Church History
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us . . . ”
Hebrews 12:1
There is a sentiment I’ve heard expressed in my years in church that goes something like this: “I don’t want theology, I just want Jesus.” There is nothing greater to want than Jesus. We are saved from our sins by faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus should be the sole focus of our desire. But I’ve done something in what I just said. Did you catch it? I’ve introduced theology into the conversation. Usually that is exactly what the person who expresses the desire for Jesus alone is hoping to avoid. But theology is just the study of God. It’s essential for those who “just want Jesus,” because we can’t know who Jesus is without it.
God has preserved His Word for us in the Bible. In it He tells us everything we need to know about Him. So, you may wonder, why should we study church history if it’s outside of the Bible?
Well, first of all, when you come to our Church History portion of our Christian Essentials Class, you’re going to need your Bible! Don’t leave it at home thinking we’re not going to be in it. The history recorded in scripture finishes around the decade of 60 A.D. But God did not stop working, and the church did not stop growing. We have a great cloud of witnesses in church history that we can look to for encouragement. I certainly am encouraged by the stories of Abraham, David, and my namesake. I am also encouraged in my Christian walk by the stories of Martin Luther, Athanasius, and John Newton, just as I am encouraged by Heath and Chris and a number of Christians I know today.
Hearing how great saints have persevered in their faith before me encourages me to do likewise. Some of them experienced unimaginable trials. I’m sure they remembered well Christ’s promise to the church in Matthew 24:9: “ . . . they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.” The people in the history of the church could expect persecution, and they received it. It is helpful for us to see how—the manner in which—they endured it. Where, we should ask, did they get their courage? What did they do with their fear? What motivated them to persevere even to death?
But Christians throughout history didn’t just need a solid understanding of the truth of scripture to remain faithful through persecution from the world. They also needed it within the church. In our class, we will see how Christians in other eras used scripture to answer questions and address conflicts and concerns that arose from within the church. We need to be able to do likewise. So, for example, John 3:16 tells us that God sent His “only begotten Son.” Well, suppose somebody came along and said, “’Begotten’ means that Jesus didn’t exist before He was born. And the fact that He’s God’s only begotten Son means that Jesus is not equally God, but rather is inferior to the Father.” We need to be able to respond, and we need to be able to do so from scripture. We might very well go to Colossians 2:9 “For in Him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” or to John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
And, as it happens, this actually did happen! Very early in the life of the church, confusion over this teaching became a huge problem! Earnest Christians wrestled with it. The truth of scripture triumphed. Global events shifted as a result of this debate. Some great heroes (and a few anti-heroes) in history were involved. All this will just be Week One of our class, and that was just one of many issues that the early church dealt with!
I encourage you to join us as we learn about what God has done in His church, as we see the many who have gone before us who were captivated by “just wanting Jesus,” and as we see how they gained Him through His word.
