Church fathers?

A warm salute to those of you across the world.

Surely you have heard of mans appeal to the so called church fathers to defend certain religious practices; as if the opinions of men carry more weight than the apostles themselves. Let’s take a close look.

Church Fathers, a miniature from Svyatoslav’s Miscellany (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is said that the church fathers sat under the teachings of John, Paul, Peter and James, and that their teachings were merely an extension of the truth of God.

Supposedly, the fathers taught that the church of the living God is the new Israel; they taught salvation was contingent on a mans life of good works; they taught a sinner had to be delivered into the hands of a man who could then pronounce him clean by being dipped in water; they also taught in the supreme authority of the church over the word of God.

These so called giants of the faith however, according to Paul the apostle, were but grasshoppers. Is there proof of such a statement?  Consider a particular meeting in the life and times of Paul. He called a group of leaders to him, and by direct inspiration of God himself, he told these men that from among themselves men would arise and speak perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves.

This friends, was the sad beginning of the church fathers, and the apostle told those to  ‘watch.’ The traditions of the fathers would be just that, tradition, and the practices put into place were said to be the true doctrines of the faith.

But the spirit of God has no competitors, and the church fathers were weighed in the balance and found to be wanting.

The doctrine of baptismal regeneration is pleasing to the flesh, therefore widely accepted, but Paul would have none of it, for he taught the very words of the Lord Jesus, that sinners are brought from darkness to light by faith in the Lord Jesus himself. No one is qualified to share in redemption.

Religious men dream of Israel being cast away for good, but again, let God be true, for the apostle speaks with a certain sound, that God has not cast away his people. The difference between the Jew, the Gentile, and the church of God is a doctrine so plain, it hardly needs comment to a soul who believes the word of God.

Paul reminds us that evil men and seducers would wax worse and worse. He said that many would depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.

Unfortunately, these were the very ones who sunk their teeth into those who had themselves itching ears, and presto, the poor teachings of the church fathers.

Because men would not heed to the word of God, the enemy crept in and told certain that they were now the true Jews, the new Israel, and God reminds us that they are simply the synagogue of Satan.

The god of this world desires to pervert the word of God, to blind the minds of souls, to find fault with the grace of God, and to promote every gospel BUT the gospel according to the scriptures. To do this, he uses agencies not sold out to God’s simple word.

God and his word have given ample warning that many would find comfort in everything BUT the scriptures, that men would find hope in everything but the Lord Jesus himself.

The erosion of truth was well under way during the ministry of Paul, damnable heresies would continue, and we see today that men still speak lies with hypocrisy, thus we see clearly the vision of the spirit of God through Paul that grievous wolves would come in, not sparing the flock.

It is the word of God that contains ALL that pertains to life and godliness, yes, the word of God alone.

Paul said he did not shun from proclaiming all the council of God. He kept back nothing that was profitable, as he testified to the Jews, and to the Greeks, and this word is for you too in Northern Africa, for Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and he was buried, but thanks be to God, he rose again according to the scriptures in the power of an endless life.

Look unto him, and not the church fathers.