Primitive Apostolic Christianity

What has been called 'Primitive Apostolic Christianity' is the result of an effort to understand and obey the will of God by following, as closely as possible, the doctrines and practices of the early, New Testament, church. The logic is that modern "Christianity" has lost its way by adopting doctrines that were originally considered heretical because of their pagan, or otherwise non-biblical, origins. Many in the the early church were taught by Christ Himself and later by His disciples. It can therefore be argued that the early church practiced true Christianity. That’s something a serious Christian should carefully consider.

It has often been claimed by it's detractors that Primitive Apostolic Christianity is an attempt to 'Judaize' Christianity by attempting to combine Christianity with "Jewish" law. This is a misunderstanding on several levels. First, the Law of God isn't "Jewish". The Ten Commandments were spoken by God directly to the children of Israel. They are, in fact, the only part of Holy Scripture actually written by God. Scripture tells us they were written by the very finger of God in stone. They were given to the children of Israel but they are intended for all of mankind. While there is no scripture that states that directly, we know that God will judge all mankind according to His definition of what sin is and that points directly back to the Ten Commandments.

The word 'Jew' was first used in the bible to refer to members of the tribe of Judah, the largest of the twelve tribes of Israel. Judah and Israel became separate nations after the reign of King Solomon. They were even recorded to have made war against one another on occasion. The tribe of Judah remained in the Middle East after the Assyrian captivity in which the ten, so called, lost tribes were carried off. Throughout the Hebrew scriptures the word Jew referred to members of the tribe of Judah. In the New Testament, or Greek scriptures, the word Jew has several meanings depending on the context in which it is used. It often refers to a member of the tribe of Judah but often also refers to anyone born in the land of Judah or any member of the religion that the tribe of Judah practiced. It was even used, on at least one occasion, by the apostle Paul to mean anyone with a personal relationship with God.

The first covenant that God made with the nation of Israel involved the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments. It did NOT include the sacrificial and priesthood laws given to Moses. These latter laws and ordinances became known as the Mosaic law...for lack of a better term. The Mosaic law was added to the Ten Commandments because of the sin of the people. To refer to any of the Ten Commandments as 'Jewish' law is to misunderstand the scriptures. That includes the seventh day Sabbath. Christ, himself, said the Sabbath was made for man, He didn’t say "for the Jews".

There aren't two true religions in the scriptures...there is only one. The religion that God revealed to mankind was progressively revealed over the centuries. Latter prophets expounded on it. That religion was expounded on by Christ because it had gotten 'off track' over the centuries. That 'off track' religion became known as Judaism because it was the religion practiced in the land of Judah. Christ attempted to correct the errors in it by His teachings.

What the early religious system in the Bible pointed to was Christ. The animal sacrifices, for example, all pointed to some aspect of Christ's sacrifice. After His life, death and resurrection those practices were no longer necessary. It was those laws, the Mosaic legal system, that were done away with Christ...not Gods law for mankind. Again, Gods law was never 'Jewish'. True Primitive Apostolic Christians aren't 'Judaizers'. They don't advocate bringing back circumcision or any part of the Mosaic, sacrificial system with it's priesthood and temple ordinances. They advocate keeping God's Laws, including the literal seventh day Sabbath, because obedience to Gods Law is what God expects of those who love Him; disobedience to Gods Law is what defines sin.

Many modern Christians sense something is missing in the practice of their faith and have begun, what many call, a “Hebrew Roots” movement. Some Christians look to modern Judaism for what they sense is missing in Christianity. Modern Judaism, however, is the offspring of the Pharisees of Christ’s time. While there is a great deal of wisdom in Judaism there is also a great deal of error. As mentioned above, a part of what Christ did in His first appearance was to correct where Judaism had gone ‘off-track’. While most of the early Christians were Jews, most Jews rejected Christ and His message.

Since modern Judaism is the offspring of the Pharisees, modern Christians wanting to return to their Hebrew Roots should carefully scrutinize the practices in it. First and foremost a Christian should rely on the scriptures NOT on traditions or non-Christian philosophies, many of which have crept into modern Christianity. Christ specifically condemned many of the practices of the Pharisees that are still practiced in Judaism. That being said, there is much to be gained from the insight of a people who have studied the scriptures for centuries. The Jews rejected Christ in His first coming…they will recognize Him as the Messiah when He comes again. As ‘off-track’ as modern Christianity has become the question is…will most Christians?

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Gal. 1:8