Carlos de Jesus

“At times, however, this special aura of authority could present problems for Christianity as some of the apostles’ successors introduced their own ideas into the stream of early theology. As we will see, occasionally these fathers of the generation after the apostles gave the gospel their own unique interpretations that began to turn it away from the great themes of grace and faith so strongly emphasized by Paul and other apostles and more toward the gospel as a “new law” of God-pleasing conduct and behavior.”
― Roger E. Olson, The Story of Christian Theology

“Describing to the emperor Trajan what he has learned of Christian practice, Pliny writes that “on an appointed day they had been accustomed to meet before daybreak, and to recite a hymn antiphonally to Christ, as a god.”[4] Later accounts testify that hymn singing was well established in Christian worship by the second century. As it developed, believers used models from the New Testament like the following lyric passage from Colossians. In it the early Christian community declares the centrality of Jesus in creation and in the church, looking back to Christ’s death and resurrection and forward to the restoration of all things in him:”
― Mark A. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity

“Noting the parallels between Clement and Martin Luther, Jordan Cooper concludes, “For both Clement and Luther, the Pauline polemic against works does not refer only to Jewish boundary markers, but to good works in general. If Clement were asked what works a man must perform to achieve justification, he would likely respond as did Luther: ‘Nothing at all.”
― Nathan Busenitz, Long Before Luther: Tracing the Heart of the Gospel From Christ to the Reformation

“Luther emphasizes this point in his Commentary on Galatians: “Christians are not made righteous in doing righteous things, but being now made righteous by faith in Christ, they do righteous things.”3”
― Nathan Busenitz, Long Before Luther: Tracing the Heart of the Gospel From Christ to the Reformation