Who were the Nicolaitans?

[bearbear]

The Nicolaitans are mentioned twice in the book of Revelation, where their deeds and teachings are condemned.

Jesus commends the church in Ephesus for hating the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which He also hates:

Revelation 2:6
"But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."

Jesus rebukes the church in Pergamum for having some who hold to the teachings of the Nicolaitans:

Revelation 2:15
"Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate."

Witness Lee taught that the Nicolaitans were heretical because they espoused a clergy-laity system. Here's a quote from The Life Study of Revelation, Message 10,

The Lord hates the works of the Nicolaitans. If you want to understand what the works of the Nicolaitans are, read Brother Nee’s book, The Orthodoxy of the Church. The works of the Nicolaitans refer to a hierarchy among the saints in which some set themselves to rule over others. This brings into being the so-called clergy and laity. In the church in Ephesus there was not the doctrine, the teaching, of the Nicolaitans. This was to develop later. But there were the works and activities of the Nicolaitans, that is, there was some type of hierarchy of clergy and laity. The word Nicolaitans is an equivalent of the Greek word Nikolaitai, the root of which is Nikolaos, composed of two Greek words — niko and laos. Niko means conquer or above others. Laos means common people, secular people, or laity.

Lee based his interpretation on the meaning of the word Nikolaos. But what if Nikolaos was an actual person whose beliefs did not necessarily match the meaning of his name? It turns out we actually have writings from several early church fathers which explain the origins of the Nicolaitans and that Nikolaos was an actual person.

Early Church Fathers on the Nicolaitans

1. Irenaeus (130-202 AD)
   Irenaeus, disciple of Polycarp, disciple of the Apostle John, wrote about the Nicolaitans, identifying them as followers of Nicolas, one of the seven deacons mentioned in Acts 6:5. According to Irenaeus, the Nicolaitans practiced licentiousness and claimed it was permissible because of grace.
   

   (Against Heresies, Book I, Chapter 26)
   The Nicolaitanes are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, [when they are represented] as teaching that it is a matter of indifference to practise adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Wherefore the Word has also spoken of them thus: But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate. Revelation 2:6.

2. Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD)
   Clement of Alexandria, also condemned the Nicolaitans and associated the Nicolaitans with moral laxity and indulgence.
   

   (Stromata, Book II, Chapter 20)
   Such also are those (who say that they follow Nicolaus, quoting an adage of the man, which they pervert, that the flesh must be abused. But the worthy man showed that it was necessary to check pleasures and lusts, and by such training to waste away the impulses and propensities of the flesh. But they, abandoning themselves to pleasure like goats, as if insulting the body, lead a life of self-indulgence; not knowing that the body is wasted, being by nature subject to dissolution; while their soul is buried in the mire of vice; following as they do the teaching of pleasure itself, not of the apostolic man."

3. Tertullian (155-240 AD)
   Tertullian linked the Nicolaitans with Jezebel in Revelation 2:20 who promoted sexual immorality and eating food sacrificed to idols.
   

   (On Modesty, Chapter 19)
   "For (the angel of the Thyatirene Church) was secretly introducing into the Church, and urging justly to repentance, an heretical woman, who had taken upon herself to teach what she had learned from the Nicolaitans."

Nicolaitans in Scripture

The Nicolaitans are often connected to antinomianism, the belief that under the dispensation of grace, moral law is of no use and Christians are exempt from following it. This belief leads to immoral behavior, as adherents claim that their sins do not matter because they are covered by grace.

The apostle Paul addresses the misuse of grace in Romans 6:1-2

Romans 6:1-2
"What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?"

Paul makes it clear that grace is not a license to sin.

Additionally, Jude warns against those who turn the grace of God into lewdness in Jude 1:4 which matches pretty well with the early church father's description of the Nicolaitans.

Jude 1:4
For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

The early church fathers and the scriptures strongly indicate that the Nicolaitans were heretics because their teachings perverted the doctrine of grace, turning it into an excuse for immoral behavior. This abuse of grace contradicts biblical teaching that believers are called to live holy and blameless lives (Ephesians 1:4). Jude mentioned "certain men crept in unnoticed" so it is likely sects like the Nicolaitans blended in with other Christians through mental agreement to divine facts such as Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sin yet their actions and teachings were contrary to the gospel, and thus, the Nicolaitans were not considered saved.

The Nicolaitans serve as a warning about the dangers of distorting the message of grace. True grace leads to a transformed life, not a license for sin.

Hebrews 12:14
Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

Titus 2:11-12
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.

Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.

[HERn]

Thanks for starting this thread.

I think both Nee and Lee obtained their doctrine on the Nicolaitans from the 1917 version of The Scofield Bible. And I think Scofield got it from Darby or the Plymouth Brethren, but I don’t have a reference for it.

https://www.studylight.org/commentar...elation-2.html

“Verse 6 Nicolaitanes

From nikao, "to conquer," and laos, "the people," or "laity." There is no ancient authority for a sect of the Nicolaitanes. If the word is symbolic it refers to the earliest form of the notion of a priestly order, or "clergy," which later divided an equal brotherhood Matthew 23:8 into "priests" and "laity." What in Ephesus was "deeds" Revelation 2:6 had become in Pergamos a "doctrine Revelation 2:15.

Nicolaitanes Revelation 2:15; Revelation 2:15 contra, ; 1 Peter 5:2; 1 Peter 5:3; Matthew 24:49.”

I think that both Scofield and Nee/Lee were wrong re: the Nicolaitans because neither Paul, John, or Peter had the opinion that shepherds that serve the flock full time should not be paid or honored; nor did the men (early church fathers) that were discipled by them.

Being a Protestant I believe in the priesthood of the believers and that we are a kingdom of priests who do not need a human priest to mediate between me and God. But, I do believe Christ has given gifts to the body including pastors/elders. And I’m also comfortable with paying men who devote themselves full time in service as pastors/elders. But, even in Protestantism there is a danger that men will abuse their role as shepherds of the sheep.

I think it’s possible that the term Nicolaitans refers to men who by abusive leadership lead their flocks into the kinds of sin that the early church fathers described. This type of “clergy/laity” would certainly be sin and something for the saints to flee from.

[ThankfulForever777]

Originally Posted by HERn

I think both Nee and Lee obtained their doctrine on the Nicolaitans from the 1917 version of The Scofield Bible. And I think Scofield got it from Darby or the Plymouth Brethren, but I don’t have a reference for it.

This serves as a good example of the unfair, one-sided, and narrow approach to interpreting the Bible within the LC. In my opinion, relying solely on the meaning of a name of Nicolaitans appears insufficient.

Sadly, Witness Lee frequently disregarded teachings that challenged his views while readily accepting those that supported his own agenda.

Personally, I had not encountered alternative interpretations concerning the Nicolaitans, until I looked up this matter myself after leaving the LC. This alternative interpretation seems more credible, as it factors historical evidence overlooked by W. Lee.