Judaizers, Gnostics and Nicolaitans

The early church was attacked by three groups of false teachers, the Judaizers, Gnostics and Nicolaitans. Who were these people? What did they believe? Do they exist in our world today?

Judiazers

A Judaizer taught that, in order for a Christian to truly be right with God, he must conform to the Mosaic Law. Circumcision, especially, was promoted as necessary for salvation. Gentiles had to become Jewish proselytes first, and then they could come to Christ. The doctrine of the Judaizers was a mixture of grace (through Christ) and works (through the keeping of the Law). This false doctrine was dealt with in Acts 15 and strongly condemned in the book of Galatians.

Paul made the case that, in Christ, there was no longer any distinction between Jew and Gentile, for God had purified the hearts of the Gentiles by faith (Acts 15:8-9). He said it plainly in Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

There are many groups today with beliefs and/or practices very similar to those of the Judaizers of the New Testament. It's a doctrine that is a mixture of law and grace. They reason that such a grand gift as forgiveness from such a holy God must require some kind of payment from us. They thank God for His grace, but think He expects us to somehow earn that grace—in other words, there must be something that we can do to pay off the debt we owe to God. The Bible is clear that the attempt to add human works to God’s grace overlooks the very meaning of grace, which is “undeserved blessing.”

Not all Judiazers require people to keep the Mosaic Law. Those who uphold man-made traditions and prohibitions as necessary to obtain (or earn) salvation are also "Judiazers." If our faith is based on our own performance, we are missing the point. There are things Christians need to deny themselves and do to be right with God but we will never earn our salvation by good works. If we could earn our salvation, Christ would not have had to die to provide it.

Don't get me wrong. God is a God of order and His church should operate in an orderly manner with proper guidelines. We become Judiazers when we base our salvation on keeping the Ordnung (church rules) rather than on faith in Christ.

Gnostics

Gnosticism is difficult to define because it comes in so many flavors and interpretations. By itself, it is not a separate denomination or religion but a religious philosophy. It is a framework from which to explain the nature of God, creation, good and evil, man, and the purpose of life. Gnostics tended to focus exclusively on the inner life of the spirit, which they clearly differentiated from material life.

In its most basic sense, Gnosticism is knowing, but its knowledge, while sometimes including the Word of God, does not have it as its foundation. Gnostics valued what they experienced, what elders told them, or what they learned from "angels," astrology, or chemistry, more than what was contained in Scripture. 

This same distrust of God's Word is readily seen in today's world. Basically, Satan told Adam and Eve, "You do not need to follow God's way, for it is obviously unfair and far too stringent. You can follow your own way. You can take knowledge to yourself of what is good and what is evil. You can be just like God in determining what is right and wrong." They took the bait, and ever since, man has rejected God's standard of righteousness in favor of his own.

Modern Gnostics who believe in "progressive revelation" have also succumbed to this first of Satan's ploys, "Hath God said?" While God does reveal things to us, the critical point is that what is revealed—if it truly comes from Him—will never contradict what He has already revealed in His Word.

Currently, the Bible's legitimacy is undergoing an intense assault. Due to popular Gnostic writings like The Da Vinci Code book and movie, many people are questioning the validity of the Bible. Satan seems to be asserting that the Word of God is subject to the whims of men and thus cannot be trusted. At every turn, faith founded in God's Word is being undermined.

Nicolaitans

The early church's choice of "Nicholas of Antioch" as one of the first deacons implies he likely possessed natural abilities and leadership qualities, as well as fulfilling the apostles' qualifications of being "of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3).  That Luke calls him a proselyte tells us that he was a Gentile who converted to Judaism before his calling to Christianity. 

Both Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria consider Nicolas of Antioch to be the founder of the Gnostic sect known as the Nicolaitians. Another early writer, Hippolytus, adds that Nicolas "departed from sound doctrine, and was in the habit of inculcating indifferency of both life and food," meaning he taught the Gnostic belief of the irrelevance of physical things. This reinforces Clement's claim that Nicolas became an ascetic and that his followers later perverted his teachings to encompass idolatry and immorality.

Though sincere and devout, he came to believe that the only way to grow spiritually was to consider his body and its desires as unimportant. His fundamental doctrine of asceticism appears to have been "the flesh must be treated with contempt" in order to reach a high level of spirituality.
Over the years, however, this teaching took on a more Gnostic spin: Since the flesh is unimportant, even contemptible, what one does in the flesh is of no consequence. Spiritual life, growth, and ultimately salvation occur in the soul, and since God is spirit, He has no regard for the flesh. Therefore, Nicolaitans reasoned, what does it matter if one satisfies the flesh's desires? At some point then, Nicolaitanism evolved from an ascetic philosophy to a licentious one—one that Christ says He hates (Revelation 2:6, 15).
When members of the church teach and practice that they are not obliged to keep the laws of God, sin will inevitably break out and apostasy will increase. 

To summarize, Judiaziers corrupt belief in Christ with faith in their own works. 
Gnostics are their own god, trusting in their own knowledge and reasoning. Common labels today are Atheism or secular humanism which deny any spiritual reality.
Nicolatians today often say, "It's what's on the inside that counts."  They believe they can live as they please and nothing they do will cause them to lose their salvation.

In contrast, Theists believe God is the Creator of all things and a personal living God. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Savior. Only by faith in Him and Him alone can we have peace with God and enter His presence after this life. His Word is the absolute authority and the standard by which we must live. That is what I believe, but I think we need to be aware of the false teaching that can so easily creep into the church and deceive us.
"Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen." 2 Peter 3:17-18.