Thoughts

Many Christians find that their own capacity to read and decipher the Bible is sufficient. This isn’t necessarily a bad position, but it certainly can be dangerous. The Bible itself is sufficient to provide everything we need to know about what God has revealed about Himself and the world. However, individuals are fallible and prone to make mistakes when interpreting Scripture.

We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. Why study the writings of theologians, pastors, and teachers? Why study history and church history? In order to challenge a unknowingly defective view we hold, we should lean on those who’ve been proven to be most in line with God’s Word. As we study the Bible and glean insights from the Church Fathers, Reformers, and Modern Thinkers, we must take care not to recreate old errors and/or develop new ones.

The early Christians prior to 500AD had very little to guide them. Other than the writings of the Old Testament and the letters written by Paul, Clement, Justin Martyr, etc. there was little guidance on worship, no specific creeds to outline Christian faith and beliefs, etc. It wasn’t until Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire did this change. Christianity spread like wildfire all over the Empire from the Latin-speaking West to the Greek-speaking East. As the Christian church became primarily filled with Gentiles, many brought pagan and idolatrous ideas with them.

The early Fathers were Roman and Greek whose challenge was to present the Christian faith to their contemporaries in light of Greek philosophy. In some ways the ideas found in Christianity fit the philosophy but it many ways it was radically opposed. Although the process of transformation rooted out most of the Greek thought contrary to Biblical Christianity, it was not totally unaffected by it. Thankfully we serve a living God that preserves His revelation through such trying times in the hands of flawed men.

Born out of the transformation came divisions in thought such as Gnosticism, Montanism, Docetism, Arianism, etc. Many of the early Fathers and their prodigy wrestled with these positions. Some were found heretical, denounced and/or excommunicated. In response gatherings were held, such as the First Ecumenical Council, Council of Constantinople, and the Council of Nicea, to debate such topics and to develop a biblical response. The Council that developed the Nicene Creed, for example, took aim at Arianism among others. Many great thinkers contributed to understanding biblical teachings such as the Trinity and the nature of Christ.

One of the greatest theologians since the apostles, Augustine, would have a profound influence on Christian thought. Not only during his time but later during the Middle Ages and the Reformation. B.B Warfield said of the Reformation that it was “the ultimate triumph of Augustine’s doctrine of grace…”. Augustine was the first to develop the idea of the ‘invisible church’, the idea that true followers of Christ can be found without boundaries known only to God. But more influential was his doctrine of grace.

Augustine was most prominently known for his opposition to the ideas of Pelagianism. Pelagius, a monk, believed that man had the ability within themselves to be like Christ. Pelagius taught that sin was not inevitable, and with no more help from God than instruction and Jesus’ example, a man could remain sinless. Augustine, in his studies to oppose this heresy, came to a deeper biblical understanding of God’s grace and salvation of men.

The pinnacle statement that came out of gradual development of addressing issues of God was the Apostles’ Creed. Although it has never been in general use in the Eastern Church, it has been widely accepted amongst Protestant and Roman Catholics. Today’s version dates from about the 6th or 7th century.

The period of church history during Middle Ages is often neglected. However, it must be taken seriously as an important contributor to Christian thought. The mediaeval theologians wrestled with the problem of the relation between faith and reason. Although it was not a glorious period, there is some good insights to be gleaned from. As mentioned, Augustine’s work was influential in the writings of mediaeval teachers.

The Council of Orange set to address the ideas of Augustine in light of semi-Pelagianism which had become more prominent at the end of his life. The council came to the conclusion in favor of a form of Augustinianism which rejected semi-Pelagianism. The council denied that man takes the initiative in turning to God thus requiring grace to precede any change in the heart. However, with the emphasis on good works and God’s grace provided through baptism.

One of the greatest medieval theologians was Anselm. His most ambitious work was ‘Why God Became Man’, which aimed to answer that very question in light of God’s character, the nature of humanity, and our sin against Him. In his book he states “why did God become man, in order to save man by His death, if He could have done it some other way?…this debt was so great that, while it was man alone who owed it, none but God was able to pay it. So he who paid had to be both God and man.”

Another solid medieval writer was Bernard of Clairvaux. His theological work on ‘Grace and Free Will’ was an important contribution to Christian thought. In a time where Catholicism strayed further and further away from Augustine, he maintained that our good works are merely an outworking of God’s grace and of our free will. He claimed that although the human will is free, if left to the conditions of our fallen nature we’d only sin and by grace alone is the human will moved to do good.

The most influential theologian of the late Middle Ages was William of Ockham. He is most well known for ‘Ockham’s Razor’ or the simplest explanation is the best, but he helped pave the way for the rise in modern science and modern way of thought. He held that all true knowledge is acquired through the senses. He revived semi-Pelagianism after many had long forgotten the Council of Orange. He taught that the unbeliever can merit God’s grace by doing his very best of his own unaided works. This was further developed later by Gabriel Biel.

John Wyclif, later in his life, became a major figure in attacking the unbiblical doctrines of contemporary Roman Catholicism. He declared Scripture the final authority, exalting the Bible above the papacy. He claimed to be returning to the position of Augustine, and his disciples (Lollards) paved the way for the English Reformation. Wyclif’s work influenced men such as Jan Hus, Martin Luther, and John Calvin.

Desiderius Erasmus, a Christian Humanist, was the most famous scholar of his time. He sought to reform the church by way of studying the Bible in Hebrew and Greek, as well as a return to the early Church Fathers. He, like Martin Luther, aimed against the abuses of the contemporary church. Although he laid the foundations for the Protestant Reformation, he bowed to pressure from the pope and others, turning his attacks on Luther instead.

Martin Luther, having been trained in the ‘modern way’ by disciples of Gabriel Biel, struggled with the condemnation he felt as a failure to do good. It wasn’t until a reading of Romans that he came to understand the truth and he was freed from the idea of having to do his best before God would help him. Luther turned from his semi-Pelagian upbringing to the older view of Augustine. His writing and preaching on justification, and the nailing of his 95 thesis marks the start of the Protestant Reformation.

Luther was against the medieval idea that the sacraments bestow salvation like medicine being injected into an arm. Luther stressed the need for a living, personal faith and an understanding that we are not justified by works but faith alone. Luther, over time, arrived to the Protestant position in a distinction without separation between justification (standing before God) and sanctification (growth in holiness). We proceed to do good works not in order to win God’s approval and acceptance but because God has accepted us.

Many theologians and leaders came out of the Reformation, in agreement with Luther’s position on Justification. Ulrich Zwingli, Heinrich Bullinger, Martin Bucer, John Calvin, William Tyndale, John Knox, Menno Simons, John Wesley, are just a few of those men. These writers and teachers influenced the establishment of the Reformed Tradition, and the various Reformations (and denominations) across Europe. Out of this time came the Synod of Dort, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Westminster Confession of Faith.

The Protestant Reformation opened the doors for an endless stream of new denominations. Where groups differed on various secondary/tertiary topics such as baptism, churches formed for like-minded individuals to worship together in relative peace. The vast majority, at least in their implementation, held to a biblical view outlined in historical Creeds and Confessions. Denominations such as Mormonism (LDS) and Jehovah’s Witnesses are out of bounds in this regard, and technically are not Christian denominations.

There is much to be said about modern Christian thought, especially with the heavy influence of bizarre cultural norms. More than I care to tackle in this writing. Suffice it to say that there are still biblically faithful denominations and churches by way of a vigorous study of the Bible, reviewing church history, and reading the works of those who came before.