Reading church history will reveal that, in attempting to avoid various grave errors, many well-intending people have often countered one error by embracing an extreme error in the opposite direction, like a swinging pendulum. Some theologians who are deeply concerned with legalism (earning favor with God through erroneous law-keeping) may fall into promoting the radical extreme of antinomianism (lawlessness). A basic understanding of the common theological swings in church history will protect us from unbiblical extremes.

One of the most precious things God has given us is time. As wise stewards of our time and energy, we must prioritize our spare time and make every minute count. We know it’s very important to put aside time to read God’s Word, but with so many interests competing for our time, we may not think of reading about the history of the church as a priority. Here are ten beautiful things you will “be” after reading church history:

1. You will be amazed.

In the Bible, we read about God’s amazing acts down through time, from Adam to Jesus. Yet, God’s story doesn’t end after the book of Revelation. After his resurrection, Christ rose to heaven to rule over his people, and the Bible foretold the future expansion of the church, beginning with the evangelistic efforts of his disciples. Church history teaches us how God providentially expands his church from a small seed that spreads more and more to fill the whole earth!

When we read church history, we are left awe-filled as we learn the story of God’s faithfulness in preserving his church and accomplishing his eternal plan. We also learn about Satan’s frightening and relentless attempts to corrupt the Christian faith through the introduction of endless false teachings! Although sometimes it seems like Satan is winning, when we read church history we learn about God’s work raising up ordinary people to defend the truth. This gives us a sense of trust in God’s own continuous protection over his church. Read church history and be amazed by our all-powerful God fulfilling his plan through what may often look like the worst of times!

2. You will be motivated.

Not only do we have the great cloud of witnesses in the Old Testament (Heb. 11) and the examples of the apostles, but we also have about two thousand years of examples of Christians persevering in the faith. When we read church history, we learn about people who persevered through hardships and persecutions many times greater than what we face today. Many of us might enroll in a college class and pay to be taught by the best teachers today, but when reading the many free resources available on church history, we discover important figures to whom we can turn as free mentors! Church history motivates us to run the race in the face of hardship, following in the footsteps of Christ, the apostles, and men like William Tyndale and John Calvin. These figures remind us to live and serve God well in this life and to endure to the end.

3. You will be protected.

Reading church history is one of the most effective ways to protect ourselves against being swept away by false teachings. We are never as clever and discerning as we think we are—history gives seemingly endless accounts of intelligent individuals who were swept away into false teachings unaware. Satan’s lies are so successful in fooling people that he uses the same old lies again and again, fooling generations of people who are unaware of how earlier generations were fooled. As the famous saying (most likely from philosopher George Santayana) goes, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Reading church history introduces us to the Christian creeds and confessions, which are used to help protect us from false teachings. They are like having a shield against tricks or having the answers ahead of time! Those who do not have a broad overview of church history will be unaware of previous defenses of the faith and will be more vulnerable to deception and cleverly-argued false teachings.

4. You will be humbled.

Reading church history is a great way to increase in humility, as we see some of the most brilliant and well-studied Christian men holding to some unusual and erroneous ideas. Church history quickly reveals that no one has flawless theology—everyone has some doubts and even errors. We all can benefit from the help of others in pointing out our theological errors so we can purge them. One of the first questions we should ask ourselves is, “Is this belief or interpretation historically passed down from the apostles, or is this a new invention completely divorced from the apostles and early church?” Reading church history helps ground us and keep us humble, reminding us that we are not necessarily the wisest people—or generation.

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