracts and a cassette tape is completely FREE of charge, and in it you will find a multitude of scriptural references, Biblical messages, and helpful information on some of the things in this article. If you are hungry, you will be blessed. To order yours click "Order My FREE "Sampler Materials" Packet" NOW! We will rush these items to you. God bless you as you seek the truth!