If we are going to properly understand how God has manifested Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we must diligently search the writings of the first century Apostles themselves to see exactly what they taught.
Like the original Christians of the first century, modern Christians who fully follow the Apostles teachings (herein referred to as “Apostolic Faith” Christians] do not use the later Catholic doctrines that were developed by the Roman Catholic Church in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. (about 400 years after the New Testament Scriptures were already written) because they have a strong conviction that some of the language and terminology within Catholic dogma contradicts the pure teaching of the Apostles and Prophets of the Bible.
Apostolic Faith Christians believe that all true followers of Jesus Christ must never add or detract from the plain Biblical teachings that have already been set forth in the Holy Writ (Revelation 22:18,19). Apostolic Faith Christians endeavor to be loyal and allegiant to God by “earnestly contending for THE FAITH that was ONCE delivered unto the saints (Jude 4).” Since that “ONE FAITH” (Ephesians 4:5) was only “ONCE” delivered to the saints by the first century apostles of Christ, it makes no sense to go outside of the Bible to search for that ONE FAITH again in the Catholic Creeds.
When Jesus commanded his disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod (Mark 8:15)” he was not speaking about bread, but of “the doctrine” and practices of the Pharisees and of King Herod.
The Pharisees were known for “MAKING THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD OF NO EFFECT BY THEIR (non-biblical) TRADITION (Matthew 15:6).” King Herod was known for using the power of the Roman Empire to control the Sanhedrin by appointing and firing the chief priests as he willed. Therefore, Jesus was warning His followers to beware of both man made traditions (outside of the scriptures) and of secular governments meddling into the affairs of the church.
The history of Christianity proves that the fourth and fifth century Roman Empire was influential in the development and implementation of the Trinitarian Athanasian Creed which has been carelessly embraced by the majority of Christians in subsequent generations.
The annals of church history proves that the doctrine of a trinity contains philosophical speculations and traditions of men which has led the majority of professing Christians into believing an erroneous (non-biblical) conceptualization of God as three divine spirit persons of an alleged trinity rather than the Biblical belief that God is One Spirit Person. No apostle or prophet of the Bible ever wrote anything about God eternally existing as three coequal and coeternal divine spirit persons of a three person deity. How then are we to believe in a doctrine that is outside of the Bible?
The apostle Paul gave us a prophetic warning (in Colossians 2:8-12) that the traditions of men and rudiments of the world would cheat professing Christians from knowing the true gospel of Christ: “Beware lest any man cheat you, through philosophy or vain deceit, after the traditions of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
For in him (Christ) dwells all of the fullness of the deity in bodily form. In whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. Buried with him (Jesus Name Baptism) in baptism, wherein also you are risen with him…” Colossians 2:8-12 Tragically, most professing Christians are being cheated from true salvation because their belief in a trinity of three divine persons has deceived them from receiving the true circumcision that puts off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. And that “circumcision made without hands” is water baptism into the Name of Jesus Christ.
Christians are commanded to be baptized (buried) “with him” (not them) “wherein also” they “are risen with him.” This means that we must be baptized (buried in water) into the Name of Jesus Christ for “the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh” in order to be spiritually “risen with him [Christ].” How can Christians be truly risen with Christ if they have not been buried with him in baptism for the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh?
There can be no other true foundation other than the foundation that was already laid by God’s holy Apostles and Prophets as set forth in scripture (Ephesians 2:20 / 1 Corinthians 3:10,11). Apostolic Faith Christians confess that we must “obey God rather than men” by following only the unadulterated teachings of the first century apostles of Christ (Acts 4:19); even if this causes us to be “cast out for His Name sake”(Isaiah 66:5) by the majority of professing Christian believers.
The apostle Paul was also called a heretic for his loyalty to the Word of God. “… After the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets.” Acts 24:14 The apostles warned all professing Christians that God would “curse” all who would pervert the gospel by adding or detracting from the purity of the first century gospel message: “… but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed(Galatians 1:8,9).”
In 1 John 4:6 the apostle John informed all professing Christians how they could know whether or not they were walking in truth or in the spirit of error: “He that knows God hears us [obeys God’s apostles], he that is not of God hears not us [obeys not God’s apostles]. Hereby know we the spirit of truth; and the spirit of error.”
Apostolic Faith Christians do not need to add to the Word of God by using the non-Biblical language of the Trinitarian Catholic Creeds to define the essence of God‘s Being because we profess that God’s holy apostles and prophets have already laid the foundation of the Christian faith as set forth in scripture.
Apostolic Faith adherents believing in the Oneness of God (herein referred to as “Oneness Theology”) confess that the scriptures themselves plainly and accurately declare the truth about the Oneness of God and the full deity and humanity of Christ. If we will hear and obey the first century teachings of the apostles, there is no need to add unscriptural creedal language to God’s Word. If the earliest Christians of the first century had no need to add to God’s Word by formulating extra-Biblical creedal language to define God then neither should we feel compelled to do so.
In spite of all of God’s warning not to add to the divine revelation (Revelation 22:18,19), Trinitarians have insisted that the unscriptural creedal language of the Catholic Church must be imposed upon all professing Christians in order to know God and to find true salvation. But how can Trinitarians call everyone heretics who refuse to accept the non- Biblical terminology of a trinity of three divine persons when the apostles and Christians of the first three centuries never knew such creedal terminology?
Trinitarians insist that all who refuse to use their non-Biblical creedal language are heretics. Yet the apostles and prophets never used the later Trinitarian terminology that was developed by the Catholic Church in the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. Anyone who reads their Bible will search in vain to find Trinitarian jargon such as, “Trinity,” “The Eternal Son,”
“The Eternally Begotten Son,” and “God in three divine persons” who are said to be “coequal and coeternal” with each other. Christians believing in Oneness Theology do not use such terminology to describe God because God’s Word never uses such language. God’s apostles and prophets have already given the church the “whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) as set forth in the Word of God’s grace which is the only rule of faith for God’s elect to inherit the Kingdom of God (Acts 20:32).
If a trinity of three divine persons were really true then why does not the Bible ever use Trinitarian terminology? And if such Trinitarian terminology was really true then this alleged Trinitarian truth should have always been true from the very inception of Christianity. Yet the original apostles and their successors never wrote anything about an alleged trinity of three coequal and coeternal divine spirit persons.
How can a trinity of three divine persons be true if the Christians of the first three centuries never taught it? For a trinity to be true it must have always been true. It is not possible for a trinity of three divine persons to suddenly become true during the fourth and fifth centuries without also being true during the first three centuries of the Christian era! Therefore the first century apostles must have had the whole truth before the Trinitarian theology was developed.
Apostolic Faith Christians who believe in the original theology of the first century apostles do not believe that the earliest Christians lacked any essential truth regarding the essence and identity of the Almighty. There can be no other alternative faith than that faith which was once delivered to the saints in the first century (Jude 4).
If we say that the earliest Christians lacked essential knowledge about God’s deity then we are in fact saying that the apostles failed to deliver the whole counsel of God to the Church of the first century A.D. However, Paul declared in Acts 20:27 that he did declare “the whole council of God” to the first century church.
All who claim that the apostles lacked essential knowledge, or failed to deliver the whole counsel of God, are in fact stating that they must preach a different gospel message than that of the original apostles. Yet the Bible clearly warns us that if we alter the original message of the apostles in any way we will bring God’s curse upon us. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the One who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel – which is really no gospel at all.
Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!
As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted(in the first century A.D.), let them be under God’s curse!” Galatians 1:6-9 NIV Christians who turn to the Roman Catholic theology of the fourth and fifth centuries are indeed accepting a different gospel other than what was preached and accepted in the first century A.D.
All who accept an altered gospel message that was not preached by the original apostles are in danger of receiving a poisoned version of a gospel that becomes “no gospel at all.” A perverted gospel is no gospel at all because an altered gospel does not spare the people who embrace it. “For I know this, that after my departing [Pauls’ death] shall grievous wolves enter in among you, NOT SPARING THE FLOCK (losing their salvation).
Also of your own selves shall men arise, SPEAKING PERVERSE THINGS [perverting the gospel by altering it] to draw away disciples after them.” Acts 20:29-30 Christians do not need to add too or alter the words of God to obtain true theology. The Bible plainly states what the theology of true Christians should be.
Colossians 2:11-12 clearly states that “in Him [In Christ] dwells all the fullness of the deity in bodily form.” Notice that this verse of scripture does not say that only one divine person of a three person deity dwells in Christ, but rather, “In Him [In Christ] dwells all the fullness of the deity.” If all of the fullness of the divine essence of God’s Personal Being dwells in Christ, then Christ must be the selfsame divine essence of the Personal Being of God the Father.
This is exactly what the Bible says in Hebrews 1:1-3: God the Father has in these last days spoken to us by His Son who is “… the brightness of His glory, and the EXPRESS IMAGE OF HIS PERSON.” The Bible never states that Jesus is another divine person apart from God the Father because Jesus is clearly the express image of God the Fathers’ Person as a man.
God’s Word is much like a jig saw puzzle. We must collect all of the scriptural data and fit each piece of the puzzle together in perfect harmony. If our theology contradicts any pieces of the puzzle, we must re-evaluate our theological position so that our words will be in harmony with the holy oracles found in the Word of God. Unfortunately, the great majority of professing Christians are unwilling to search the scriptures without resorting to intellectual and emotional bias.
Acts 17:11 informs us that the Berean Jews were called “noble” for honestly searching the scriptures daily to find the truth of God’s Word while the Thessalonian Jews did not honestly search the scriptures.
I challenge everyone who reads this book to examine all of the scriptural data with an open and honest heart. If you find that you were taught to believe in a non-Biblical teaching that was never taught by God’s holy apostles and prophets then you ought to listen to your conscience and make your calling an election sure by obeying only the Words of God rather than the words of men (Acts 5:29).
For surely it is much better to obey God rather than men, even if this means suffering persecution outside of the camp of the majority of professing Christians, bearing His reproach (Hebrews 13:13).
Jesus repeatedly warned all who were thinking about following His teachings that the majority of professing Christians would not inherit the Kingdom of God:
“Strive to enter by the narrow gate; for many shall seek to enter [the Kingdom of God], and shall not be able (Luke 13:24).” For “Straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:14).”
Jesus also warned his followers to beware of seeking the easy path to avoid persecution or to obtain worldly gain: “What shall a man profit if he gains the whole world and loses his own soul. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his own soul (Matthew 16:26)?”
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23 NIV
It is human nature to want to be accepted by the majority of our peers. Yet what shall it profit us if we embrace false doctrine just to be accepted by the majority of professing Christians but in the end we lose our own souls? And what shall it profit our families, friends, and loved ones when they trust us to lead them the right way but they end up losing their souls because they followed our disobedient example?
Do you really think you can look your children in their eyes on judgment day after you have carelessly led them to a church where they were poisoned by the false doctrines that Satan has sown rather than bringing them to a church where the pure teachings of the Word of God was taught?
Can you imagine the torment that you would experience for all eternity, knowing that you led your family into a church or denomination that did not preach and teach the whole truth of God’s Word? When we honestly seek God for the truth and nothing but the truth, we will not be afraid to stand up for that truth, even if it means being persecuted and rejected by our friends and family members. When we are painfully honest, we will realize that we are not helping our loved ones at all unless we are willing to seek God for the pure religion of the first century Apostolic Church.
If we are going to find the true faith of the original apostles then we must first choose to obey God rather than men no matter what the consequences are for embracing that truth. We must be willing to take up our crosses to follow Jesus even if it means that we are persecuted and ridiculed by the majority of professing Christianity. May God bless you as you seek to “earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered to the saints.” (Jude 4)