Matthew 11:28-30 NRSV

Matthew 11:28-30 NRSV

: Jesus promised those who followed him that they would know the truth and the truth would set them free. Today, several common lies about God threaten to corrupt the Church. These lies include:

Jesus promised those who followed him that they would know the truth and the truth would set them free. Today, several common lies about God threaten to corrupt the Church. These lies include:

The early church learned of Jesus through the Apostles’ verbal teaching and later their writing. Eventually, the church accepted the Old Testament as Scripture because Jesus seemed to accept it as scripture. As the church gathered writings about Jesus, they created a criteria for which writings would be considered Scripture: 1) Apostolic Origin – related to someone who knew Christ, 2) Orthodoxy – the teachings align with the other teachings of Jesus’ followers, 3) Widespread Usage within the early church communities, 4) Antiquity – written in the first century. Early Church Councils at Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD) helped establish a unified canon of New Testament scriptures. To discern truth, United Methodists teach that  truth is found primarily in scripture and that scripture is interpreted through tradition, reason, and experience. 

Scripture - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

The early church learned of Jesus through the Apostles’ verbal teaching and later their writing. Eventually, the church accepted the Old Testament as Scripture because Jesus seemed to accept it as scripture. As the church gathered writings about Jesus, they created a criteria for which writings would be considered Scripture: 1) Apostolic Origin – related to someone who knew Christ, 2) Orthodoxy – the teachings align with the other teachings of Jesus’ followers, 3) Widespread Usage within the early church communities, 4) Antiquity – written in the first century. Early Church Councils at Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD) helped establish a unified canon of New Testament scriptures. To discern truth, United Methodists teach that  truth is found primarily in scripture and that scripture is interpreted through tradition, reason, and experience. 

Scripture - 2 Timothy 3:16-17

In the ancient world, most people believed in multiple Gods (polytheism), often with geographic jurisdictions. A couple smaller religions (Judaism & Zoroastrianism) taught belief in one God (monotheism). The early church taught belief in One God in Three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of the trinity was co-equal and co-eternal. They did not teach this belief to be socially and philosophically respectable – it was not. They taught it because it was the God who had been revealed to them through the life of Christ. (The heresy of Modalism was rejected because it did not respect the uniqueness of each person of the Trinity. The heresy of tritheism was rejected because it presented the Trinity as 3 gods rather than 1 God.)

Scripture - Matthew 28:16-20, 2 Corinthians 13:14

In the ancient world, most people believed in multiple Gods (polytheism), often with geographic jurisdictions. A couple smaller religions (Judaism & Zoroastrianism) taught belief in one God (monotheism). The early church taught belief in One God in Three Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of the trinity was co-equal and co-eternal. They did not teach this belief to be socially and philosophically respectable – it was not. They taught it because it was the God who had been revealed to them through the life of Christ. (The heresy of Modalism was rejected because it did not respect the uniqueness of each person of the Trinity. The heresy of tritheism was rejected because it presented the Trinity as 3 gods rather than 1 God.)

Scripture - Matthew 28:16-20, 2 Corinthians 13:14