Doctrine of the Nicolaitans

- Bruce De Lay

"So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." (Rev 2:15)

Doctrines abound in the Body of Christ today. Some are only slightly different than others, but some are extreme and potentially dangerous. Because of varying levels of understanding within the Body of Christ, some variation in doctrine is to be expected and even appreciated. Let us be reminded that unity is not based upon doctrinal exactness, but is in the realm of the Spirit (Eph 4:3) and of faith (Eph 4:13).

There are some doctrines, however which must be rejected and even attacked. These are "doctrines of devils"; intended by Satan to destroy the people and the work of Christ (I Tim 4:1). The apostle John recorded one such menace as THE DOCTRINE OF THE NICOLAITANS. Jesus Christ, in His appearance to John, warned of this teaching and declared His own hatred for it. That is powerful stuff! As His disciples, we are to love what He loves, and hate what He hates. The Nicolaitian doctrine is more widespread in the Church today than you may think. It may be more easily identified in the Catholic church which has a clear clergy/laity system. But it is just as prevalent in the Protestant Church (editor: as well as most other sects). It is a hidden thing which skillfully avoids the light. But if the truth is revealed to you, then you must follow Christ’s example and be against it.

To understand this doctrine, one must simply break down and define the word Jesus used to describe it. I would encourage you to do a word study on this, but let me just get the ball rolling. "Nicolaitans" means "Victorious over the people." It comes from the familiar word "nike", which is popular in our day. The meaning can be better seen in the phrase: "to conquer the laity" (from "nikos" - to conquer; and "laos" - where our word "laity" comes from). Laity means "the people, or the public". A practical example of this can be seen in the story of good old St. Nicolaus of Christmas fame. By contrast, the Gospel of Christ is a doctrine of salvation by grace through faith. But the doctrine of St. Nick is salvation by works ("If you’ll be good, then you’ll get a Christmas gift.") One depends on what Christ did. The other depends on what you do. The doctrine of Dead Works (see Heb 6:1) is used by some to control the laity just as parents use the doctrine of Santa to try and manipulate their children into good behavior. Jesus hates this doctrine because it tramples upon the very cross of Calvary itself. The whole purpose behind the doctrine of salvation solely by works is to get people to the point that they can be conquered and controlled. Jesus never set up nor endorsed a clergy - laity system. We are all one Body. There is no ‘high-archy’ nor ‘low-archy’. Christ alone is the Head.

So how does the Nicolaitan doctrine live and breathe among us today? Anyone who uses their leadership position to manipulate others is bumping up against the thing Jesus hates. You see, if I can get you to feel as if you must please me in order to be accepted by me, then I can use my acceptance or my rejection to control your life. The Lord wants us to be under His control, no one else’s. But even He doesn’t use such tactics of manipulation. He wants willing obedience, not contrived. Our sacrifice must be approved by God, therefore we need not be man-pleasers (see 1 Thess 2:4). We can act out the Nicolaitan doctrine at home, on sports teams, in the Church, or anywhere we find positions of authority. Jesus rules by example and through serving. The Nicolaitan spirit rules through manipulation and control. Anytime we meet someone who rules this way, red flags should go up in our spirit. In order to submit myself under that so called "authority," I would have to renounce the authority of Christ, forget grace, and enter into dead works. Nicolaitan authority is false authority. Therefore a believer is not required to submit to it. In fact he should take dominion over it. Nicolaitan authorities may try to label you as a rebel, but Christ must reign supreme, regardless of what others say.

In the professed Church, there are some folks who operate by the spirit of the Nicolaitans. They will try to get you to become obligated to them by doing some niceties for you. Don’t fall for the obligation thing. Jesus doesn’t operate through obligation. A box of cookies can be a bribe. A large donation to the Church can cost you way more than it’s worth. Paul told us to give with "simplicity". No strings attached. If someone "gives" you something, don’t get tangled up in all their strings. Others may try to pull "rank" on you. Yes, there are true authorities to submit to, but real authority doesn’t have to pull rank. The Word of God is final authority, not a position or title of some kind. Sometimes an older person will try to pull their age on you. Yes, we must respect our elders, but that does not give them license to take over. If we learn to live by the principles of grace - not works, then we can avoid most Nicolaitan problems. This requires us to remain spiritually sharp.

One of the most obvious Nicolaitan maneuvers is often related directly to the preacher and his pulpit. As men of God, we cannot allow ourselves to misuse our authority by brow beating the people from the platform. Some sermons are simply personal vendettas disguised as "the Word". If there is a problem with someone, go to that person and confront it. Have the guts to do it right. (Matthew 18:15-17 is our pattern). I have also seen preachers verbally condemn the flock for a lack of service, commitment, evangelism, etc. Our mandate is to equip the Body to do the work. Could it be that preachers are too busy with their own programs, personal agendas, etc. to actually disciple and train up the sons and daughters of God? Is it possible that many preachers have never been gifted or equipped themselves? That would account for their inability to lead and equip others. Will our legacy be programs or people? If we aren’t equipping them, then our condemning attitude is probably the result of our own inner frustration and lack of gifting. When we start doing all the work of the ministry ourselves, we enter into error. We will also begin to slip in our relationship to Christ. He wants us to disciple others into their calling. Let them do the work of the ministry! Let them minister in all the things of God. Sadly, the typical minister is too wrapped up in his own thing to do so. If we repent and call upon the Lord, He will show us how to equip His people. There is an answer.

Another tell tale sign of a Nicolaitan spirit is the inability of a leader to allow others to initiate ministry. Some pastors are able to use the creativity of others, as long as it is channeled in the direction which best serves the pastor’s interests. Autocracy is akin to the doctrine Jesus hates. True leadership is secure enough in Christ to allow and encourage others to initiate their life with God. It is OK to encourage people to follow through with their callings and giftings. You should equip them, then let them experience life’s ups and downs. Check your own heart. Are you able to get behind someone else’s ministry? Can you support a brother when his vision does not directly relate to yours? We must see the value in the process of a believer initiating their ministry - not just our opinion of whether that ministry is valid or not.

Jesus actually HATES the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. John wrote: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8b) We must destroy such works and doctrines in our own lives before we can be effective in the Body of Christ. Revelation 2:16 reveals the tactic of Christ to deal with such demonic doctrine: "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth." We must speak up against the Nicolaitans.