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Man-Made Tradition vs Apostolic Tradition

...that the apostles taught the believers, either “by word”, action, or by letter!There is a big difference between "man made tradition" and Apostolic tradition. The former meaning heathen or non-Christian beliefs, or those added as extra rules on top of God’s commands, and the latter being things which will help the Church grow together in Christ. The key word here is “Apostolic”.We only have a handful of the apostles letters still, which now forms our New Testament, so anything else they taught was done orally and in person to the people they discipled. These were the traditions they handed down to be observed. How can we know what else they taught?...

How many apostles are there in the New Testament?

...Often in any discussion on the gifts of the Spirit and whether they are still active today (Cessationism vs Continuationism), the topic of apostles comes up and whether the gift/office is still active today in the Church. Detractors of the Continuationist position will often quip that ‘if there were modern-day apostles, they would be world famous!’ – though I’m not sure why. Even the original Twelve weren’t “world famous” in the sense that they mean. But I digress. This isn't a question of practice, or opinion, but to examine the Scriptures to see what they say about the gift. Scripture gives us an indication that this gift, or role, wasn’t jus...

Creedal Christians: The Apostle's Creed

...http://apostles-creed.org/confessions-creeds-christian-theology/history-authority-of-the-apostles-creed/ https://blog.faithlife.com/blog/2015/04/the-apostles-creed-its-history-and-origins/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communion_of_saints https://www.fpcjackson.org/resource-library/sermons/i-believe-inthe-communion-of-the-saints Tyrannius Rufinus’ Commentary – http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2711.htm Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians, Chapter 9 – http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.iv.ix.html cf. Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, Chapter 1 – http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.vii.i.html Justin Martyr, First Apology, Chapter 13 – htt...

How Polycarp (And Others) Show The Early Use Of The New Testament

...ructed by apostles, and conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, by apostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna, whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] a very long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and most nobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true. — Against Heresies (Book III, 3.4) For I have a more vivid recollection of what occurred at that time than of recent events (inasmuch as the experiences of childhood, keeping pace with the growth of the soul, beco...

Did the Early Church invent the Trinity?

...The doctrine and concept of the Trinity is encapsulated in Matthew 28:19, where Jesus instructs the apostles: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. John, who was very close to Jesus and obviously knew him well, alludes to this teaching frequently in his Gospel, too. For example: John 1:1; John 8:58; John 10:30; and John 10:38. Yet, despite this, and numerous other examples throughout the New Testament which point towards the threefold nature of God, plenty of myths and legends abound online and in books which state that the divinity of Jesus (and therefore the Trinit...

Creedal Christians: Introduction

...o all the apostles.Last of all, as to one abnormally born,He also appeared to me. That places this creed well within the first 20-30 years after the crucifixion and resurrection, and is thus one of the earliest examples of orthodoxy and eye-witness accounts we have, possibly pre-dating the writing of the New Testament itself. The way Paul begins this passage with the “I passed on what I received” formula shows that this was an already existing set of established beliefs which were passed onto him, and which he now passes onto the Corinthians. Paul wasn’t just making this up, or summarising what he believed – no, this was, and is, a great example of th...