The Truth of True Christianity!

Seeking the Truth of Christianity in the Midst of Religious Confusion

If you are like me, often you have heard people say that they totally reject everything to do with Christianity since there are hypocrites in the church. Or they cite the despicable history of the so-called “Christian Church” and condemn such evils as the Catholic Crusades or the Inquisition of the Middle Ages (or “Dark Ages”). They may also say that more wars have been fought by professing “Christian” people than by non-Christian people (forgetting that most wars and killings have been promoted either by false Christianity or by atheists)! Finally, they may say that it is easy to see that contemporary Christianity greatly differs from the early followers of Christ! Some of this is indeed true, thus it must openly be renounced by true Christians. In fact, true Christians will be the first to admit that professing (not genuine) Christians have committed deplorable things in the name of Christ!

It seems that often I have heard people put down true Christianity by citing false testimony. Although many different arguments may be leveled against the truth (such as evolution, Scripture, churchianity, Protestantism, etc.), one of the chief ones relates to the confused state of the religious world.

We know that even this charge can be perplexing; let me explain what I mean. Someone may say that Christianity cannot be true because there are so many counterfeits in the world. A person may say that we cannot really know what Christianity is because of the past 2,000 years. Or non-Christians may say that Christianity is not true because what we think of as Christianity has been responsible for so many unchristian things. Or they may say that Christ cannot be proven or established as factual, thus Christianity that purports to follow Christ cannot be correct. Some may also say that there are too many discrepancies between “Christianity” as we know it today and the genuine “Christianity” that is described in the New Testament. Thus, this discrepancy “proves” that present-day Christianity is false. At least, this is what is set forth as a major reason for rejecting Christianity.

If you are like me, you may have traveled in foreign countries or in your own country and examined the various churches. You may have walked in the front, perhaps at a time when most people were gone, and you looked around. Suppose you walked up the aisle to the front, as I’ve done. Continue examining things with me. On one side is an image or statue of what someone thought was Mary. Let’s keep in mind that Mary is now dead. She had at least seven and probably more children (cf. Matthew 13:;55-56). And the last time she is clearly referred to in Scripture is Acts 1:14. Thus, the depiction of Mary in this church is totally wrong!

As we continue to look and examine, on the other side is an image of Joseph. No one knows what Joseph looked like or how old he was. And also remember that it is wrong (sinful) to make images that people may use to worship (Exodus 20:4-7). Jesus strongly warned against this (Matthew 4:10). Then we may find other images of imaginary people scattered around the sanctuary. We may find a “missal” in the pews to aid the worshipers. We may find an altar in the front, even when Scripture is clear that a building for worship is not permitted (cf. Acts 7:48). We may also find an assortment of crosses and other religious paraphernalia. Of course, all of this is wrong.

Can you see how a truth-seeking visitor may be totally “turned off” by these sights? He may know enough to realize that this has nothing to do with New Testament Christianity, thus he may conclude that people just are misled, confused, and not to be trusted! How wrong! How wrong it is for a church to set up these idolatrous items and claim that this is Christianity. You and I know that it is not. It is paganism and must be rejected! When the visitor has contact with the priest or other leaders, he may hear an emphasis on contributing to the church which, again, is totally wrong (cf. 2 Corinthians 8-9). These are the kind of things that totally turn off a person who is seeking truth today in the churches of Christendom.

If you were a person disposed to Christianity but you began to think about life in general, what would you find? You would observe the great differences between what now exists under the label of Christianity and what was considered Christianity as found in the Word of God. This divergence would totally “turn off” people. I’ve heard people say that today’s Christianity cannot be true because of the Crusades, the Inquisition, the bitterness and fighting between denominations and sects within the movement. They (wrongly) say that more blood has been spilled from Christians fighting Christians than from all of the wars waged by non-Christians. (Of course, this is totally wrong since history tells us that far more wars have been fought by atheists, pagans, and false “Christians” than anyone else.) Thus we must admit that most people are totally wrong in their false assessment of history. True Christianity, composed of genuine followers of Christ, is far different than many would suspect!

Let’s briefly examine several of the arguments that non-Christians use to dismiss anything to do with the truth.

First, let’s discuss the difference between the “Christianity” that we know in the twenty-first century with what existed about AD 30 when Christ began his ekklesia (assembly, KJV “church”). The people of God in AD 30, 40, 50, or 60 were merely Christians of disciples of Jesus. This “ideal” body of believers (although far from perfect) followed Jesus and His ways and taught the “good news” that Jesus and the apostles promulgated. They were (or were supposed to be) “rich in good deeds” and the works that Christ commanded.

But we must not go beyond the evidence. Even at this early age, there were many false ways as described on the pages of the New Testament. Even when Jesus described the world situation at the time of the destruction of the temple (in AD 70), He said, “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will mislead many” (Matthew 24:4-5). The Lord continues, “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved” (vv. 11-13). Jesus said that there would be many false doctrines that would lead His people astray!

Remember also that Paul told the Ephesian elders: “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30). We could multiply such warnings by twenty or thirty, but the point is that even from the beginning, God warns us that His ways would be perverted, changed, even destroyed. This is exactly what happened. Are we all keenly aware of these dangers and do we earnestly avoid them?

Second, the expected “apostasy” continued to grow during the second and third centuries and beyond. Apostasy comes from the Greek apostasia, “a falling away” (Dictionary of Theological Terms, Alan Cairns). This apostasy began very early, in the first century, and is full blown in our own day, some two millennia later.

By the time of Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Justin Martyr, Barnabas, Hermas, Polycarp, Hippolytus, and other writers (of the second and third centuries), we do find a massive “falling away” from the faith of the Lord! Let’s not forget that Gnosticism became widespread in the second and third centuries. Yet the “general” or “catholic” church continued, accumulating one false doctrine after another, one false way after another, until what is called “Christianity” in AD 300 was far different from what existed nearly two hundred years earlier—at the time of Christ in AD 30. We must not conclude that the Christianity that we know of the AD 300 church is the same as what Jesus and the apostles taught!

Third, by the time of Constantine (about AD 313 and especially the time of Nicaea of AD 325), we find an entirely different “Christianity.” Especially this was true during the 300s up until AD 400. It did go by the term Christianity and especially (by this time) it went by the term “Catholic” (meaning general or universal), but this was far different from what Jesus directed, planned, or wanted. Christianity became popular. With Constantine’s acceptance of Christianity as Christ’s way and with this being made legal and popular, it became a much more acceptable religion and people flocked into this compromised religion. But the whole nature of Christianity was radically changed! The “Christianity” was replete with many false teachings, false practices, and false ways.

Fourth, by AD 400 there were people called Christians but very few true Christians. We have reason to believe that genuine Christianity was confined to unseen places, the mountains, and the deserts. Thus, during the proverbial “dark ages” there were pockets of true believers scattered here and there in the “civilized” world, but they were not what most people would call Christianity. In fact, the established church persecuted these non-conformists as being heretics. Indeed, these persecutors were “heretics” so far as the apostate popular Christianity was concerned. If any person or group did rise up with a genuine walk with the Lord, they were maltreated, persecuted, denounced, and often put to death. In this way, thousands were slain. Thus, they were virtually erased from history.

Fifth, perhaps many of us know about the Reformation that arose in the sixteenth century, led by Martin Luther, Huldreich Zwingli, John Calvin, and others. It is true that these men led people to leave the Catholic Church and they began Protestant Churches.  They “protested” the false and apostate “Catholic” Church (hence, they were called “Protestants”). This continued for the following 500 years until the present but, sadly, their work did not go far enough. Many false teachings and false practices continued unabated. Today, it would seem that the entire Protestant world of thousands of denominations, churches, and sects are inundated with multiple false ways that have corrupted the whole movement!

When honest-hearted people seek to learn the ways of God and discover the mass of false ways, they might well conclude that either the world of Catholicism, or Anglicanism, or Orthodoxy, or Protestantism, or one of the cults represent the ways of God themselves. They may read the Bible and determine that God’s ways are the way to go. However, when they compare what Scripture teaches with what they find in the various expressions of so-called “churchianity,” they become disappointed or even overwhelmed with total defeat. They may conclude that seeking the truth amidst churchianity is an impossible task.

These “seekers” may not even go this far. Perhaps they have been corrupted themselves! They have probably been exposed to the evil and false theory of evolution, then discover that much of Catholicism and Protestantism is contaminated with this falseness, thus they may just give up in disgust! Or they learn that the early Christians believed and sought to follow the Bible as the true Word of God, then learn that modern churchianity has largely dismissed the Scriptures as the inspired, inerrant, authoritative Word of God. Thus, they may just “throw the baby out with the bathwater” and reject the Bible as true and right. They may observe the organization and ecclesiology of contemporary churchianity and compare this with the early body of Christ and see the huge discrepancy between the two. Additionally, they may examine the lifestyle of people enmeshed in Catholicism, Protestantism, or Orthodoxy and see the wide discrepancy that exists in this realm between the Scriptures and churchianity—and what do they do? They may dismiss all of it—which may lead to their eternal condemnation! As Scripture says, “They did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved” (2 Thessalonians 2:10).

We are faced with another of Satan’s ploys that will destroy any hope of salvation on the part of these seekers. When we read source books that say there are over two billion “Christians” in the world, but we know that these are very different from true New Testament Christianity, many seekers will give up and assume that no one really is seeking God’s will in life and in churchianity. By this means, people who have been “brainwashed” by false ways (such as secularism, evolutionism, relativism, pluralism, denominationalism, and churchianity in general) go their way unreached and unsaved.

These people may decide to go with certain false ways that purport to be expressions of Christianity, but they are deceived by Satan, the enemy of our soul. Thus, some may cast their lot with one of these false denominations, sects, or cults, then live and die in these false ways. Or they cast all of this aside and give up on their seeking for truth. They may therefore decide to join the anti-Christian views of evolutionism, denominationalism, or churchianity, and fall into false religion or anti-religion. This may be what certain cults such as the Mormons, the Adventists, the Witnesses, the Way International, and similar groups grow and brainwash their followers. How sad!

There are thousands (or millions) of people who are deceived by all of this and have given up on their quest for truth. Many are the people who have seen the icons of Orthodoxy, or the images of Catholicism, or the denominationalism of Protestantism, and conclude that these are part of modern Christianity. But they know that true Christianity has no part in this false foolishness, thus they give up in disgust. Or they see the abuses of Christianity when they see such false ways as the “prosperity gospel” or traditionalism or denominationalism or any one of a hundred different false ways. But they realize that these elements in churchianity are counterfeit and very different from the teachings and ways of New Testament Christian. What shall they do—join some false way, or give up on the entire “Christian” way, or be conformed to the false Christianity around them? It is a very sad and a very serious decision! Many have fallen into these traps and become deceived by these ways.

What about you? Do you see the huge disparity between the way of Christ of the first century and modern churchianity of today? And, now, do you wonder what to do? Are you totally confused and ready to throw it all out? Have you given up on your quest so that you are no longer a seeker for Christian truth?

True Christianity differs markedly from what is passed off as “Christianity” today.  Let me describe a certain super church, a historic church—the Catholic Church—today.  This church (led by the so-called “Pope”) claims that they can trace their ancestry back to the apostles. Through “apostolic succession,” they say that their hierarchy today have come from churches that are identical to what they were years ago. They claim that previous generations have passed on their ways to those after them. In this way, they think that these men can trace their positions back to the original apostles of Christ. But consider whether this is rational (besides the false understanding of the “keys” in Matthew 16:16-19).

If you knew what a certain animal looked like 2,000 years ago and then compared this with a certain animal today, does this “likeness” between the two necessarily mean descent from the first animal? Further, for those who say they can trace their positions of authority back to the apostles, consider an animal 2,000 years ago and an animal of today. Suppose that this animal has a prehensile tail, four legs, and eats bananas. Does this necessarily mean that an animal today with a prehensile tail, four legs, and a diet of bananas is the same kind of animal? Could it be that these two animals are actually different kinds of animals even though both the monkey and the opossum have such tails, have four legs, and enjoy bananas? Similarly, could it be that the Catholic Church has certain traits that are similar to the Anglicans, the Lutherans, and the Orthodox—even though there are great differences as well?

There are dozens of differences between the contemporary Catholic Church and the apostolic Church of 1,900 or 2,000 years ago! Even if the Catholic Church can trace its ancestry across the generations during the past 2,000 years ago, how do we explain these massive changes that we see today? Even the so-called Pope is far, far different from the humble fisherman named Peter who made his living fishing in the Sea of Galilee when Jesus lived on earth. We must conclude that the apostate Catholic Church (with massive false teachings) of today is not the same body of believers as existed 2,000 ago in Jerusalem!

If any of this describes you, we urge you to read your Bible as never before! Especially we encourage you to read the New Testament (the last 1/4 of the Bible, from the Gospels to Revelation) and receive a thorough and accurate picture of what God wants in His Christian movement! Then read what you find on our website or in our booklets:  www.Truediscipleship.com. Use the Search feature to hunt articles that will help you to understand God’s will and then pursue truth with all of your heart. You may find articles such as the following helpful as you peruse the website:

Shipwreck to Salvation

How were the Early Assemblies of Christ Organized?

What God Wants in the Assembly of Christ

Christians Only. Is it Possible?

The Simplicity of God’s Organization

Come Out and Come Together

May God bless you in your studies and in your seeking of the truth. Remember that religious confusion is not God’s will (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:33). Truth is what God desires!