Foundational Beliefs

Consider the churches at the time the last apostle dies. The believers know what these men of God taught them. They received foundational truths. Truth Paul told Timothy the church was to be the pillar and ground of (I Timothy 3:15). The men who knew the apostles continued to teach this truth. But as time passes, others begin to come up with their own ideas. Their own explanations and traditions. Soon, only a few are left who determine not to bend to influences outside and inside the church. These few become known as radicals, purists, or even heretics.

But is it heretical to stand on the truths the apostles taught, even if others begin to design twists to these truths?

Let's explore groups of people that came out of the first century with certain foundational doctrines. These people maintained these beliefs from the time of Christ's ascension until today. 

Often, these people hid themselves from the rulers, and as a result, there are times when very little is written about them, and they seem to have disappeared (though that isn’t true). In some places their faith lineage is reasonably clear (for example in Wales), and in some places, not so much. They’ve been called a variety of names, usually as slurs or as ways of identifying specific leaders. But their foundational beliefs remain the same.

Here are the foundational doctrines of these believers faith^1:

1. Salvation (new birth) comes only through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Founder, Savior, and Head of the churches.
2. The Holy Spirit comes to a believer at the time of new birth (faith)--this is known as the "regeneration of the believer" by the Holy Spirit and the word of God. 
3. Baptism is done by submersion to people old enough to understand the conviction of sin and to make a profession of faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as the only means to salvation (and rejected baptism at any age as a means of salvation). Often included with this statement, is the Lord's Supper. Both (referred to as 'ordinances') are to be perpetual and a memorial to the saved of Christ's saving work done for us. 
4. All believers are considered equal in the eyes of God, and all have the ability to gain knowledge from Scripture under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit. There is no hierarchy within the church.
5. The canon of Scripture is the final authority on God and on all of life (note, in the first couple of centuries after Christ, this canon relied on the Jewish Canon of the Old Testament and the epistles and Gospels that were well received amongst the churches—this will be a discussion for another day).
6. The separation of Church and State. The government should not run the church and the church should not run the government. This last one is most clearly defined when Dr. Clarke petitioned for an experiment of freedom of conscience (of religion) by the British parliament for the Rhode Island charter in 1644. However, the actions and words of the people groups who stood on the preceding five foundational beliefs strongly suggests they believed this as well.

As I researched church history, I found different historians would have slight variations to these core beliefs or add a 'mark' common to these local assemblies of believers that I haven't, but I believe the main doctrines are expressed above.

The disciples (also known as the apostles) held to these beliefs during the first century. At another time, we'll explore the Biblical foundation for these teachings.

Toward the end of the first century, the apostles warned of false doctrines, or errors, creeping into the churches. Paul warns the leaders of Ephesus this in Acts 20:17-38, and he warns Timothy and Titus in their epistles. Peter warned in his epistles, as does John and Jude. We read of different apostasies arising in the churches in John's writing of the Revelation of Christ (chapter 3), and some of these took hold.

By the second century, some people found it easier to believe baptism washed away their sins than to attribute this to Christ's blood. This seemed to be the beginning of a major shift in Christianity.

However, a remnant remained faithful to the above foundational doctrines. Those who chose to believe differently established their own universal church. Some of the remnant, while adhering to the foundational truths listed above, would have extreme applications of faith that one might call 'legalistic' or false teachings because of the emphasis they placed on them. However, I do think studying the circumstances they lived in helps to see why they embraced these applications of Scripture as strongly as they did. Over time, I will take a closer look at these. For now, I've listed the groups.

In the second century A.D., these people were known as:

• Montanists. Led by Montanus beginning150-156 A.D. They believed that a person should be re-baptized if at first the person did not come to Christ by faith alone and thus receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). "Thus termed, "Anabaptist"' (Schaff, History of the Christian Church, II., 429 as quoted in “Baptist History”, p.12). This group continued for centuries and spread even to France (then known as Gaul).
• Welsh Believers. They were not given a specific name, but some historians record that Claudia (Acts 28:30; II Timothy 4:21) from Wales met the Apostle Paul in Rome, was saved, and returned to Wales. Of course, many Welshmen became Roman soldiers and also believed. (Fox's Acts and Monuments, p. 137.; Dr. Gill and Matthew Henry on II Timothy 4:21. Godwin's Catalogue; Crosby's History of the English Baptists, preface to vol 2.; Dr. Heylim's Cosmography, lib. 1, p. 257 as quoted in  The History of the Welsh Baptists). This group continues to present day, though the trail is difficult to follow due to the great persecutions they underwent. The first began when Austin came from Rome and attempted to convince the Welsh to enforce infant baptism in the 600's. Many refused and were put to death while others submitted (Davis, "History of the Welsh Baptists", p. 14-15)
• South India Believers. These claim the Apostle Thomas brought the Gospel to this region. Not a lot is known about this group.

In the third century A.D., the Roman Catholic Church began to form and force upon believers doctrines contrary to the aforementioned foundational beliefs. The concept of the "Universal Church" developed in the third century, and the term "catholic' was used. The following groups (along with those mentioned above) held firm to the foundational doctrines. These people were called:

• The Novantians. Resulted from a split in the church at Rome during a period of persecution. Note, that the Roman Catholic Church had not officially formed at this time. The Novantians were also called anabaptists for re-baptizing those who came from the churches that believed baptism saved. They survived until the 6th or 7th century, though some believe they continued up to the Reformation Period.
• The Donatists. Came from Numidia forming from the church of Carthage, North Africa because some people surrendered the 'sacred books' to be burned during Diocletia's persecution (303-311 A.D.) and they opposed this. They were called anabaptists.

In the fourth century A.D., groups that resisted the changes that the Roman Church pressed for included those mentioned above as well as:

• Paulicans
• Cathary
• Albagencies
• Bogamils
• and several others

In the fifth century A.D.: some historians will claim the origin of the above groups began in this century, while others note they existed long before this. For example, Gregory Magistos, A.D. 1058, wrote that the Paulicans had long been disconnected by the church (Terry, "Baptist History", p.19).

As time progressed, more groups continued to oppose the Catholic church, many of these groups were extensions of the groups mentioned above. A historian in the thirteen century wrote (from the perspective of opposition to anabaptists):
 

"The heresy of the Paulicians and Cathari, another religious faction, had at that time considerable prevalence, which under the various names of Cathari, for Catharists, Puritans, Gazari, Patereni, Paulicians or Publicans, Bulgari or Bugari was more particularly charged with Manichaean opinions. The origin of these heretics has been the subject of much controversy, for while some suppose these errors to have been indigenous in Europe, there are others who derive them in a direct line from the very heart of Asia." (Wadington's Ch. Hist., p. 286)

Nothing is ever easy, is it? History shows us that God’s hand is involved in people’s lives. Often people reject or believe something based on how they perceive history.

And truth be told, we all pick and choose what to believe based on what feels right to us.

I, personally, believe that God has kept a remnant of believers throughout all the centuries who believe these foundational doctrines, even when the rulers of the time rose up against them, even killing some.

I get some peace in knowing that what I believe has been guarded and remained steadfast since Christ’s life here on earth. 

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1. References for this article:

Asher, Louis Franklin. John Clarke (1609-1676). Arkansas: The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc.

Carroll, J.M. The Trail of Blood. Lecture series.

Davis, Joanthan. 1835. History of Welsh Baptists. Pittsburgh: D. M. Hogan. Reprinted by Forgotten Books, 2012.

Foxe, John. 1563. Foxe's Book of Martyrs. Pantianos Classics.

Grady, William P. 1993. Final Authority. Indiana: Grady Publications.

Hammett, Doug. 2004. The History of Baptists. Pennsylvania: Challenge Press.

Holliday, J. M. 1974. The Baptist Heritage. Texarkana, Arkansas-Texas: Bogard Press.

Jarrel, W.A. 1894. Baptist Church Perpetuity. Dallas, Texas, reprinted Arkansas: The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc. 

Shaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church, Vol I. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1899. As quoted in Baptist History.

Terrey, Dr. Robert J. 1984. Baptist History.