The Apostasy from The First-Century Church Of Christ

CHRISTIAN-PROFESSING religions recognize and accept the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ founded a Church which His Apostles called the Church of Christ (Mt. 16:18), (Rom. 16:16), and (Acts 20:28 Lamsa Translation). Commencing as a “little flock” (Lk. 12:32) in the land of the Jews, the membership of this Church increased greatly by the preaching function of the Apostles despite the persecutions she encountered (Acts 8:1, 6:7).

But what befell this Church after she was administered by the Apostles? Was she able to remain the same pure and unblemished Church she was while under the direction of Christ and His Apostles? Did the Church built by Christ continue to remain as the true Church of Christ?

According to the view of the Catholic Church, the Church of Christ has continued without interruption to the present day, and that this particular Church is none other than the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church, they say, is that Church founded by Jesus almost two thousand years ago, and to verify their claim, they quickly point to the list of bishops of Rome who have stood at her helm as popes over the centuries, which goes all the way back to Apostle Peter whom they claim as the First Pope. This apostolic succession or unbroken line of succession of Catholic bishops of Rome or popes is alluded to by Catholic mentors and defenders to substantiate their stand that the Catholic Church is the true Church of Christ. But is this unbroken line of succession of popes sufficient proof that the Catholic Church really is the Church built by Christ?

The ideal manner of investigating this question of apostasy is through careful study of the truths recorded in the Bible and examination of historical evidences without allowing personal ideas, feelings, and opinions to influence our investigation.

THE WARNING OF THE APOSTLES

Prior to the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ into heaven and the deaths of His Apostles, they foretold or prophesied the future of the Church of Christ of the first century. Apostle Paul in his letter to Timothy stated:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, …”

(Reference: I Tim. 4:1 New King James Version, Emphasis Mine)

Paul alerted Timothy of a coming departure from the faith or apostasy. This prophecy he himself elucidated in a meeting with Church bishops at Miletus:

“The time will come when some men from your own group will tell lies to lead the believers away after them.”

(Reference: Acts 20:30, Today’s English Version, Emphasis Mine)

When Paul spoke of an approaching apostasy, he meant that the believers or disciples would be led away from the faith because they would follow the teachers of lies instead of remaining faithful and obedient to the Lord Jesus Christ. “My sheep listen to my voice,” says the Lord Jesus Christ, “I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn. 10:27, Ibid.)

Christ was the one followed and obeyed by His true disciples in the first century. Therefore, those who discontinued their obedience to Christ had departed from the faith or apostatized.

Although there would be disciples of Jesus Christ who would fall victim to apostasy, it does not necessarily mean that they would leave the Church organization. Recalling Paul’s previous statement, the disciples would apostatize because of adherence to lies taught to them (Acts 20:30, Ibid.). Upon accepting and embracing these lies or untrue doctrines, the believers’ faith would be destroyed while remaining within the organization, the Church.

“False prophets appeared in the past among the people, and in the same way false teachers will appear among you. They will bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves sudden destruction.”

(Reference: II Pt. 2:1 GNT, Emphasis Mine)

Paul pointed out to Timothy that doctrines of demons would be embraced by those who would apostatize. The sad thing about this is that these false teachers would arise from within the ranks of the Church itself as Paul pronounced at that same meeting at Miletus.

But at this juncture, Catholic authorities would quickly add that only a few members of the Church departed or fell away from the faith. Can this be the case? Were only a handful of Church members deceived and led into apostasy? According to our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, how many of His disciples would be deceived and turn away from following Him? In Matthew 24:11, this is recorded:

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.”

(Reference: NKJV, Emphasis Mine)

Not just a handful of Church members was deceived. But rather many of them were deceived and apostatized because of their adherence to the untrue doctrines of the false prophets.

When Christ and the Apostles spoke of an apostasy that would befall the first-century Church Of Christ, they were not talking about the whole membership vanishing or that the Church organization would disappear from the face of the earth. The organization continued to exist but it is no longer the unadulterated Church she was when administered by Christ and His Apostles, because she disobeyed Christ’s teachings and clung to the doctrines of demons introduced by the false prophets.

Even though the Church organization continued her existence, it cannot be concluded that she did not fall into apostasy. A good example of this truth is what transpired with the first nation of God, Israel. Although God considered them His nation with the right to serve Him, Israel turned away from God by breaking His commandments:

“Yes, all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your voice; …”

(Reference: Dan. 9:11, NKJV)

Israel departed or turned away from God and they did this by disobeying His commandments that even though the nation of Israel continued to exist as a nation, she was no longer recognized by God as His nation. She continued to be called Israel but departed from God or apostatized.

TIME OF APOSTASY

When would the apostasy begin through the infiltration into the Church of the false doctrines that were destructive to the disciples’ faith? In Acts 20:29-30 this is written:

“For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

(Reference: NKJV)

The Apostle Paul revealed that after his departure, savage wolves would come in among the Church as well as appear from within the Church itself. This departure spoken of by Paul referred to his departure whereby he would not be seen again by the brethren. He was referring to his death (Acts 20:25; II Tim. 4:6).

Therefore, the Church’s apostasy would openly begin after the death of the Apostles. Why only after the Apostles had already died could the false prophets openly carry out the deceiving and leading astray of the disciples? What kept the false prophets from leading the Church into apostasy while the Apostles were still alive? In Galatians 2:4-5 Paul explains:

“Pretending to be fellow believers, these men slipped into our group as spies, in order to find out about the freedom we have through our union with Christ Jesus. They wanted to make slaves of us, but in order to keep the truth of the gospel safe for you, we did not give in to them for a minute.”

(Reference: TEV)

Presented here with Paul’s conviction, it is not the least bit surprising that apostasy could only occur after the Apostles had passed away. For as long as they were alive, they were able to check and suppress the enemies of the faith or the false prophets from diluting the true Gospel of Christ. With the Apostles, efficient leadership of the Church, open deception of Christians was held at bay.

What happened after the Apostles finally died? Did every single member of the Church follow the teachings of the false prophets, leaving no adherents to the pure Gospel of Jesus? Did all the Christians fall victim to apostasy?

This question is very significant, because if some Christians managed to remain true to the untampered teachings of Christ and hence, not departed from the faith or fell into apostasy, then it could be asserted that the Church of Christ did not completely or entirely apostatize.

According to the prophetic proclamation made by the founder of the Christian Church, what would befall those who refused to be deceived by the false prophets? What happened to the Church of Christ members who stood firm in their convictions and stuck to the undiluted Christian doctrines? Did the false prophets just leave them alone? In Matthew 24:11, 9 Jesus foretold:

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many… Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, …”

(Reference: NKJV)

These prophetic words of Jesus are crystal clear. Many of His disciples would be deceived and led away from Him and His teachings. But those who clung to pristine Christian doctrine and at the same time rejected the lies being introduced by the false prophets, would be killed. It should not be surprising, then, that the Church which continued existing after the Apostles died, was no longer the same Church administered by the Apostles, because everyone was either deceived or murdered by savage persecution. Who were instrumental in putting faithful members of the Church of Christ to death? Who were those who had no mercy upon these Christians? In Acts 20:29 Paul continues his exposition:

“I know that after I leave, fierce wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock.”

(Reference: TEV, Emphasis Mine)

These fierce wolves or ruthless murderers of faithful Christians instrumental in the entire apostatizing and wiping out of the Church of Christ are princes:

“Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, …”

(Reference: Ezek. 22:27 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)

The fierce wolves mentioned by the Bible are the evil princes or emperors who will shed blood and destroy people. Are these emperors the only ones depicted by the Bible as fierce or ravenous wolves? In Matthew 7:15 it is recorded:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.”

(Reference: NKJV, Emphasis Mine)

Even the false prophets who would teach doctrines of demons are depicted by the Holy Scriptures as ravenous wolves. Therefore, the fierce wolves who would shed blood and kill the members of the Church of Christ are the Roman emperors, while the ravenous wolves who would bring destructive heresies into the Church and deceive many of the members are the false prophets. How can we identify and pinpoint who these false prophets are? Christ said that they are “…false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing,…”

Therefore, the false prophets and teachers can be recognized by the clothing they wear; they are in sheep’s clothing. According to the Holy Writ, Jesus Christ is introduced by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29), and a lamb is a young sheep. Considering this, we now know that these false prophets are going to imitate the clothing of Christ; they will clothe themselves with clothing similar to that worn by the Lord Jesus Christ. In a book entitled Father Smith Instructs Jackson written by a Catholic priest, John Francis Nole, this is stated on page 214:

“Father S. You have told me that you are attending Mass every Sunday, and I can well understand that you become quite puzzled over many things. You see the priest clad in strange vestments. You hear bells. You see the people alternately kneel and stand and sit down. All this confuses the convert for sometime, and makes him wonder whether he will ever be able to learn how to assist at the Mass intelligently, much less participate in it.

“Mr. J. I have observed these things and have been awaiting your explanation.

“Father S. The explanations are not difficult to understand once you realize that the priest deals directly with Almighty God and represents Christ. That is why he is clothed as he is. He wears vestments which are known as the amice, alb, cincture, stole, and chasuble. The vestments he wears are the garments of sacrifice.”

(Reference: Father Smith Instructs Jackson by Archbishop John Francis Noll, D.D., L.L.D. Revised in the Light of Vatican Council II and the Credo of the People of God by Albert J. Nevins, M.M., p .214, Emphasis Mine )

The Catholic Church claims that it can trace an unbroken line of succession to the time of the Apostles, but is it something to be proud of? No, it is not because those who would succeed the Apostles are the false prophets who would come wearing clothing imitative of Christ Jesus, bring in destructive heresies, and lead the Church of Christ into apostasy. It is a startling fact to some, but the false prophets responsible for apostatizing a great many of the disciples are the bishops of the Catholic Church.

HISTORICAL TESTIMONY

Historians can provide documented evidence concerning what happened to the Church established by Christ after the death of the Apostles. So that we can come to a fuller and objective view of what happened, we should examine history books concerning what became of the Christian Church. Did Jesus Christ and His Apostles give warnings of a coming apostasy for nothing? This is recorded in World’s Great Events, vol. II, on pages 529-530:

“At first the history of the Roman Church is identical with the history of Christian truth. But unhappily there came a time when streams of poison began to flow from the once pure fountain.”

(Reference: The world’s great events, An indexed history of the world from B.C. 4004 to A.D. 1908 By Esther Singleton, Vol. II A.D. 79―A.D. 1477 )

History bears record of the creeping into the Church of poisonous doctrines which choked the true faith out of the members. This is in conformity with the warnings made by the Apostles, that after their death, the apostasy of the Church would run free because they would no longer be around to check or restrain it. If the Church of Christ would have remained in her original unadulterated status, then it would be possible to say that the Christian Church continued to endure up to the present as the true and authentic Church of Christ. But the question is, did the Church remain the unblemished and pure Church she originally was? What kind of Church do we find after the time of the Apostles? Is it the same Church in terms of quality as the Church established by Christ in Judea? Let us consult a history book entitled The Story Of The Christian Church, on page 41:

“For fifty years after St. Paul’s life a curtain hangs over the Church, through which we strive vainly to look; and when at last it rises, about 120 A.D. with the writings of the earliest Church-fathers, we find a church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul.“

After the death of the Apostles, the Church was unable to continue in her pristine posture. Historical testimonies point out that just 50 years after the death of the Apostles, the Church was already very different from the Church established by Christ in many aspects. What are some of the doctrines not taught by Christ and His Apostles but rather taught to the Church by the false prophets or bishops of the Catholic Church?

We can make a long list of the false doctrines or destructive heresies which began to surface after the Apostles passed away, doctrines that little by little crept into the Church and which led to her being deceived, apostatized, and eventually led to the transformation of the Christian Church into the Catholic Church (see list below). Every time the Catholic Church teaches a doctrine contrary to the doctrines of God, she continues her apostasy. Therefore the Church established by Christ turned away from His teachings and became the Catholic Church.

UNSCRIPTURAL TEACHINGS OF THOSE WHO DECEIVED THE TRUE CHURCH

(Here is a short list of false doctrines introduced by those who apostatized from the Church)

The original name Church of Christ (Rom. 16:16) was changed by Ignatius of Antioch, the first person to use the name "Catholic" in reference to the Church. This is a clear manifestation that there was a departure from the true Christian doctrine to adherence to unscriptural teachings. (Rev. Bertrand Conway, The Question Box, p. 132)

Ignatius also taught that Christ is God. This contradicts Christ's own proclamation that He is a man (Jn. 8:40) and according to God, God is not man (Hos. 11:9). (Augustus H. Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 306)

The veneration or worship of relics is a direct transgression of the laws of God recorded in Exodus 20:3-5 (Conway, op. cit., p. 373)

The prohibition of marriage and the abstinence from meat (115-220 A.D.) were mentioned by Apostle Paul in I Timothy 4:1,3 as doctrines of demons that would be taught by the leaders of the apostasy. (Conway, op. cit., pp. 313, 440; The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. III, p. 484)

Confession to priests was taught during the time of Origen, 185-254 A.D. (Conway, op. cit., pp. 285-286), although the Bible says that sins against God should only be confessed to Him (Ps. 2:5; I Jn. 1:9).

Infant baptism was a teaching during the time of Irenaeus, 184 A.D. (Conway, op. cit., p. 243), and this runs counter to the teaching of Christ that the only persons qualified to receive baptism are those who have heard the preaching of the Gospel and believe in it, which an infant cannot do.

In 381 A.D. the Council of Constantinople declared that the Holy Spirit was God, a teaching neither taught by Christ nor His Apostles. (Rev. Clement H. Crock, Discourses on the Apostles' Creed, p. 206)

Prayers for the dead was taught by Cyril of Jerusalem (315-386 A.D.) (Conway, op. cit., p. 395), which is in direct opposition to the teaching of God found in Ecclesiastes 9:5-6.

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) taught that Mary, the mother of Jesus, did not commit sin. (Conway, op. cit., p. 360-361), But according to the Bible Jesus Christ is the only man who committed no sin (I Pt. 2:21-22).

Also during Augustine's time the doctrine of "original sin" arose and was taught explicitly or made official by the Council of Carthage, 418 A.D., (Conway, op. cit., p. 220). According to the Bible, sin is not inherited (I Jn. 3:4, Jm.4:17; Rom. 5:14).

MURDERING OF THE CHRISTIANS

Apostasy would not have been complete if faithful Christians remained alive. But remember that Apostle Paul foretold of fierce and savage wolves who would attack and not spare the flock, the Church of Christ. We already know that the Bible identifies the false prophets who would deceive many of the Christians as ravenous wolves who are none other than the bishops of the Catholic Church. The Bible also identifies the savage or fierce wolves who would mercilessly attack the Church as evil princes or emperors. These two, the bishops of the Catholic Church and the Roman emperors, would be the destructive forces which would bring about a complete apostasy. This is attested to by Henry H. Halley in his book entitled Halley’s Bible Handbook, on pages 761-762:

“Domitian (A.D. 95). Domitian instituted a persecution against Christians. It was short, but extremely violent…

Trajan (A.D. 98-117). Christianity was regarded as an illegal religion,… Christians were not sought out, but when accused were punished…

Marcus Aurelius (161-180). He encouraged persecution of Christians. It was cruel and barbarous, the severest since Nero. Many thousands were beheaded or thrown to wild beasts,… The tortures of the victims, endured without flinching, almost surpasses belief. Tortured from morning till night,…

Septimus Severus (193-211). This persecution was very severe,… In Alexandria ‘many martyrs were daily burned, crucified or beheaded’,…

Maximin (235-238) In this reign many prominent Christian leaders were put to death.

Decius (249-251), resolutely determined to exterminate Christianity. His persecution was coextensive with the Empire, and very violent; multitudes perished under the most cruel tortures,

Valerian (A.D. 253-260). More severe than Decius; he aimed at the utter destruction of Christianity. Many leaders were executed,…

Diocletian (A.D. 284-305). The last Imperial persecution, and the most severe,… Christians were hunted in cave and forest; they were burned, thrown to wild beasts, put to death by every torture cruelty could devise.”

Almost simultaneous with the entrance of false doctrines into the Church, the Christians encountered brutal persecution at the hands of the Roman emperors — persecution that served not only to frighten the weak in faith into accepting heresies but also resulted in the death of those who remained faithful to the pure teaching of Jesus. But this black period in the history of the Church was brought about not only by the evil Roman emperors but was even instigated and approved by the papacy itself:

“Leo I (A.D. 440-461), called by some historians the First Pope…. He proclaimed himself Lord of the Whole Church; advocated Exclusive Universal Papacy; said that Resistance to his authority was a Sure Way to Hell; advocated Death Penalty for heresy.”

It is not at all surprising that the false prophets were called by the Apostles as savage and fierce wolves, not just because they would bring in heresies that would destroy the true Christian faith, but they, in the person of the Popes or bishops of Rome, would also kill anyone who refused to accept the Catholic teachings. Thus, it is also not surprising that even today, Catholic Authorities themselves boast that the Catholic church can not be identified with the primitive Christianity of the first-century church:

“We Catholics acknowledge readily, without any shame, nay with pride, that Catholicism cannot be identified simply and wholly with primitive Christianity, nor even with the Gospel of Christ, in the same way that the great oak cannot be identified with the tiny acorn.”

(Reference: The Spirit of Catholicism, by Dr. Karl Adam… Nihil Obstat: Arthur J. Scanlan, S.T.D., Censor Lirorum; Imprimature: Patrick Cardinal Hayes, Archbishop, Pub. The Macmillan Co. 1939, p. 2)

IN CONCLUSION

1

Christ and the Apostles foretold the tragic future of the first-century Church of Christ, a single organization that adhered to the teachings and doctrines of God. After the death of the Apostles, heresies slowly but surely found their way into the Church and caused the departure of Christ’s disciples from the true Christian faith. Thus, the Catholic Church claims to be the Church founded by Christ in the first century, but this assertion is far from the truth. The Church of Christ, which was established by Jesus in the first century, is vastly different from the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church is not the true Church founded by Christ, but rather, it is the fulfillment of the prophecies mentioned in the Bible, which speak of the apostasy that would occur immediately after the death of the apostles. Therefore, the Catholic Church’s claim that they succeeded the apostles is not proof of being the true Church founded by Christ. It is, in fact, strong evidence that the Catholic Church is the apostate Church, fulfilling what the Bible prophesied — that after the death of the apostles, false teachers would rise among the ranks of bishops and distort the truth and many will be killed. Therefore, the Church Of Christ eventually became the Catholic Church — an apostatized church that adopted many corrupted and man-made teachings and unbiblical rituals over the centuries.

2

WE KINDLY EXTEND our visitors an invitation to explore the pristine, unadulterated teachings of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) as they were taught by Christ and His apostles in the first-century Church Of Christ. These teachings presented here are the path that leads to eternal life for all on that appointed day of Judgment:

Roadmap Article 2

The Birth of the Protestant Churches and Offspring of the Catholic Church

COUNTLESS PEOPLE HAVE the notion that all the established churches today belong to Christ. Others wonder why there is such a proliferation of churches that are in conflict with one another when in fact, there is only one Church established by Christ…

The Apostasy

AFTER THE DEATH of Jesus Christ and His Apostles, the Apostasy took place. Christians were hunted down, persecuted, and killed, causing the church to drift from the original teachings of Christ and His Apostles. False teachings emerged, leading to the contamination of the pure doctrine. With the Apostles no longer around to defend the truth, the Church Of Christ evolved into a different organization ( the Catholic Church), adopting many pagan rituals and deviating from the pristine gospel established by Christ. This era is known as the “Great Apostasy.”

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“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].”
(Eph. 4:29, Amplified Bible)

“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-5, Amplified Bible)