That's the nascent church back then. What about today?
That is an interesting descriptor used there…..”nascent” which means “something that has come into existence recently”……So the original “nascent” church back then was an offshoot from the flawed and corrupted Judaism. Many Jews refused to be corrected and stuck with their comfortable faith whilst Jesus was preaching many uncomfortable truths. It took courage to fly in the face of stiff opposition but this is indeed what the first Christians had to do.
Jesus did not come to start a new religion, what he came to do was to clean up the old one and rescue “the lost sheep” before introducing the new covenant of which he was to be mediator.
So what is the “nascent church” that came out of that first century gathering of disciples, based on the teachings of Jesus and his apostles?
An apostasy was foretold that would take Christianity down a very dark path.
I am not an apostle like Paul and John. They bear immense responsibilities for the nascent church. They had to get it right from the start.
I am not a pastor or an elder of a church. They bear responsibilities for the standing of an entire local church.
It is true that the leaders and teachers always bear greater responsibility for keeping the faith on a steady scriptural course, but if an apostasy was prophesied to come, who was going to stop it? And why would God allow the faith of his worshippers to be corrupted again?
was the “nascent church” after the end of the apostolic period the time for that apostasy to begin? What does the church’s history tell us? Jesus said…..“By their fruits you will recognize those men”…..what “fruits” have been produced down through the history of Christianity or what could be called “churchianity”. Making a comparison, we see that they are worlds apart.
A noticeable weakness through poor leadership led to a lot of dissention and arguments over what should be taught as doctrine…..but because the Bible was not a possession of all people like it is today, many things were introduced that had no business being included as if it was from God, Christ or the Bible. And the common people had no way to check the scriptures for themselves due to poverty and illiteracy….something the church took advantage of in introducing false doctrines and grafting them into ambiguous scripture.
Speaking as a simple Christian brother, I put more weight on Romans 12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Would these people inherit eternal life?
The only ones to inherit everlasting life are those who genuinely love God and show it by their diligence in the study and adherence to his word, and love for their neighbors in taking the good news of the kingdom out to them, rather than waiting in a relatively empty building, waiting for someone to wander in. (Matt 10:11-14)
Christians must be preachers, as all the first Christians were…..Jesus‘ final words to his disciples before he returned to heaven were…..
”Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you. And look! I am with you all the days until the conclusion of the system of things.”
So, having been “given” all authority from his God and Father, he instructed his disciples to take his message to “the most distant part of the earth”. (Matt 24:14; Acts 1:8)
Being “peaceable with all men” means that you would never be the reason for conflict by your ungodly conduct or speech. It doesn’t mean refraining from telling the truth, but to do so in a Christ-like manner…..inform and educate, but also use the scriptures for what they are designed for….
2 Tim 3:16-17..
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All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness,17 so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”
They should never be used as a battering ram or in a way that condemns a person…..condemn the sin, not the sinner as we are all works in progress…..emphasis on the word “progress”.
We cannot completely eliminate sin from our lives as it is inherent in all of us, but we can strive to overcome our weaknesses with the aid of God’s spirit and our heartfelt prayers.
They would if and only if they repent, same as me.
Indeed….we all have need of repentance…..it’s the only basis for forgiveness.
