Church History
Welcome to the Church History blog. Please share your comments either on the study material on Church History as presented in the Journal or material you prefer to present related to or independent of the Journal study material.
Welcome to the Church History blog. Please share your comments either on the study material on Church History as presented in the Journal or material you prefer to present related to or independent of the Journal study material.
April 29, 2008 at 10:55 pm
The TUA Free Religious Study Journal Blog is for your comments and discussions relating to any and all aspects of the material presented in the current issue and previous issues.
The rules are simple: in your comments do as you would have others do to you. Christian discussion and debate are welcome. Share and enjoy.
God bless you and your family,
Jim Benton
May 6, 2008 at 8:53 pm
It is amazing that history always tends to repeat itself; for it works in cycles. Some of the issues listed in the last newsletter made me think of how we’re dealing with some of the problems they did back then.
1) Arianism: Belief that Christ was a created being and inferior to God the Father.
- Arian helped push this concept, yet the Council of Nicea kicked him out of the Empire. Yet today we are having this issue arise. In our culture today many people are saying that Jesus is not really God, that He was created. This concept in itself is a denial of Christ’s divinity and His authority. It is essential that we stand up for the fact that Jesus is God and not “a god.”
2) Marcion: He preached a message that is so common today. He liked the idea of the NT “God of Love” but hated the view of God in the OT. He thoght God was angry and unloving. This is so common in society, that all we want to hear about is a Loving God; yes He is a loving God. However, that is the only thing they want to talk about. People do not like the thought of God as being just, or hating wickedness, or convicting. People try to justify their sinful behavior due to the fact that God is loving, but disregard the fact that He calls people to be holy and pleasing; to take up their crosses and follow. We need to be immersed with the idea that God is loving, but we also need to balance that with justice and holiness. Marcion had his own version of the Bible with 10 documents of Paul and the Gospel of Luke – both of which he took out things which showed or infered that God was just. Let us not be like Marcion and cut out the passages of scripture that focus on God’s holiness and righteousness and that focus only on God and His love. Let us keep a good balance, realizing that god is truly loving because He is just.
We are facing similiar problems to those of the past. Let us stand firm and hold to the teachings of the Gospel, and to live according to the Gospel in true obedience and holiness. Praise be to our Loving and Just God!