The Ebionite Heresy

Heresies related to the person of Christ tend to emphasize His true deity at the expense of His true humanity or His true humanity at the expense of His true deity. One ancient heresy that falls into the second category was the heresy taught by a group called the Ebionites.

Eusebius of Caesarea, an important fourth-century bishop who is considered the father of the discipline of church history, describes the Ebionite heresy in his Ecclesiastical History. He writes that most Ebionites “considered [Jesus] a plain and common man, who was justified only because of his superior virtue, and who was the fruit of the intercourse of a man with Mary. In their opinion the observance of the ceremonial law was altogether necessary, on the ground that they could not be saved by faith in Christ alone and by a corresponding life.” He also notes that some Ebionites retained belief in the virgin birth of Jesus but nevertheless affirmed that He was only a man and that His followers must keep the entire Mosaic law, including ceremonial ordinances such as circumcision, to be saved.

Ultimately, the Ebionite heresy was only a little better than the views of Jesus’ opponents given in today’s passage. These opponents believed that our Savior was merely a man and could not have come down from heaven. To their credit, the Ebionites professed that Jesus is the Messiah, unlike the Jews mentioned in John 6:42. Nevertheless, in holding that Jesus is not God incarnate, they ended up denying the true predicament that sinners find themselves in and seeking salvation from one who cannot truly give it. We need much more than a good teacher and virtuous man to save us from sin and its consequences. We need a Savior who can bring those who are dead in sin and opposed to all that is good and holy to new spiritual life (Eph. 2:1–7). Only One who has life in and of Himself can bring dead sinners out of the darkness and into God’s marvelous light and life (John 5:26).

In other words, while our Savior must be truly human to pay the penalty that we human beings deserve, He must also be truly God to effectively cancel the curse of sin, lift us out of our misery, and rescue us from the wrath of God. The church of the Lord Jesus Christ has always understood this, so it has rejected any view of Jesus that sees Him as only a man even if it holds that He is a perfect man. A merely human Savior cannot redeem us.