The Debates Go On!

Well, the first (and only?) Presidential debate is over. Now it’s up to the pundits, and the voters, to decide what it all means. Depending what side the commentators are on, they will “debate” with each other how the two candidates did. In that sense, the debates go on.

But that’s not what I mean when I say “the debates go on!” What I mean is that in the Christian Church, ever since Christ came to reveal God and his plan to us, and the prophets and apostles have inscribed God’s word to us in the Scriptures, there have always been debates within and without the Church. The debates have been about how to interpret those writings, and about what Christians should believe as true.

When such debates arose, they have led to church splits, wars, heresies, and confusion. While no conflict is desired among those who are called to be one in Christ (“one Lord, one faith, one baptism” – Ephesians 4:5), it has been necessary to decide which beliefs are true, that is, in accord with what God has revealed, and condemn the falsehoods. Such divisions have sometimes been resolved through “debates” in official Church Councils such as the one in Nicaea in 325, and in Chalcedon in 451. Those gatherings of Christian leaders settled many issues, and wrote Creeds which we still recite regularly in church services. Some wrong teachings had arisen even while the Apostles were still alive, leading them to write strong letters against the falsehoods, thus guiding the Church in the right direction.

What are the specific “debates” that had to be resolved over the centuries? Here are some of the more important ones:

1.  The Judaizers. This early problem happened during Apostolic times. The issue was whether Gentiles who believed in Christ had to become Jews first, being circumcised and having to adhere to the Jewish Law. When the church in Galatia fell into this error, the Apostle Paul wrote to them to correct their theology. He began his letter to them:

 ^“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-7ff).

The issue was settled at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), where it was decided that Gentile converts did not have to become Jews, but had only to refrain from sexual immorality, from blood, and from food which had been offered to idols (Acts 15:28-29). At stake here was the freedom of the gospel, and the recognition that faith in Christ, and not  the works of the law, saves.

2. The Colossian heresy. Apparently, false teachings were circulating among the believers in the city of Colossae. This heresy combined adherence to rituals and laws, and asceticism, denial of food and drink. By these actions, people diminished the role of Christ, and put their trust in their own actions to be acceptable to God. Paul’s letter to the Colossians corrected this opinion, by stressing the preeminence of Christ and the folly of observing asceticism or special days as having merit. Paul wrote, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:16-17). And in 2:16 he said, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.” Such things, he insisted, were fulfilled in Christ.

3. Gnosticism. Related to the Colossian heresy, this heresy was widespread, affecting many churches and resulting in the writing of many false gospels such as the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Judas. “Gnostikos” is a Greek word meaning “learned” or “having knowledge.” It was a system of beliefs that salvation could be gained through a special form of secret knowledge, which came to certain people directly from God, and not from the Scriptures. The heresy also taught that physical matter was evil, and the spiritual was good; therefore some Gnostics believed Christ only appeared to have a physical body, since God could not be held in an evil body. The Church rejected this heresy and the writings it produced.

4. The Arian heresy. Settling this debate was the purpose of the Council of Nicaea. What happened was a false teacher named Arius was having a great influence among many churches. His teaching was that Jesus was not equal to God nor of the same substance, but was made by God and therefore inferior to God. This was in conflict with John 1: 1 which states that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” and “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Our Nicene Creed states that Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.” This was a direct refutation of the Arian heresy, and was opposed by Athanasius, after whom one of the creeds is named. (By the way, Jehovah’s Witnesses are a modern day Arian sect.)

5. The Montanism heresy.  In the 2nd century, a man named Montanus fell into a trance and began to “prophesy under the influence of the Spirit.” He was soon joined by two young women, Prisca, and Maximilla, who also began to prophesy.  They taught a rigorous asceticism, and that the Holy Spirit spoke  aloud through their trances. They taught the imminent return of Christ, and many of their followers abandoned home and church to be where Montanus said the New Jerusalem would descend. The heresy flourished for several centuries, but finally died out. However, in today’s church, there are many so called “prophets” who claim to speak words from God, and manifest bizarre symptoms, and also prophesy Christ’s imminent return.

6. The Pelagian heresy. This controversy began in the 4th century when a British theologian named Pelagius taught that man is born without original sin (born good) and by good living and choices could obtain salvation. He was opposed by Augustine and condemned by the Synod of Jerusalem in 415. This is still a common teaching among theologically liberal churches, and was even spoken by Pope Francis, who said in a 2024 60 Minutes interview, “We are fundamentally good. … the heart itself is good.” But the Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9, teaches the opposite: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” And Paul teaches that sin has come to all because of one man. In other words, original sin. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”

7. The “Filioque clause.” Not  an argument over a heresy, but a debate which highlights one of the doctrinal difference leading to a schism between the Orthodox churches and the western (Roman) churches. The dispute is about one phrase in the Nicene Creed where it says that the Holy Spirit, “proceeds from the Father and the Son.” (western version). Or, he “proceeds from the Father,” (Eastern Orthodox version). The Creed originally had only “from the Father,” but in the 6th century, the Roman Church added the “filioque” which mean “and the Son.” Partly this was done to oppose the Arians by showing the Son’s equality with the Father. At the time, both the eastern and the western churches hurled condemnations at each other over this phrase, but recently there have been attempts to reconcile. One of the issues has been, differences in the understanding of what the word, “proceeding,” means.

It was important for the Church to address these heresies and disputes, in order that the true faith be taught and preached, that the true Gospel be believed – for there is no other Gospel (Galatians 1:6-7). Of course, the debates didn’t end in the first couple centuries after Christ. They continued in the centuries that followed, which will come in the next blog!

Now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: 2 Timothy 2:14-26.