Even though Antlers and I disagree quite a bit on Christianity I do believe he has made a valid point when he has suggested going back to original 1st century Christianity for answers. A time much closer to Jesus' life on earth and less clouded by misconceptions or even lies of whosoever might seek to explain things. I might suggest the sect know as the Ebionites were the first Christians and a good write-up on them can be found if you Google vexen.co.uk ebionites, and find the article 1st Century Ebionites The Original Christians.
I see why you are interested in the Ebionites. There are some striking similarities, as they also denied the deity of Jesus and rejected Paul and claimed he was a false apostle. The Ebionites denied the virgin birth and the substitutionary atonement and believed Jesus was the natural son of Mary and Joseph, that Jesus was a mere man adopted by God. As they were vegetarians, they were also opposed to animal sacrifices.
New Testament Christianity is older and more accurate than the heresy of the Ebionite sect. They twisted scripture and altered Christian text to fit their own beliefs and teachings and created their own Jesus stories after the New Testament gospels were written. They even used those same gospels to fit their own narratives and rejected core Christian teachings.
Thankfully, Ebionism didn’t last long and finally fizzled out. Ebionism was as heretical as are some of your “Christian” views.
Ebionites were the original Christianity. They relied on the original book of Matthew which did not have the first two chapters. You are correct in your description of their beliefs, but I believe you may be very wrong on who altered the texts.
Are we to be thankful that the Ebionites were replaced by the Christian/Roman version as the majority?
The Ebionites revised the book of Matthew and wrote their own gospel. The Biblical gospels are the source of the Ebionite gospel(s). Even the anti-Christian Bart Ehrman said that the Ebionite gospel “represented a kind of harmony of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke”.
But, the Ebionites altered authoritative scripture and among many alterations, said Jesus became Christ at his baptism, not before, and that Christ stayed a man, not God. They also thought Jesus was not as great as Moses. They believed if anyone could keep the law of Moses as well as Jesus did, then that person could also become a “Christ”. The Ebionites even replaced the word locust to honey cake (referring to what John the Baptist ate in the wilderness), as they were strict vegetarians.
The New Testament gospels were viewed as authoritative scripture when the Ebionites began writing their own gospel. They were a heretical sect that altered the Christian faith to fit their own agenda.
One cannot deny the deity of Jesus and be saved. One has to believe Jesus is God to be saved. It is absolutely essential to the Christian faith.
“If you should confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
“For all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Roma s 10:13
The Bible teaches that Jesus is God over and over and over and over. Denying that Jesus is God rejects God’s Word and the essentials of Christianity.
If we deny Jesus before men, He will deny us as well, Matthew 10:32-33, 2 Timothy 2:12
No one wants to hear: “ I never knew you, depart from me.” Matthew 7:23, Matthew 25:12, Luke 13:27
