Christ In The Early Church

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The controversial tone of this little letter becomes what many would call “narrow.” The elder rails against anyone who goes ahead and who does not abide in the doctrine of Christ (vs. 9), and he advises the church to refuse hospitality to any who do not hold to the reality of Christ, and even not to greet them (vs.10). He does not want true followers of the Christ to share in such work, or more literally to fellowship in it. We may have to bury some of our prejudices in order to realize how importand this struggle was in the early church. The question of the person of Christ was hotly debated for a long time. If the leaders of the Church had not at times seemed dogmatic in their stand for the genuineness of Jesus’ life and ministry, they would