User:Jave gonzales/sandbox

Nicolaitans (Christian's Theological P.O.V.)

Nicolaitans are those who followed the teachings of Nicholas/Nicolaus/Nikolaos (Greek:Νικόλαος, Nikólaos)  – whose name means “one who conquers the people’ – who was possibly one of the deacons of the early church mentioned in Acts 6:5 that states, “...Nicolaus, a Gentile from Antioch who had earlier been converted to Judaism”.

Gnostism Symbol

[1] or [2]

Bible Passages

The Bible mentioned the term "Nicolaitans" twice:

1. Revelations 6:2: "But this is what you have in your favor: you hate what the Nicolaitans do, as much as I do."
2. Revelations 2:15: “In the same way you have people among you who follow the teaching of the Nicolaitans."

Jesus is very clear in expressing His feelings concerning the deeds and doctrines of the Nicolaitans, He hates them.

Doctrines of Nicolaitans

• According to Jude 1:4, it is evident that Nicolaitans obstruct the Ten (10) Commandments of God and they also deny our Lord Jesus Christ. The passage says:

“For some godless people have slipped in unnoticed among us, persons who distort the message about the grace of our God in

order to excuse their immoral ways, and who reject Jesus Christ,

our only Master and Lord. Long ago the Scriptures predicted the

condemnation they have received.”

• The Bible clearly reminds us about keeping the Law in Romans 3:31 that says:

“Does this mean that by this faith we do away with the Law? No,

not at all; instead, we uphold the Law.”

• They will preach harmful lies, covetousness, and false words, to make merchandise of you! This was recorded on 2 Peter 2:15-16 which states that,

“They have left the straight path and have lost their way; they

have followed the path taken by Balaam son of Beor, who loved

the money he would get for doing wrong  and was rebuked for his

sin. His donkey spoke with a human voice and stopped the

prophet's insane action.”

• The Nicolaitans abused the doctrine of grace. Their doctrine made the law of God of no effect. By “believing” we are released from being doers of the word. Jesus never taught this, He hated it! 2 Peter 2:17-19 states that

“These people are like dried-up springs, like clouds blown along by

a storm; God has reserved a place for them in the deepest darkness.

They make proud and stupid statements, and use immoral bodily

lusts to trap those who are just beginning to escape from among

people who live in error. They promise them freedom while they

themselves are slaves of destructive habits—for we are slaves of

anything that has conquered us.”

Significance Today

Is this behavior evident or even promoted in churches today? Well, if we refuse God's Commandments, the Bible says in Romans 3:31 "...By their refusal to obey Gods Commandments, they deny our Lord Jesus Christ and what He taught." In fact, the Bible has prophesied that these teachings will be rampant until time will of Christ's second coming. It is written in 2 Peter 2:1 which states:

“False prophets appeared in the past among the people, and in

the same way false teachers will appear among you. They will

bring in destructive, untrue doctrines, and will deny the Master

who redeemed them, and so they will bring upon themselves

sudden destruction.”

We are to stay alert to false teaching. The Bible is the only standard for truth. The strong evidence for this was written in 2 Peter 2:2-3 which testifies that

^“Even so, many will follow their immoral ways; and because of what

they do, others will speak evil of the Way of truth. In their greed

these false teachers will make a profit out of telling you made-up

stories. For a long time now their Judge has been ready, and their

Destroyer has been wide awake!”

If God’s kingdom is your goal, money is only a tool, for Him. If your kingdom is the goal, God is viewed as a tool to be used. This is His Plan for us, we repent, and He forgives. When they obey His commandments, He blesses and rewards our obedience. We grow closer to Him through sanctification. We focus on building His kingdom, not ours. God’s answers can always be found in His word when we search for them.

References

*All the Bible passages were quoted using Good News Translation Bible Version. The readers were strongly advised to read the Bible texts themselves for deeper understanding.

[[Category:Religion]]