This is the fourth part of The True Treasure
Last time we saw that the early Church clung tightly to the Gospel treasure even when she was persecuted for it. Today, we consider how the Church held on to the treasure of the Gospel by growing in her understanding of the truth. Although it is true that the Church possessed the complete Gospel at the time that Jesus ascended, she did not fully grasp it in all its riches. Therefore, her understanding of it needed to be strengthened. Just as mined gold needs to be purified before it can be used in jewelry, so the Church’s understanding of the gospel treasure needed to be refined so that she could articulate it more clearly. But the process of purifying gold is not easy; it involves fire and intense heat. So also, the way of spiritual refinement for the Church comes through the heat of conflict and trouble.
One of the chief ways God leads His Church to a better understanding of the truth is through doctrinal controversy against false teachers (heretics). There have been many false teachers in the history of the Church, and they appeared already in this early period. One false teacher, named Arius, taught that Jesus was the highest creature God had created, but he said that Jesus was not actually God. Because the church had not faced this issue before, many people genuinely thought that Arius was preaching the gospel, and they believed his doctrine. However, God in His providence raised up a man named Athanasius to oppose Arius’ teachings. Athanasius proclaimed clearly and strongly that Jesus himself is God. In the year 325, the Church held a council in Nicea, at which Athanasius was present. Largely through his influence, the Council of Nicea condemned Arius’ teachings and declared that Jesus is truly and fully God. The council recognized that if Jesus was not God, then He could not have been our Savior, and we would still be in our sins and unable to enter heaven. This council also produced the Nicene Creed, which we still have today as a testimony of the truth of Jesus’ divinity. This creed, along with the other creeds of the church, helps guide us in a proper understanding of the Bible so that we are not deceived by false doctrine which would lead us away from Christ and cause us to lose the gospel treasure.
Another false teacher of this era was Pelagius. He taught that humans are born naturally good, and that we only learn to do evil by imitating others’ bad behavior. By using our free will, humans can choose to live a good, even sinless life, eventually meriting everlasting life in heaven. This doctrine is very attractive to our flesh because it minimizes our sinfulness and gives us a lot of credit for making good choices. If we choose to do good, we will have an easy way to heaven. However, a doctrine is not right simply because it appeals to us or makes us feel good. Imagine that someone hands you a large bag full of $100 bills. Elated, you take this bag to the bank to deposit your newfound wealth. However, when you arrive at the bank, the teller informs you that all the bills are counterfeit – that is, fake! No doubt you would be dismayed and very angry to hear this, especially because the person who gave you that “money” had deceived you, much like a false teacher deceives his followers. Pelagianism (and every other false doctrine) is like that: it appears so good on the outside, but it is a counterfeit gospel. Like fake money, it is worthless, and leaves people who believe in it spiritually impoverished.
Thankfully, God raised up a great man named Augustine to oppose Pelagianism and develop the true doctrine. He taught that humans are born sinful, and that by nature we can only sin. Only by the grace of God can humans be saved and do good. Salvation cannot be merited; only God can give it. We call this salvation by grace, and it is the one true gospel. Yet, by nature, we do not find this gospel attractive or recognize its true value. Perhaps it is like walking into a room that houses rare books. The books may smell musty and have yellowed pages or worn-out spines. They are not beautiful to look upon as a flower or a sunset are. But because they are so rare, they are worth a large sum of money, perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their worth is in their rarity, not their outward appearance. To our great shame, we sometimes view the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ the way we might view those books. We may find the gospel to be dull, uninteresting, perhaps even offensive like the musty smell of an old tome. This ought not to be! If we recognize the true beauty of the gospel, that God has saved us merely of grace because he loved us so much, then we will rejoice from the depths of our soul and live lives of thanksgiving to Him for all that he has done for us.
By Andrew Koerner
Young Calvinists 