Quotes by early Church writers

Did the Early Church [1st., 2nd., and 3rd. centuries AD] know about the whole council of God and thus the concept of soul salvation [the Saints ruling and reigning with Christ during the Millennial reign of Christ]?

Many today believe that this concept is something new; as if these teachings were somehow concocted out of thin air or somehow born of some unscriptural latter day cult!

Well, let us briefly examine some quotations made by some of these early Church writers just to see if they were taught the concept of soul salvation [the Saints ruling and reigning with Christ during the Millennial reign of Christ].

Clement of Rome, who was a companion of the Apostle Paul and overseer of the church in Rome, wrote, "It is necessary, therefore, that we be prompt in the practice of good works. For He forewarns us, 'Behold, the Lord comes and His reward is before His face, to render to every man according to his work.' ...Let us therefore earnestly strive to be found in the number of those who wait for Him, in order that we may share in His promised reward. But how, beloved ones, shall we do this? By fixing our thoughts on God by faith. By earnestly seeking the things that are pleasing and acceptable to Him. By doing the things that are in harmony with His blameless will. And by following the way of truth, casting away from us all unrighteousness and sin."

Hermas, who may have been a contemporary of the Apostle John, wrote, "Only those who fear the Lord and keep His commandments have life with God. But as to those who do not keep His commandments, there is no life in them....All, therefore, who despise Him and do not follow His commands deliver themselves to death, and each will be guilty of his own blood. But I implore you to obey His commands, and you will have a cure for your former sins."

The death, Hermas refers to here, is a reference to just recompense of reward of {being hurt of the second death} since he blames this death on the failure of the guilty Christian for not confessing their sins to Christ before they die and therefore they die with those "former" sins accounted to themselves at their judgment. [1 John 1:8-10]

In his first apology, written sometime before this teaching in 15 A.D., Justin Martyr told the Romans, "We have been taught...that He accepts only those who imitate the virtues that reside in Him...self-restraint, justice, and love of mankind...And so we have received this teaching that if men by their works show themselves worthy of His design, they are deemed worthy of reigning in company with Him, being delivered from corruption and suffering."

Pure kingdom theology, praise God!!! But Justin Martyr also wrote, "Our suffering and crucified Christ was not cursed by the law. Rather, he made it manifest that He alone would save those who do not depart from His faith . . . .As the blood of the Passover saved those who were in Egypt, so also the blood of Christ will deliver from death those who have believed." Thus, demonstrating that he may have had some confusion concerning the gift and the prize. {Spirit salvation vs. soul salvation.} The unsaved cannot "depart from the faith" for they never had "the faith" in the first place!

The works the Spirit of God, through the life of a Christian, during the lifetime of the Christian, is the only works that will make the Christian worthy of reigning with Christ during His millennial reign of 1000 years; which is in the near future. This worthiness is only revealed after the Christian is taken into the air at the time of the rapture, they die the second death, and they are resurrected from the second death to stand before Christ to receive their just recompense of reward. This is soul salvation.

The unfaithful Christian, being unworthy to stand in judgment, is held or hurt of the second death for the duration of the 1000 years and will be resurrected 1000 years later to stand in shame before Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. Yet, because their names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life they will be saved at this time but only because their names are written in the Lambs Book of Life. However, they will never rule or reign with Christ throughout the future eternal ages either.

Clement of Alexandria, writing about how God provides necessary power and the truth for Christians, said, "The Word, having unveiled the truth, showed to men the summit of salvation, so that either repenting they might be saved, or refusing to obey, they might be condemned. This is the proclamation of righteousness: to those who obey, rejoicing; to those who disobey, condemnation."

And again, "Whoever obtains the truth and distinguishes himself in good works shall gain the prize of everlasting life....Some people correctly and adequately understand how God provides necessary power, but attaching slight importance to the works that lead to salvation, they fail to make the necessary preparation for attaining the objects of their hope."

But did he realize that he was talking in the context of soul salvation? Clement of Alexandria also wrote: "It follows that there is one unchangeable gift of salvation given by one God, through one Lord, benefiting in many ways." And again, "Abraham was not justified by works, but by faith [Rom. 4:3]. Therefore, even if they do good works now, it is of no advantage to them after death, if they do not have faith." Thus, demonstrating that he may have had some confusion concerning the difference between the "gift" of God and the "prize" of the high calling of Christ Jesus.

Origen of Alexandria , (185 - 254 A.D.), wrote, "The soul...will be rewarded according to what it deserves, being destined to obtain either an inheritance of eternal life and blessedness, if its actions shall have procured this for it, or to be delivered up to eternal fire and punishments, if the guilt of its crimes shall have brought it down to this."

Hippolytus, a Christian overseer who lived at the same time as Origen, wrote, "The Gentiles, by faith in Christ, prepare for themselves eternal life through good works." He again wrote, "Jesus, in administering the righteous judgment of the Father to all, assigns to each what is righteous according to his works....Justification will be seen in the awarding to each that which is just; to those who have done well, there will be justly assigned eternal happiness. The lovers of wickedness will be assigned eternal punishment....But the righteous will remember only the righteous deeds by which they reached the heavenly kingdom."

The justification that Hippolytus is speaking of here is not justification concerning spirit salvation. Rather, from the context, he is referring to Christ being just in His judgments of those whom will be judged at the Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ [Romans 14:10] [1 Corinthians 5:10-11]. The reference to "lovers of wickedness will be assigned eternal punishment" seems very much to be a reference to the 1000 year (or) 'age-long' punishment of the unfaithful and apostate, no-overcoming Christians hurt of the second death [Revelation 2:11].

Cyprian wrote, "To prophesy, to cast out demons, and to do great acts upon the earth are certainly a sublime and admirable thing. However, a person does not attain the Kingdom of Heaven even though he is found in all these things unless he walks in the observance of the right and just way. The Lord says, 'Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed other powerful works in your name? And then I will confess to them, I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of evil.' [Matthew 7:22-23] There is need of righteousness so one may deserve well of God the Judge. We must obey His precepts and warnings that our merits may receive their reward."

Finally, Lucius Caelius (or Caecilius?) or Firmianus Lactantius was an early Christian author who wrote in Latin (c. 240 - c. 320) , explained to the Romans, "Why, then, did He make man frail and mortal?...So He might set before man virtue, that is, endurance of evils and labors, by which he might be able to gain the reward of immortality. For since man consists of two parts, body and soul, of which the one is earthly, the other heavenly, two lives have been assigned to man. The first, which is appointed for the body, is transitory. The other, which belongs to the soul, is everlasting. We received the first at our birth. We attain to the latter by striving, that immortality might not be available to man without some difficulties.... For this reason He has given us this present life, that we may either lose the true and eternal life by our sins, or win it by our virtue."

Lactantius may be one of the very first Christians whom began to bring confusion into the Church concerning the true image of the saved man. Here, Lactantius states that "..the saved man consists of two parts, body and soul,.....". This is entirely contrary to the truth. The true image of the saved Man is Body, Soul, and Spirit. They are created a new creature in Christ and in the image of God who is a trichotomy God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; not a dichotomy with only two manifestations of Himself.

Also his reference to everlasting or eternal life and the soul is true concerning the soul, but, he could just as well be talking about the spirit body. Both, the soul and spirit bodies are everlasting and they will definitely reside somewhere during the everlasting ages and all of us know that one must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be born again of the Spirit of God in order to have everlasting life and therefore, safe from the everlasting punishment of fire.

And last but not least a quote from Tertullian: "Some people act as though God were under an obligation to bestow even on the unworthy His intended gift. They turn His liberality into slaver . . . . for do not many afterwards fall out of grace? Is not this gift taken away from many?"

This quote simply demonstrates Tertullian's belief that one could lose the gift of eternal spirit salvation.

How can anyone say such a thing? The gift of eternal life is 'ETERNAL'!!! How can one then turn right around and then say that they can somehow be made unworthy of the gift as if the gift was really not eternal at all, but rather only a temporary thing that depends upon the works of the believer as opposed to the works of Christ on the cross which then makes Christ's work on the cross of none effect? Did Christ not say "It is finished"? Well, yes He most certainly did! How is it then that some would change Christ's words to say 'It is un-finished'?

If Tertullian was taught the whole council of God he fails miserably, here in this quote, to demonstrate those truths.

Well, as we can see, there were some early Church writers that demonstrated to us that they were taught the whole council of God, which thus proves that these teachings were taught to them personally by the Apostles.

These teachings are taught to us via God's Word written and gleaned from our Holy Bibles today.

It is my hope that this short comparison has been of some help to you as you seek to know our Lord and Saviour in a more intimate way. It is also my hope that these studies will develop in you an eagerness to dig into God's Word to see for yourself whether these things be so. [Acts 17:11]