Introduction
- James Collazo
- Jan 14
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 22
First Century Christian Faith is about following Jesus in the way he was first known: fully human, fully divine, alive and active among his people. It is not about abstract ideas or distant history—it is about encountering the living Christ and letting that encounter shape how we live, worship, and serve.
I began this ministry in 2017, driven by a desire to explore Christianity at its roots. I wanted to bring together two worlds that rarely meet: the devotion of believers and the insight of scholarship. Scholars study the historical Jesus; churchgoers worship the Christ of faith. I wanted to do both. I wanted to see the historical Jesus and believe in his divinity without compromise. This pursuit of the authentic Jesus is at the heart of First Century Christian Faith.
Christian origins is an academic field that 1) quests for the historical Jesus, 2) examines whether his followers were justified in worshiping him as the Messiah, and 3) studies the apostle Paul's influence on the formation and growth of the early church. Scholars also research biblical archaeology, as well as ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman literature, to give the New Testament its full context. By combining these studies with personal discipleship, I aim to help us see the historical Jesus Christ of faith—the one who transforms hearts today, not just a figure of the past.
Jesus, the Church & the Way of Discipleship
Most approaches to interpretation emphasize piety, while the historical-grammatical method grounds faith in history and literature. This method revealed the authentic Jesus to me and sparked a spiritual rebirth that changed my faith. Traveling among the churches of Christendom, I sought glimpses of "first-century faith" and learned to embrace both his divinity and humanity more fully.
I use the historical-grammatical method to teach others how to follow Jesus more faithfully. I hope for a return to first-century faith and a recovery of paleo-orthodoxy—the central beliefs that have held Christians together through the ages. Let us hear the words of Vincent of Lérins (d. c. AD 450), the Gallo-Roman theologian:
Moreover, in the universal church, all possible care must be taken that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all. That is indeed and, in the strictest sense, "universal," which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. We shall observe this rule if we follow universality, antiquity, and the principle of consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one faith to be accurate, which the whole church throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our holy ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all pastors and theologians (adapt. Rea, p. 40).
Christology and ecclesiology go together: the church is Christ's body and the pillar of truth (1 Tim. 3:15). It is not a collection of traditions or labels but a living fellowship seeking Jesus "in Spirit and truth" (John 4:23). It is holy, multiethnic, and mission-oriented.
Reading Scripture with First-Century Eyes
Too often we read the New Testament through the eyes of later centuries—through the Reformation (1517–1648) and the Enlightenment (c. 1715–1789)—rather than with first-century eyes and hearts attuned to Christ. Let us heed the words of British scholar N. T. Wright (b. 1948): "For too long we have read Scripture with nineteenth-century eyes and sixteenth-century questions. It's time to get back to reading with first-century eyes and twenty-first-century questions" (Justification, p. 37). First Century Christian Faith emphasizes plain reading of Scripture. Jesus' teachings, like the Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3–12), are not abstract ideals—they are a call to act, to live in righteousness and mercy here and now.
A Heritage of Faithful Disciples
First Century Christian Faith traces a line of disciples who preserved the gospel through devotion, service, and courage: the original Christians, desert ascetics, medieval "Modern Devotion" movements, Franciscans, proto-Protestants, Anabaptists, United Brethren (Moravians), Pietists, early Methodist movement, and Messianic Jews (see "Paleo-Orthodoxy & Succession"). They lived the gospel faithfully, often apart from political power, embodying what it truly means to follow Jesus. As Daniel C. Juster (b. 1947), the Israel-based theologian, observes, these groups remained committed to the Jewish roots of Christianity (see "Israel: Election & Identity"). N. T. Wright adds:
The eighteenth century saw great movements of revival, mainly through the Methodist movement led by John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield. I suspect that the Wesleyan emphasis on Christian experience, both the "spiritual" experience of knowing the love of God in one's own heart and life and the "practical" experience of living a holy life for oneself and of working for God's justice in the world, might well be cited as evidence of a movement in which parts of the church did integrate several elements in the gospels, a synthesis that the majority of Western Christians have allowed to fall apart (Justification, p. 37).
Experiencing a Hebraic Wave
First Century Christian Faith embraces a Messianic "commonwealth" approach to covenant theology: God relates to Israel through the Law of Moses and to the church through the Law of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 3:17–25, 6:2), without changing the promise of salvation in Christ for all, received by the justification of faith.
Paul declared that God never abandoned the Jewish people and includes Gentiles in his plan (Rom. 11:25–26). The rediscovery of the Didachē, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the establishment of Israel, and the rise of Messianic Judaism show God's faithfulness in revealing the Jewish roots of the faith. German theologian Jürgen Moltmann (1926–2024) observed: "We stand today in a remarkable period of transition . . . the Christian faith is experiencing what I would like to call a 'Hebraic wave'" (Wilson, p. 125).
An Instrument of Peace
First Century Christian Faith seeks unity between Christian Gentiles and Messianic Jews, emphasizing the shared inheritance in Christ. It follows a ministry of service and love, affirming Israel's calling (cf. Rom. 11:29) and the unity of all believers in Christ (cf. Gal. 3:28). It belongs to the one holy, universal church—the living body of Christ, with one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all—where all true believers are united in him (cf. Eph. 4:4–6). Let us pray in the words attributed to Francis of Assisi (1182–1226), the humble friar of Italy:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is error, truth; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master: Grant that I may not seek so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood, to understand, to be loved as to love. Because it is in giving that we receive, in forgiving that we are forgiven, and in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
Conclusion
Hear the words of Richard C. Halverson (1916–1995), who once served as chaplain to the United States Senate:
In the beginning, the church was a fellowship of men and women centered on the living Christ. They had a personal and vital relationship with the Lord, and it transformed their lives and the world around them. Then the church moved to Greece, where it became a philosophy. Then it moved to Rome, where it became an institution. Next, it moved to Europe, where it became a culture. Finally, it moved to America, where it has become an enterprise (Dunnam, pp. 31–32; Larson, p. 50).
First Century Christian Faith seeks to live and share Jesus without compromise—not through politics, but through love, faith, and daily devotion. The church thrives as transformed hearts, renewed communities, and gospel-shaped lives bear witness to Christ. This ministry is one of faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13).
Peace be with you,
James M. Collazo, M.T.S.
Theological Content Lead
Paleo-Christian Press
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth! In your great love, you sent your Son, Jesus, as Redeemer and the source of eternal life. Through his death, resurrection, and ascension, you secured our redemption, and by your Holy Spirit, you raised apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers to gather your people for your glory. Fill us with boldness to share the gospel of reconciliation, courage to use your authority for salvation, and passionate commitment to serve as faithful stewards, until we stand before you in everlasting joy. We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Bibliography
Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the God of Israel: "God Crucified" and Other Essays on the New Testament's Christology of Divine Identity. Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster, 2008.
Bornstein, Daniel E., ed. A People's History of Christianity, Vol. 4: Medieval Christianity. Edited by Denis R. Janz. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2009.
Braaten, Carl E., and Robert W. Jenson, eds. Jews and Christians: People of God. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.
Burrus, Virginia, ed. A People's History of Christianity, Vol. 2: Late Ancient Christianity. Edited by Denis R. Janz. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005.
Collazo, James. First-Century Faith: Reviving Christian Origins in Belief and Practice. Erie, PA: Paleo-Christian Press, 2025.
Danker, Ryan N., ed. The Faith Once Delivered: A Wesleyan Witness to Christian Orthodoxy. Alexandria, VA: John Wesley Institute, 2022.
Dobson, Kent. NIV First-Century Study Bible: Explore Scripture in Its Jewish and Early Christian Context. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Dunnam, Maxie D. Cultivating a Thoughtful Faith. Edited by Stephen G. W. Moore. Nashville, Abingdon, 2005.
Horsley, Richard A., ed. A People's History of Christianity, Vol. 1: Christian Origins. Edited by Denis R. Janz. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005.
Juster, Daniel C. Passion for Israel: A Short History of the Evangelical Church's Commitment to the Jewish People and Israel. Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publications, 2012.
⸻. That They May Be One: A Brief Review of Church Restoration Movements and Their Connection to the Jewish People. Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publications, 2009.
Klett, Fred. "Not Replacement... Expansion!" Monergism. Christian Publication Resource Foundation, 2021. link.
Knight, Jonathan. Christian Origins. New York: T&T Clark, 2008.
Lapide, Pinchas E. Hebrew in the Church. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.
Larson, Bruce. Wind and Fire: Living Out the Book of Acts. Waco, TX: Word, 1984.
Lawson, Steve. Pillars of Grace AD 100–1564. Vol. 2 of A Long Line of Godly Men. Sanford, FL: Reformation Trust, 2011.
Matheson, Peter, ed. A People's History of Christianity, Vol. 5: Reformation Christianity. Edited by Denis R. Janz. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007.
McDermott, Gerald, ed. Understanding the Jewish Roots of Christianity: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Essays on the Relationship Between Christianity and Judaism. Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2021.
Porterfield, Amanda, ed. A People's History of Christianity, Vol. 5: Modern Christianity to 1900. Edited by Denis R. Janz. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2006.
Rea, Robert F. Why Church History Matters: An Invitation to Love and Learn from Our Past. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2014.
Rubin, Barry, and David H. Stern, eds. The Complete Jewish Study Bible. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2016.
Shelley, Bruce L. Church History in Plain Language. 5th ed. Edited by Marshall Shelley. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2020.
Soulen, R. Kendall. The God of Israel and Christian Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996.
Spinrad, Paul. "Whither Messianic Judaism?" Medium (blog). December 13, 2014. link.
Stern, David H. Messianic Judaism: A Modern Movement with an Ancient Past. 2nd ed. Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publications, 2009.
⸻. Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel: A Message for Christians, Revised Edition. Clarksville, MD: Messianic Jewish Publications, 2010.
Storms, Sam. "Replacement Theology or Inclusion Theology?" Sam Storms: Enjoying God (blog). November 1, 2017. link.
Strauss, Mark L. Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020.
Trotter, Perry, and Steve Murray. "Replacement Theology: Time-Honoured Error." Israel in the Biblical Worldview. January 1, 2016. Video, 7:00. link.
Varner, William, Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, David H. Stern, John Fischer, and Gershon Nerel. How Jewish Is Christianity? Two Views on the Messianic Movement. Counterpoints. Edited by Louis Goldberg and Stanley N. Gundry. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
Westin, Gunnar. The Free Church Through the Ages. Nashville: Broadman, 1958.
Wilson, Marvin R. Our Father Abraham: Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.
Wright, N. T. How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels. San Francisco: HarperOne, 2016.
⸻. Justification: God's Plan and Paul's Vision. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016.
Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2019.
Wyschogrod, Michael. Abraham's Promise: Judaism and Jewish–Christian Relations. Edited by R. Kendall Soulen. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004.
⸻. The Body of Faith: God in the People Israel. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000.
