🌱 From Jesus to the Church: How Christian Traditions and Doctrines Took Root

Posted on May 29, 2025June 4, 2025 by Mountain Veteran Ministries

👣 Introduction: A Faith That Grew From a Carpenter’s Words

Let’s start where it all began—with a carpenter in dusty sandals, walking the hills of Galilee. He had no political office, no army, no social media account. Just a voice full of truth and a life that made people stop and think, “Could this really be the Messiah?”

That carpenter was Jesus of Nazareth.

Fast forward 2,000 years, and we’ve got churches on every continent, different denominations, stained-glass windows, creeds, communion rituals, hymnals, and mission boards. So how did we get from a simple rabbi to all this?

This post traces how the original teachings of Christ grew into the rich tapestry of Christian tradition and doctrine we know today. We’ll take it slow, simple, and Scripture-soaked—just how Jesus would want it.

📖 1. The Seed: Teachings of Christ

Jesus didn’t start a seminary or hand out theological textbooks. Instead, He taught with stories that stuck in people’s hearts—stories about mustard seeds, wayward sons, and hidden treasure (Matthew 13, Luke 15).

His central teachings focused on:

The Kingdom of God – not just heaven someday, but God’s rule breaking into the world now (Mark 1:15)
Loving God and loving others (Matthew 22:37–40)
Faith, grace, and forgiveness (Luke 7:47–50)
Eternal life through belief in Him (John 3:16)

He challenged religious leaders not by adding rules, but by going straight to the heart: “You have heard it said… but I say to you” (Matthew 5:21–48).

🪵 Illustration: Think of Jesus’ words like planting seeds in the soil of people’s hearts. The disciples didn’t just learn theology—they watched the gospel grow in action.

🌿 2. The Roots: The Apostolic Church (AD 30–100)

After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the apostles hit the road. They preached, wrote letters, started house churches, and suffered persecution—all to pass on what they had seen and heard (1 John 1:1–3).

The early Church was marked by:

Devotion to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42)
Unity in fellowship and prayer
Baptism as a public step of faith (Acts 2:38)
Breaking bread together in remembrance of Christ

Paul’s letters (Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, etc.) helped clarify how believers should live, how to treat one another, and how to understand Jesus as both Messiah and God in the flesh.

🪨 Illustration: The Church was like a young tree with its roots growing deeper. The apostles were the gardeners, tending the soil with truth, and watching the gospel take hold in the Gentile world.

🌳 3. The Trunk: Church Fathers and the Rise of Creeds (2nd–5th Century)

After the apostles died, early Christian leaders—called the Church Fathers—carried on their work. They battled false teachings and sought to define orthodoxy (right belief) using the teachings of Jesus and the apostles as their guide.

Major challenges included:

Gnosticism – denying Jesus’ humanity
Arianism – denying Jesus’ divinity
Docetism – claiming Jesus only appeared to suffer

To defend the faith, Church councils were held:

Council of Nicaea (AD 325) – Affirmed that Jesus is fully God.
Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) – Declared Jesus is both fully God and fully man.

The Apostles’ Creed and Nicene Creed became important tools to teach and protect the core of the gospel.

📜 Illustration: This was the Church’s “trunk stage”—growing stronger and broader. The creeds were like the bark on the tree—protecting the core truth of who Jesus is.

🌿 4. The Branches: Medieval Christianity and the Great Schism (6th–15th Century)

As Christianity expanded across Europe and the East, new traditions formed around:

Sacraments – Seven major ones were identified (baptism, Eucharist, marriage, etc.)
Liturgy and worship – Highly structured, symbolic, often in Latin or Greek
Monasteries – Places of prayer, study, and service
Authority – The pope in Rome gained spiritual and political power

But theological differences between the Eastern and Western Churches grew over time. In 1054, the Great Schismofficially divided the Church into:

The Roman Catholic Church in the West
The Eastern Orthodox Church in the East

🏰 Illustration: Picture the tree growing broad, with strong branches reaching east and west. Some bore beautiful fruit. Others became heavy with politics and traditions that sometimes overshadowed Scripture.

✂️ 5. The Pruning: The Protestant Reformation (16th Century)

Fast forward to the 1500s. Many believers, priests included, felt the Church had wandered too far from Christ’s simple gospel. The Bible was kept from the common people. Indulgences were sold as “get out of hell free” cards. Faith was being buried under layers of man-made rules.

Enter Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other reformers.

They emphasized:

Sola Scriptura – The Bible alone is our final authority
Sola Fide – We are saved by faith alone
Sola Gratia – By grace alone, not earned

The Protestant Reformation sparked a return to Scripture, preaching, and congregational worship. It also led to new denominations like Lutheran, Reformed, Baptist, and eventually Methodist and others.

✂️ Illustration: Just like a tree needs pruning to stay healthy, the Reformers trimmed back traditions that no longer bore fruit—so that the gospel could grow fresh and free once more.

🌸 6. The Blossoms: Modern Movements and Global Growth (17th Century to Today)

The Church didn’t stop growing after the Reformation. Over the last few centuries, new expressions of faith have emerged—each seeking to live out Jesus’ teachings in fresh ways.

Notable movements include:

Evangelicalism – A focus on personal faith and the Bible
Pentecostalism – Emphasis on the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts
The Missionary Movement – Spreading the gospel globally
The House Church Movement – Simple gatherings without clergy or buildings

Today, the Church is as diverse as ever. Some worship with pipe organs, others with electric guitars. Some follow ancient liturgy, others meet in living rooms. But when Christ is the center, the core remains the same.

🌺 Illustration: The tree is in full bloom, its blossoms scattered across cultures and countries. The expressions may look different, but they all grow from the same root—Jesus Christ.

🧭 Summary: From Christ’s Voice to the Church’s Voice

What began as the simple, heart-stirring teachings of a Galilean carpenter became the foundation of a global faith. Jesus didn’t hand out detailed doctrines or religious blueprints—He gave us truth in action. He called people to repentance, showed mercy, healed the broken, and revealed God’s heart in every parable and encounter.

From there:

The apostles rooted the faith in Scripture and gospel-centered community.
The Church Fathers protected the message from error and developed creeds to guide generations.
The Medieval Church grew wide, full of ritual and structure—sometimes helpful, sometimes harmful.
The Reformers called the Church back to Scripture, faith, and grace.
And in the modern era, the faith has spread like wildfire, expressed in many tongues, styles, and cultures.

But through all the change, the heart of the message has stayed the same:
Jesus Christ—crucified, risen, and reigning—is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Every Christian tradition worth keeping points back to Him.

🏁 Conclusion: Rooted in Christ, Growing in Grace

Friend, we don’t follow tradition for tradition’s sake. And we don’t toss it all out, either. We follow Jesus, and the best of our doctrines and traditions help us do just that.

Here’s what it means for you and me today:

Stay grounded in the Word. If Jesus taught it, the apostles lived it, and Scripture confirms it—hold onto it.
Appreciate godly tradition. Creeds, sacraments, and liturgies can be beautiful tools for shaping faith—when they point us back to Christ.
Test everything. Not all church practices are biblical. Like the Bereans (Acts 17:11), examine everything against Scripture.
Bear fruit where you’re planted. Whether you’re in a small country church or a bustling city congregation, if Jesus is the center, you’re in good soil.

At the end of the day, Christianity isn’t just a set of doctrines or a line of traditions. It’s a living relationship with the living Christ. He is the vine; we are the branches. Stay close to Him, and you’ll bear fruit (John 15:5).

So let’s be a people who know our roots, honor our history, and keep our eyes on Jesus. The tree is still growing, and God isn’t finished with His Church yet.

📖 Scripture References

Matthew 22:37–40
Mark 1:15
John 3:16
Luke 15
Acts 2:42
Romans 10:9
Matthew 16:18
John 15:5

📚 Further Reading

The Story of Christianity – Justo L. González
Church History in Plain Language – Bruce L. Shelley
Creeds of Christendom – Philip Schaff
Christian Theology – Millard J. Erickson

🙌 Share Your Story

How has your church tradition helped shape your faith?
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📝 Published by Mountain Veteran Ministries
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