Road Trippin With Rachael

Happy New Year!

As we launch into 2026 I hope that you are as excited as I am to begin a new series as we go through the book of Acts. Before we begin to look to the scriptures, we are first going to do a brief overview of what was actually going on in the world when Acts was written, and a few of the historical events that would later take place soon after the close of the book. More or less we are going to look at approximately the first 200 years of the Church Age. 

What Happened at the Beginning of the Church Age

As we look at Acts itself, we do need to realize that it is recording historical events that are taking place during the life of the author, Luke – who also wrote the Gospel that bears his name. Both a broader overview of events and specif events are recorded, but for us to understand many of them and the places recorded, its important to have a broad understanding of the world of the time. 

To begin, Acts, like the Gospels, takes place during the time of Pax Romana – the Peace of Rome. Rome is the major powerhouse on the world stage and the Roman empire was vast. Due to a stroke of pure genien, Rome had invested heavily in the infrastructure of the Empire, building roads, ports, bridges, and developing cities throughout. This set the stage for the Gospel to be easily spread. 

Additionally, the Roman Empire had a unique trait when it came to how the Empire would handle the religions of the different places that came under it’s rule. Instead of forcing people to give up their respective religions and practices, they allowed them to keep them; however, they would include the caveat that Caesare was to be confessed as Lord. If they did that, people were free to continue in their own religious practices. Paul would later address this in many of his letters (Romans 1:7, I Corinthians 1:2-3, Galatians 1:3-5). Having Jesus declared as Lord was a direct affront to the power of Caesare, and therefore to Rome itself. The syncratism of religion would eventually explain why certain Essential Doctrines had to be addressed in the early years of the church, and also explains some of the heresies that would also be addressed later on. 

Finally, although present in the Gospels, Acts more clearing shows the Hellenization of the world stage. Hellenistic culture  was brought about by Alexander the Great and would continue to influence western culture even into modern times.Primarily, it was the embracing and syncronization of Greek culture with the cultures of the local populace. This is why the Gospel and Acts introduce the readers to individuals who are of Hebrew descent, but have Greek names – such as the Apostle Phillip and later Paul’s assistant Timothy.  It also had a profound affect on the Ancient Middle East with the construction of temples dedicated to Greek gods outside of Greece or Rome. Even with Latin being the language most associated with Rome, the language of commerce was Greek, was the most widely spoken and understood language, and explains why the New Testament itself was written in Greek rather than Latin or Hebrew.

Essential Doctrines from the Early Church

As stated previously, Roman culture ultilized scynatism when it came to issues of faith and religion. From an administrative perspective, organized religion is often central to a culture’s identity – an example would be who people think inf the United States as being a Christian Nation – and by allowing them to keep that identity, they are less likely to cause trouble, and more likely to accept foreign rule. Herod during the time of Jesus would even build the temple in Jersulaem. :

The Herodian Temple was again the centre of Israelite life. It was not only the focus of religious ritual but also the repository of the Holy Scriptures and other national literature and the meeting place of the Sanhedrin, the highest court of Jewish law during the Roman period. The rebellion against Rome that began in 66 ce soon focused on the Temple and effectively ended with the Temple’s destruction on the 9th/10th of Av, 70 ce.” – Encyclopedia Britanica -(https://www.britannica.com/topic/Temple-of-Jerusalem) 

However, this cultural mixing of religions would eventually lead to the Early Church developing Essential Doctrines (beliefs that are a definitive part of Christian faith). These are listed below. 

1. Good of Creation (addresses Gnostisicm)
2. God is One (the Trinity)
3. Angels (they are not gods)
4. Jesus’ humanity (Jesus is fully Man)
5. Christ’s Exaultation (Jesus is fully God)

Heresies of the Early Church

As with many things we experience in life, they are often in response to or to address something else. Like the McDonald’s coffee cup that warns that the cup contains a hot beverage, so too do Essential Doctrines address heresies. Heresy is defined by Merriam-Webster as “adherence to a religion opinion that is contrary to church dogma” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heresy). Some of the heresies that were addressed in the first and second centuries are as follows.

1. Docetism – the teaching that Jesus was divine but only appeared to be human. This belief is addressed in both I John 4-1-3 and II John 7-11.
2. Judaizer Movement – To be a Christian, Gentiles (non-Israelites) needed to adhere to Jewish practices and customs such as their dietary laws and circumcision for males. This is addressed in Acts 15:1-33, Galatians 1:6-9, 2:14, 21, and 5:4. 
3. Colossian Heresy – although specifics are not known, Colossians 2:8, 20-23 addresses issues the church in Colossi was having with philosophy, angels, Jewish rituals, and asceticism. 
4. Ebionites – teaching that Jesus was a special individual, but was adopted by God and not fully divine . This is addressed in John 1:1-14 and Matthew 3:13-17.
5. Gnosticism – the teaching that the physical is bad while the immaterial is good. This is a mashup of Christian teaching with Platonic dualism, where salvation comes through “Secret Knowledge.” Scripture addresses this in John 1:1-18 and I John 1:1-4.
6. Marcionism – Teaching that rejects God’s consistency in His person by utilizing Gnostic regarding the material and immaterial; God of the Old Testament is evil because He created the material, while the God of the New Testament is good because his the Redeemer. This is addressed in Romans 1:1-4 and I Corinthians 8:5-6.
7. Montanism – Teaching that heavily emphasized miracles, speakingin tongues, and prophecy with heavy interest on end times and asceticism. 

Where Do We Go From Here?

As you can see ther is a great deal that happened during the time of the early church. As we go through the book of Acts we will be taking a closer look at the chapters and looking at how the Church began to organize itself to fulfill the Great Commissions, essential teachings that developed, and how the Church began to function. I hope that you enjoy the next year as we work our way through the book of Acts.