The Early Church And Salvation Through Faith

By Scott Hayes


When it comes to belief in God, Jesus, a higher power, spiritual practice or no such belief, the United States constitution allows citizens the right to religious freedom. While this is the case, the predominant religion in the country is that of Christianity. In most cases, Christians believe in Salvation through Faith.

Largely based on the Bible books of Ephesians and Acts, most people believe that people are saved through faith alone. Whereas, there are a number of churches which require an individual to say a public prayer, followed by baptism before one can be truly saved. Whereas, there are others which believe all are the children of God and were saved when Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world.

Originally, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic beliefs spread throughout Europe in the early part of the Middle Ages. After which, the faith expanded throughout the world. Currently, there are more than 2 billions individuals whom identify as Christians worldwide, most living in the United States and Europe. While this is the case, there are still a number of Apostolic churches which celebrate Jewish and Christian traditions.

In the earliest days, the faith grew out of the Jewish faith based on a vision of Saul, later known as Paul. After which, Christianity became a well known religion which took over the Greco-Roman world and beyond. While there are still many orthodox Jews, a number converted to Christianity based solely on the experiences and ministry of Paul during these early days of the church.

During the early days of the church, there was a split into the apostolic and post-apostolic branches of the religion. While the apostolic church was led by relatives of Christ whom were some of the earliest disciples, the post-apostolic churches are led by individuals whom have been taught the ways of the original leaders. In either case, the task is to spread the word of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior to the world.

In the Apostolic church, the church was led by the apostles, generally relatives of Jesus Christ. While this is the case, upon resurrection Jesus commanded that the teachings be spread throughout the world. Denounced by some critics, the Acts of the Apostles as described in the Bible book of Acts is believed to be the most accurate history related to the time.

For, it is the book of Acts that provides a history of the Church and the command to spread the gospel and the message of salvation among the Gentiles and the Eastern Mediterranean by the apostle Paul and others. As a result, the book is often considered to hold the truth as to the original message of salvation by a number of churches. In fact, many Baptist church congregations use the gospel of Acts as a guide for salvation as well as day to day living.

While the bible has a great deal to say about the people of the time and salvation, an individual must believe in the text as a historic document. While there have been critics, it is believed that the book of Acts tells the most about the life of the apostles. Whereas, the book of Matthew provides great detail with regards to the command Jesus gave to spread gospel around the world.




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