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and chapters 1-13 written several years later, but for our purpose we shall use the
accepted name of the Epistle of Polycarp. It is a sequel to the letters of Ignatius. When
Ignatius had left Philippi for Rome, on his way to martyrdom, the believers at Philippi
wrote, as he had suggested, to Polycarp at Smyrna, asking him to send them the letters of
Ignatius that he had in his possession, and this he did with a covering letter, which we
know as Polycarp to the Philippians. As we examine it regarding its doctrine, what do we
find? That he knew the text of a number of N.T. books there is no doubt, but it is one
thing to quote the N.T., it is quite another to understand its teaching, and this is where so
many of the Apostolic Fathers failed. Like Ignatius he made his stand against the early
error of Docetism:
"For every one who does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is an
anti-Christ; and whosoever does not confess the testimony of the cross is of the devil;
and whosoever perverts the oracles of the Lord for his own lusts, and says there is neither
resurrection nor judgment, this man is the first-born of Satan" (Phil.7:1).
On the opening of the epistle we are encouraged to read:
". . . . . For you know that you have been saved by His grace, not by what you have
done, but by the will of God through Jesus Christ."
Yet, a few verses further on we find the following:
"He Who raised Him (Christ) from the dead, will raise us also, if we do His will and
live by His commands, and love what He loved, refraining from all injustice,
covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; not returning evil for evil or
abuse for abuse, or blow for blow, or curse for curse, but remembering what the Lord
said when He taught: `Do not judge, so that you may not judged; forgive and you will be
forgiven; have mercy so that you may be shown mercy" (Phil.2:2,3).
We rub our eyes, as it were, and ask ourselves how Polycarp could have written this,
had he really understood the doctrine of grace as made known in Paul's epistles? The
answer is that he did not fully understand it. Actually he wrote:
"For neither I, nor anyone else like me, can follow the wisdom of the blessed and
glorious Paul, who, when he was among you, face to face with the men of that time,
carefully and steadfastly uttered his teaching about truth . . . . ." (Phil.3:2).
Here, indeed, is modesty, and also a confession that he had not fully grasped the truth
given through Paul. Later on he states that `love delivers from death', which certainly is
not N.T. teaching. For Polycarp, the death of Christ for our sins does not mean a
forgiveness or justification that cancels the penalty and power of sin. Rather, by this act,
Christ has set man on his feet again, as it were, and put him into a position where he can
fully carry out his obligations to God in works of righteousness, in other words, can
complete his salvation by his own acts. This kind of idea is common to all the Apostolic
Fathers. There is an unconscious link with the pagan world that we must do something in
order to be saved. This failure to grasp the real meaning of salvation by faith in Christ
apart from works, is all the more startling when we remember the direct links that
Polycarp had with the Apostle John and possibly other N.T. Apostles. It makes one