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What were some of the problems of the early church?

What were some of the problems of the early church, and how were they resolved, and how do they relate to the church today?

Some of the problems of the early church included the following:

  • Racial tensions between Jews and Gentiles, which was resolved by the disciples appointing deacons to care for the needs of all (Acts 6:1-7), and relates to the church today in that pastors can look to deacons to help in the ministry of the local church by ministering to all people without partiality.
  • Conflict over circumcision and whether it was necessary for salvation, which was resolved by taking the question to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-2, 22, 29), and relates to the church today in the testimonial ordinance of water baptism in that water baptism is important, but not necessary for salvation.
  • Resisting the authority of the Roman government, which was resolved by declaring that God’s will is for all believers to “be subject to the governing authorities” (Romans 13:1-7), and relates to the church today because believers should be taught today to respect their government and pay their taxes, even if they disagree with their practical policies.
  • Disagreement about whether to eat meat offered to idols, which was resolved by presenting the Biblical principle of Christian liberty whereby the “one who eats” is not to despise the “one who does not eat” and vice versa (Romans 141:1-4), and this relates to the church today in that believers should maintain unity even when they disagree on questionable practices.
  • Sexual immorality in the church, which was resolved by taking a stand against this type of sinning by not keeping company with the immoral person in question (1 Corinthians 5:1-9), and this relates to the church today by maintaining guidelines of church discipline for believers who are unrepentant of sexual immorality.
  • Law suits between believers, which was resolved by either allowing the church leaders to judge the case or by simply accepting the wrong of an offense (1 Corinthians 5:1-9), and this relates to the church today in that believers should know not to sue each other, but take their case to the church for judgment or just forgive and forget.
  • Perversion of the Gospel, which was resolved by not turning away from the grace of Christ (Galatians 1:6-10), and this relates to the church today by warning believers about staying away from the true Gospel of Christ and about being discerning of the preaching they hear.
  • Disunity among believers in the church, which was resolved by the Biblical call to be unselfish toward one another (Philippians 2:1-4), and this relates to the church today in that believers are to still place unity above personal pursuits.

These are just a few instances of problems in the early church and how they were resolved, as well as how they relate to the present day church. I hope this gives you insight into how God and His Word can bring solutions to the problems of the church, whether it’s the first century, or the twenty-first century! May God bless you in your local church as you seek to be part of the “solution” instead of part of the “problem”!