Church History

I grew up hearing the successful stories of churches in the western history. I was told that God helped the so-called Christian nations, and they are rich and successful and that many in the world now serves God. I was prompted to go out and preach the good news to those who do not believe in God.

Now I know these stories are very biased and made up by men. (There is a church history book written by Philip Schaff. I would not recommend it because his understandings are strange.) There is not a single church history book that explains history from God’s point of view.

Church history is full of false teachers. In the 3^rd century, there were already false teachers in the leadership. Paul of Samosata and Sabellius of Alexandria were heretics. The church history is about people against God and God against people. Throughout the church history, many false teachers tried to please men and used Christianity for their reputation and wealth. However, God was merciful and made it sure the good news was preached to His poor elect people. True Christians are often under persecutions as we see in the life of Athanasius. Church history is full of the dominant false believers persecuting the true believers.

This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. (Gal 2:4)

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. (2 Tim 4:16-17)

God still fulfils His prophecies through His saints (Rev 19:10). As no prophet can die outside Jerusalem (Luke 13:33), even now saints die in the church. Zwingli, who was the forerunner of the two reformers (Luther and Calvin), also died under a tree (symbolically a church). These days saints are not burnt at stake but are killed mentally by false believers. The temptations are more severe. Visible churches have become uninhabitable places for saints.

Creeds and Confessions

The most important knowledge of God is in the Trinity and the two natures of Christ. Eastern Orthodox church is not an orthodox church because of their understanding of the Holy Spirit. And all non-Trinitarian churches are not orthodox. My understanding is that God appointed the Roman Catholic church and the Protestant church as two systems to preach and teach His words. Now both systems have failed, and we are about to face the new system.

The trinity and the two natures of Christ are written in the three ecumenical creeds: the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed and the Athanasian Creed. God gave us the Bible so that we may know Him and gave His appointed people in churches on the earth to write creeds and confessions. The visible churches’ tasks are always to teach and learn more about God. Not all of what they wrote are acceptable. But some stood the test of time, and we have three ecumenical creeds and the three forms of unity (and the Westminster Confession of Faith). They are helpful in teaching new believers.

The invisible church is under constant attacks. And it is God’s will that people learn and equip themselves with the right knowledge to stand through the visible church system. At the end, what the visible church confesses publicly is what the invisible church believes. However, that does not mean some punch of people can call themselves an orthodox church and write whatever they want. Creeds and confessions have limitations and can be used to promote idolatry and heresy if not used properly. They are subject to criticism and can be rewritten if the yare not aligned with God’s words.

There are not many books or articles on the three Creeds. I think Calvin’s understanding of the trinity is good. You can read the Institute of the Christian Religion online for free. But it is all the better if you understand what the Creeds explain through God’s own words. My mother used to say that we should be able to explain trinity without using the word “trinity”. God’s words are not for the learned and clever in this world. They are for the unlearned and the child-like people. Many theology terms put people off. In future, teachers need to be aware of the negative impact of using theological terms such as trinity, pneumatology, eschatology, etc. People who seem to know the least of God’s words may know more than any theologians.

I am mentioning the creeds and the confessions to emphasize their importance. And I’d like to add that the Covenant Theology and the Active Obedience of Christ are against God’s words and the Creeds. They are not orthodox. God warned not to go beyond what is written (1 Cor 4:6). Yet, they believe Adam had a probation period and could obtain eternal life had he kept the commandment during the period. Those who understand the divine election know that everything happens according to God’s will.