Adventist beliefs and doctrines compared to the Early Church from Christ

So what do Adventist hold as beliefs and doctrines, compared to the Early Church as shaped by the teachings of Jesus, and written by the apostolic witnesses, and its spread of the Gospel through the missionary journeys of Paul and others.

Well, to begin with you have the Sabbath as held by the Early Church, no one can deny that as scripture is clear.

Then you have the Early Church belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah, fulfilling the prophecies of the Scriptures and proclaimed by the Apostles.

The belief of the resurrection and gift of eternal life, as the Early Church clearly held to belief in the resurrection of Jesus and the life eternal gift He had for those who believed.

Adventist believe in Salvation through Faith in Christ and the Early Church clearly taught that salvation was available through faith in Jesus Christ.

Adventist believe in the Holy Spirit and its work and we see the Early Church believed in the active presence of the Holy Spirit, who guided and empowered believers.

Adventist hold to coming together to worship on the seventh day and the early Church believed in gathering on the seventh day for worship, prayer ant thanksgiving.

Adventist hold to Baptism by Immersion and we see the Early Church believed in Baptism by Immersion as Christ gave as an example at the river Jordan, and it was a significant rite of initiation into the Christian community, symbolizing the believer's identification with Christ's death and resurrection.

Adventist hold to the literal return of Christ as the Early Church held waiting for Christ Second Coming to take the saints to the heavenly kingdom.

Adventist hold to the possibility of a believer stumbling and falling from grace and must deny self and follow Christ as the Early Church and Christ and the Apostles and Paul and others clearly taught.

Adventist hold to the need for repentance, and confession for the remission of sins as the Early Church held and as Christ and the Apostles clearly taught.

Adventist hold to the biblical state of the dead as the Early Church that the dead know nothing and lay silent in the grave turning to dust awaiting the resurrection at the last day.

If you look in history you find even more of what the Early Church held as core beliefs that are found in Adventism. Aristides, a converted Athenian philosopher, wrote one of our earliest Christian apologies to the Roman emperor Hadrian around 125 A.D. He summarizes what Christians believe..

"The Christians, then, trace the beginning of their religion from Jesus the Messiah; and he is named the Son of God Most High. And it is said that God came down from heaven, and from a Hebrew virgin assumed and clothed himself with flesh; and the Son of God lived in a daughter of man. This is taught in the gospel, as it is called, which a short time was preached among them; and you also if you will read therein, may perceive the power which belongs to it. This Jesus, then, was born of the race of the Hebrews; and he had twelve disciples in order that the purpose of his incarnation might in time be accomplished. But he himself was pierced by the Jews, and he died and was buried; and they say that after three days he rose and ascended to heaven (Apol. 2, Syriac)." One of the Earliest (and Clearest) Summaries of Early Christian Beliefs - Canon Fodder

Aristides makes it clear that Christians affirm a number of key truths:

1. The divinity of Jesus: “God came down from heaven…” In the mind of Aristides, Jesus is not an angel, or a semi-divine being, but the very God of heaven itself.

2. The incarnation: “clothed himself with flesh.” In very vivid language, the author affirms that Jesus is God enfleshed; he took upon himself a real human body (contra the Docetists).

3. The virgin birth: “from a Hebrew virgin.” This doctrine flows naturally from the prior two. If Jesus is God, and he took on human flesh, then his conception would be distinctive from other human beings.

4. The authority of the Gospels: “taught in the gospel…and you also if you read therein, may perceive the power which belongs to it.” Notice for Aristides, there are books called a “gospel” which you can “read” to learn more about the person of Jesus. Moreover, these gospels contain a certain “power” which the reader can discern.

5. The authority of the apostles: “and he had twelve disciples.” Aristides recognizes that Jesus had an authority structure through the twelve that was necessary “so that the purpose of his incarnation might in time be accomplished.”

6. His death on the cross: “pierced by the Jews.” This is a clear reference to Jesus’ crucifixion under Pontius Pilate at the request of the Jewish leadership.

7. His resurrection: “after three days he rose.” Jesus did not stay in the grave but was raised from the dead.

8. His ascension: “ascended into heaven.” Jesus returned to his former heavenly home, in a position of power and glory.

The Early Church had Gods truth that Christ left it and we must study what the Early Church believe and held before corruption and apostasy came in, We see what Paul says in his second letter to the Thessalonians, he foretold the great apostasy which would come into the church. He declared that before the return of Christ would, "come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who exalteth himself above all that is called God;" Even at that early date he saw, creeping into the church, errors in belief that would prepare the way for the false teachings to come in.

BobRyan said:

Are you interested in discussing every single belief in this thread?

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Very good question, the issue is that the true Early Church if one looks was until the corruption of the pagan Greek and Roman philosophy that came in. So this would place it up to the Quartodeciman controversy. when Polycarp, the bishop of Smyrna who was personally taught by John the apostle, faced off against the corruption with Anicetus, the bishop of Rome.

The Liturgist said:

I positively deny that the Adventist doctrines on the Sabbath are consistent with the doctrines of the Early Church as depicted in the New Testament on the basis of the New Testament text that we have discussed repeatedly. The Resurrection narratives, the rebuke of the Pharisees for their criticism of our Lord for gathering wheat with His disciples and healing the sick on the Sabbath, the descent of the Holy Ghost in Acts 2, the Eucharists on the First day later in Acts, the collection of tithes on the FIrst Day in 1 Corinthians 16, Colossians 2:16 carving out a further special injunction against the general principle of “Judge not lest ye not be judged “ in respect of the Sabbath, the rejection of the idea of the Law as salvific in Romans 6 and Galatians 3:15-5:15, all of these combine to create a message which in my view and that of most Christians does not require literal Sabbath observance as a salvation-level issue.

Also I would note St. Aristides of Athens espoused views which most closely resemble those of the modern Greek Orthodox Church.

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Well my brother I would quote Revelation 22:14, but lets look into what Paul is trying to convey in his writings, we can look at a text that I think you know well.

Romans 6:14
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Well does it do away with Gods Law, so that those who follow the Ten Commandments are 'legalistic'. Is Paul saying that the Ten Commandments have any further claims upon the believer, that they no longer have to keep the Law. Well, Paul gives a answer to that as he knew that would be the question as we see.

Romans 6:15
What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.

Paul makes clear that this is not so we can sin, but that under grace, those who truly believe will not go into sin as he states 'God Forbid' to such a thought. So what is Paul talking about here in Romans, well we get a clue in his letter to Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 9:20-21
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

So what is Paul saying here, well obviously he is talking about the Jews versus the Gentiles, but notice he says a curious thing, 'being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ'. So what is Paul saying, well lets look directly at the words of Christ.

Matthew 5:20
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

This is clear, being under to law to Christ is beyond the level of the literal law, that it surpasses even what the Jews and their teachers thought it was and followed. The law was intended by God to keep before the minds of Israel and men everywhere that the real meaning and purpose of the law lay in the full and final revelation when Christ would come to this world. And what does Christ say, He says that ones righteousness would go beyond the law if one wanted to enter into eternal life. We see it in His response to the rich young man.. Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 19:16-22 - King James Version