History: Guide For The Present Age

Grace to you and peace from God the Father

and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself

for our sins, that He might deliver us from 

this present evil age, according to the will of

our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Galatians 1:3-5

            Man from the beginning of time unto this present age have been curious in regards to history and how history has application for their present age. The Christian Religion professes that the foundations of its faith are rooted in history, therefore, history has special interest for the Christian. The Christian Religion has as its greatest foundation that God became man and lived on this earth as the Son of God in time and space. Those of the Christian Religion develop a profound interest in history, especially how history of the Scriptures may enlighten them, therefore, this interest involves an interest in his/her spiritual ancestry. A person who simply relies on faith alone often cares little as to history for the development of their faith. Their faith may be more aligned with common sense. Common sense is not faith, and, faith is not common sense. Faith does include common sense but is not the basis for faith, that basis is the person of Jesus Christ. Common sense may be applied in their search for answers and their approach in a methodical manner, but, it must be admitted that faith, for some, is more commons sense and an internal belief, an internal emotional expression that causes a person to feel pious. Having a faith that is not from something or someone external is wrong by the fact that faith stands outside of revealed facts. Faith cannot be faith if a person has facts in his presence. Often though  having faith internally leads to emotion, that emotion has as its base common sense and not due to the Person of Jesus Christ. Faith based simply on emotion or common sense does not grow any larger than a person’s reliance on common sense. A study of history will give information that will aid in growth of faith, but that information will not save a person. Information is necessary for growth of faith, and our first source of information is Scripture. Yet, when we consult Scripture we find questions that need to be answered; therefore, a study of history will aid us in finding answers. Common sense will be the approach to any study of history, but faith in an unseen God is external and He is revealed by facts, both by Scripture and the external world, and by the Holy Spirit which imbues a person with faith (Ephesians 2:8). The common sense and methodical approach to study history is not to prove that God exists, rather it is to aid us in the growth of our faith. This growth in faith enables a person to be prepared to face opposition, and sanctifies a person in their daily life as Authentic Biblical Christians.

            As faith has, for some, a basis in common sense, and the Authentic Biblical Christian has their faith based upon the Person Jesus Christ, we must define faith as to those two concepts. Faith as a word has more than one meaning and so does the word history. To avoid problems that might occur in our study of history the definition of history must be outlined, especially church history. History must become a Guide for this present age, and future ages. A person not having the knowledge of the past does not only have the possibility of repeating the past, either good things or bad things; he has no understanding of himself and how he acts and believes as the past does affect the future; he knows he exists and may have some historical knowledge but as to the “why” things are they are, a study of history is necessary. If a person does not know the history of himself, his nation, his religion, etc., he will not know how questions and problems have come to be and if he does not know the problem he will not be able to determine a solution. Therefore, the study of history is very important and must be done so that we are able to live in this life as good citizens, and furthermore, as Authentic Biblical Christians. First then is to come to an understanding of words for any understanding will make cause for interpretation of any data. This interpretation may be proper or it may not be proper and then the question arises as to how would anyone know if an interpretation of data is correct and proper? This is what is to be covered in this essay. Scripture gives historicity of people and places but not a study of history. Herodotus is considered to be the first to study history: “The histories by the Greek researcher Herodotus of Halicarnassus (fifth century BCE) are the world’s first historical study”[1] The English word, history, came from the Greek word historia, which is derived from the Greek verb, historew. The Attic language of the Greeks used this word to mean to learn by inquiry or investigation. Paul used this word in Galatians 1:18 in his interview with Peter in Jerusalem. This word may be enquired for this definition in Strong’s concordance #2477, historew. This is Paul’s meaning of the word for Paul inquired from Peter information and that information would be historical in nature.

            In time the Greeks began to use the word, historikos, for history. This is a noun, not a verb and it indicates a product, the record; whereas, historia, indicates a process. Most modern historians use, historikos, or product, that history is a product. History then refers to; event, documents, process, or product. Example: Charlemagne in 800 A.D. was emperor of Rome and this was an historic event. Historians will take an event(s) and attempt to ascertain the facts of an event and find a process. This attempt should not be a syllogism as in the formula; A=C, therefore B is A. Product and process cannot be so easily conjoined as I will demonstrate later in this essay. The account of Charlemagne is a fact and is history and is a product; this is an absolute. History as a product is absolute and cannot be changed, once this event occurs. A process is different for as it is relative and subject to change as data become available. Also, the men who interpret data also change in who are interpreting and due to having a different perspective. These men enter into this investigation with presuppositions; therefore even the historians must be placed under the microscope and be examined. As can be ascertained that any study of history is an enormous work that must be carefully done.

            The definition of history may be defined thusly; the interpreted record of human past based upon data collected. This collection of data must be received through the scientific method, the archeological, literally, or living sources. Included in this investigation of history is culture, both governmental and religious as these are necessary if one is to ascertain true history, that includes especially the history of the Christian Religion. Furthermore, the approach to this study, of history, must be as impartial as possible by the investigator. While absolute impartiality is impossible, there must be an intentional impartiality knowing that their neutrality is governed by their presuppositions and the framework of interpretation.

            As Christians we are concerned with church history. Church history is the interpretation and organized story of the redemption of man by God and of earth. Therefore, history of the church is to be a record based upon the origin, the progress of Christianity, and what impact Christianity has had upon society. The collection and interpretation of data in regards to the Christian church is to be as with any other study, that is, by using scientific, archeological, documentary, and living sources as well as culture. We as Christians have the guidance of the Holy Spirit to aid us in our investigation and interpretation, and we have the inspired word of God which is a historical truth as God has revealed Himself to prophets of old, and of the disciples and men who being inspired gave us a historical narrative. The Christian Religion: the church in its historical investigation must not lag behind others who will interpret history without the aid of the Holy Spirit, rather by preformed ideologies and presuppositions that have not included God. If we don’t investigate history and make known the history of the Christian Religion, Authentic Biblical Faith, then some will be mislead away from the fellowship of believers into heresy. 

And this commandment we have from Him:

     that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ

     is born of God, and everyone who loves Him

who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

                                              1John 4:21; 5:1-2

Make Your Love a Principled Love: A Love of God

Richard L. Crumb 

    

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[1] Herodotus, Histories 1.189-191: retrieved from the internet 10/29/2012: www.1iviss.org/ct-cz/cyrus_I/Babylon07. html#Herodotus

Evidence For The Christian Religion: Part X

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam.

In the day that God created man,

He made him in the likeness of God.

He created them male and female,

And blessed them and called them

Mankind in the day they were created.

Genesis 5:1–2

            In this series of blogs that addressed the Christian Religion as to it being a fact of its existence and its affect upon many people due to the history that even men and women steeped in Paganism, after inspection, contemplation, writing for and against the Christian Religion became Christians.  The Christian Religion is to be found, not as just another religion, rather a religion that has “real” basis. That basis and foundation of the Christian Religion is in the Person Jesus Christ. The life and death of Jesus Christ so impressed the world and was so sacred to those who saw and lived, at least, some of the events of the life of Jesus, that the Christian Religion and it truth, was carried to the further parts of the Roman Empire and to the far away lands and nations of the then known world, that its historicity and fact cannot be denied. Those who would deny the truthfulness of the historicity of the Christian Religion are either misinformed or ignorant. Ignorance in the avoidance of the facts of the Christian Religion is either formed by apathy, or a personal desire for the life that a person may live and has no pleasure in making any changes; truthful or not. Yet, I have shown in these blogs that the impact of the Christian Religion did make changes in many, many, people of all walks of life, of every station in life, to those Pagans, even Pagan philosophers, who when having examined the Christian Religion became aware of the falseness of their religion and the truthfulness of the Christian Religion and set aside, shunned, the religion that they had previously held as truth. One strong fact of the Christian Religion that only the ignorant will refute is the changed lives of converted men and women to the Christian Religion, the willingness to maintain their faith, a faith grounded in the truth of Jesus Christ, the words and commands of Jesus Christ that led them to aid others in love, and to not mix with the Pagans in their festivals to other gods, to the hideous games whereby many died as gladiators, and where many Christians died as martyrs. This steadfastness did not come about by some fanaticism, no, it was simple people living what they came to know as truth, first by living witnesses, and to those who were recipients of the gospel by men and women who transmitted the life and teachings of Jesus to them, and they in turn pass this orally at first, then copying the epistles and letters of the apostles and men who recorded what we call the Bible. The truth that people came to understand to be “truth” and not just some man’s idea of truth is not only found in the lives of changed people, but, this change came about by the power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives so that they could face life in all of its circumstances not wavering, for they knew that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, and that the promises of Jesus Christ, those promises to be found in the Old Testament were always fulfilled as recorded and they had the one hope that is to be found in all Scripture: everlasting life with God. This sure hope was more than some enticing hope, it was not to be found in blind faith for it was and is founded in the Person of Jesus Christ who came to earth to do one thing: die. To die not just the death that all men must succumb, rather to die as a ransom for the debt of sin, to be the efficacious person in His death that would satisfy the debt of sin, and by paying that debt we receive as an extension payment for our sins. Many religions have sacred and morality, even making cause for living a “good” life, but their gods does not offer to them a life now, a life that lives in such a way that under all circumstances they press forward to demonstrate their love of God in all things they attempt; i.e., sciences, medicines, and inventions, all because the Christian Religion is founded in a sure fact and that fact is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit invigorating them to a separate people who love and live their faith, not in some government controlled faith, not in performing horrendous acts, not in believing in many gods, rather that they believe in the One God, Jehovah, and the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

            So many of he Pagan converts to the Christian Religion should make an impression upon our minds, as they perused the Old Testament writings, those prophecies of the coming Messiah, and of the history of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and that those writings, and oral transmission were deposited among the Pagans, into the hands of the enemies of the Christian Religion, even though many are no longer extant, we do have many extant writings that prove that the Christian Religion was not only regard as important, but many came to see the truth and believed, converted. How astonishing it must have been for a Pagan to see that the whole history of Jesus Christ the Messiah was published before they were born, to the find that the evangelists, and prophets, in their accounts of the Messiah, differed only in point of time, one foretelling what would happen to Him, the other describing those particulars that actually happened. Jesus Christ, Himself, made use of a strong argument of His being the Messiah. This argument of Him being the Promised Messiah was necessary for without it many would never have reconciled themselves to the ignominy of His death. You can read this account in Luke 24: 13 to the end.

            The learned Heathen converts in their learning, being fortified with the knowledge of arts and sciences, were particularly qualified to examine these prophecies which they did with care and impartiality, without prejudice or prepossession. These learned men would be fronted with the unnatural interpretation by the Jews who desired to discredit the Christian Religion, and they would be able with neutrality, as this writings were new to them. Leaving them to be free and indifferent. These learned men among the early Christians, knew how the Jews, who had proceeded Jesus Christ, and their interpretations of the predictions of the coming of the Messiah, how He would be discovered, and even when the Jewish leaders deviated from the interpretation and doctrines of their forefathers, due to some purpose to satisfy their convictions, these learned men would discover such error.

            We have an invincible force for our argument that the Christian Religion was a real religion for it had as its foundation a “real” Person who met all the prophecies concerning Him and we find such as to be recorded in those Pagans who became Christians. These converts to the Christian Religion could not disbelieve the history of Jesus Christ as to be the Messiah, and all history pointed to Him as the One promised. They agreed exactly with every thing that had been written of him so many ages before His birth. There was no way to doubt those circumstances being fulfilled in Him, those events and circumstances that could not be fulfilled in any man accept Jesus Christ. Men and women of all walks of life, of learning, of simplicity of life carried the excellence of the doctrine everywhere they went and the Christian Religion survived persecutions, misunderstanding, yet survived to bring to the world good things, in the arts, sciences, and philosophies. We who live many years after those early men and women are recipients of the truth and we are called to adhere to the truth, to live the truth as did those early Christians. It is either Jesus Christ first, it is that we have the power of the Holy Spirit operating in us so that we demonstrate the gospel wherever we go, whatever we do, so that all can see that the Christian Religion is not just some other religion; it is the true religion that has as its foundation a “real” Person who came as promised and died so that sin may be destroyed. The question for us is; will we live the life in the truth of the Christian Religion?

Now may the God of Peace Himself

     Sanctify you completely; and may

Your whole spirit, soul, and body be

     Preserved blameless at the coming

Of our Lord Jesus Christ.

                                      2Thessalonians 5:23

Pray To God in Faith

Richard L. Crumb

Evidence For The Christian Religion: Part IX

Then the one whose name was Celopas

Answered an said to Him, “Are You

The only stranger in Jerusalem, and

Have You not known the things which

Happened there in these days?”

And He said to them, “What things?”

So they said to Him, “The things concerning

Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty

In deed and word before God and all the people,

And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him

To be condemned to death, and crucified Him.”

Luke 24:18–20

The astonishment of the two men on the road to Emmaus tells us of this fact: the life and death of Jesus Christ was well known and for someone not to know that Jesus lived and was crucified was unthinkable. The events of the life and death of Jesus Christ was not only well known at the time of His crucifixion, but this message was carried to others and when the apostles and others were either scattered or traveled into other parts of the world they carried this gospel with them and taught others of Jesus Christ. The call for people to hear the word of God goes forth but some will not hear: “Hear, you deaf; and look, you blind, that you may see. Who is blind but My servant. Or deaf as My messenger whom I send? Who is blind as he who perfect, and blind as the LORD’s servant? Seeing many things, but you do not observe; opening the ears, but he does not hear” (Isaiah 42:18–20). Today this is still a problem; the gospel is preached, taught, yet many will not unstop their ears clinging to the ideologies, and theologies that fill their minds. The elect of God hear the message and respond. Who they are we don’t know, but we are not concerned with that, we are to be concerned with following the command of Jesus to go forth into the world and teach the people of God and of Him. This is the gospel and it was this gospel that we have been evidencing of men and women who were at one time Pagans and converted to the Christian Religion. Some did; others did not. Some were called by God, others apparently were not! Salvation is the work of God, our work is to be witnesses of God. Why did some convert? They heard the gospel and read or heard the witnesses and saw that the Christian Religion was not some other form of Religion, rather it was a religion built upon the foundation, and that foundation is and was then, Jesus Christ, His life, His deeds, and His death proving that He was the God, and that He was and is the Savior.

These many learned Pagans of the first three centuries being satisfied in the truth of the history of Jesus Christ is so a shining particular, does much honor to the Christian Religion. These men who believed in Jesus Christ, their manners and many became Christian during their times; Christianity flourished even under all the persecution. Here is an indisputable truth, that if we form our calculations upon the opinions which prevailed in those days, that everyone who habitually practices voluntary sin actually cuts himself off from the benefits and profession of Christianity, and whatever he may call himself, is in reality no Christian, and should not be considered as one. Then, this truth is evident, that to say one thing and not practice what you say does not admit that you are what you say you are, therefore, we must be converted to Jesus Christ and leave behind those habitual Pagan and sinful practices, that is if we are truly a Christian. Sanctification should be a growing fact of our lives, and our faith should be growing as we remove sin from our lives.

During these first three centuries the Christian Religion was in full force and was the efficacy on the minds of men. This fact was demonstrated in the lives of the men and women that the Christian Religion produced. These men and women became refined as they grew in sanctification and being proselytes to Jesus Christ they found pleasure in serving Jesus Christ, the Christian Religion, even though often many pains came upon them in their lives. The Christian Religion strengthened them as God removed the infirmity of their hearts, and the once fierce and defiant nature was filled with devotion to Jesus Christ. Is this true of you? This devotion, this purity of heard, became unbounded in love to their fellow believers. The Christian Religion spread into the world and it changed mankind into another species of beings: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2Corinthians 5:17). Being a new creature they (you) became a new man and both act and look upon oneself as one regenerated and born a second time into another state of existence.

These accounts of the primitive Christian Religion has been exhibited by others, and we can observe that the Pagan converts make mention of this great reformation of the those who had been sinners, so great in their sin, and yet that with a sudden and surprising change in these most profligate, that something supernatural, miraculous, occurred that can only be attributed to something more than human. Origen wrote about power that so changed people, that is was no less wonderful than that of curing the lame and blind, or the cleansing of a leper. There was a certain divinity in the Christian Religion and this divinity showed itself in such a strange and glorious way with effects that can only be ascribed to God.

I will end this blog today and will complete this subject of the evidence for the Christian Religion tomorrow. If you are following along you will enjoy the conclusion. There are many religions in the world, some will say that those religions are different paths to God. Is this true? The evidence points to this fact: Only the Christian Religion is true and it does change Pagans, and heathens from all walks of life, not to a religion, although there is the Christian Religion, rather to Jesus Christ who is the Christian Religion. There is only one true path, and that path leads to Jesus Christ. The evidence is clear and convincing, those of you who have converted to the Christian Religion have done so by hearing the gospel, and the drawing of you, and the enabling of you, and the giving of the gift of faith to you, is done by the will and purpose of God. It is God that has called you and has made you a new creation.

And what agreement has the

     Temple of God with idols?

For you are the temple of the

     Living God. As God has said:

“I will dwell in them and walk

     among them. I will be their God,

and they shall be My people.”

                        2Corinthians 6:16

The Acceptable Time to convert to Jesus Christ is now!

Richard L. Crumb

Evidence Of The Christian Religon: Part VIII

Men of Israel, hear these words:

Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God

To you by miracles, wonders, and signs

Which God did through Him in your midst,

As you ourselves also know––Him, being

Delivered by the determined purpose of God,

You have taken by lawless hands, have crucified,

And put to death: whom God has raised u, having

Loosed the pains of death, because it was not

Possible that He should be held by it.

Acts 2:22–24

            Peter speaking to the crowd of Israelites from all over the globe, from many lands outside of Israel, who spoke a language different from Hebrew, yet heard the gospel in their language and many believed. Those who believed took the gospel message back to their home towns and by this means the gospel began to spread rapidly everywhere. This special event, Pentecost, was the inaugurating of the New Covenant and the Christian Religion was formed. The event has been so misused by so many who have interpreted this message, this special event to meet their predetermined ideology, or theology. One such misuse is the word we translate as “tongues” and then attempt to prove that Christians are to speak in “tongues.” Well, first, let us understand the word “tongues.”  Webster’s Dictionary under “tongue” number four: is that it is a manner or character of speech; i.e., a flattering tongue; number seven, Tongue: speech. The Greek word used in this account is: διαλέκτω, a word that means dialect, therefore to use the word “tongue” in translation of this word is to admit that it means a speech of a dialect and is confirmed in the passage by pointing out the various lands those present had come from and that they heard the gospel in their dialect, or tongue. Being that they heard the gospel in their language, they understood it and believed, then took this message with them with they left Jerusalem. The account of the death of Jesus and of His ministry, miracles, signs, surely were well spoken about and it is very possible that those who had traveled to Jerusalem for the Passover, and stayed as required for 50 days, the Pentecost festival, would have heard about the Man Jesus Christ and His ministry, His death, and this knowledge surely aided them when they heard Peter’s message. Those present and believed would have taken this account of Jesus back to their home with them. Also, those who did not believe surely would have spoken of the crucifixion of Jesus and of His ministry for this was an event marked by several unexplainable actions, the renting of the veil, the earthquake, the darkness that came upon the land, and the court where the words, “crucify Him, crucify Him,” were not done in secret and well known. Therefore, when the apostles traveled to other lands this message of this account would have been known at least by some if not many and their message and life confirmed the truth about Jesus.

            I have written about many men, learned men, philosophers, Pagans who when upon hearing the gospel became believers, this knowledge of Jesus had spread far and wide, and there were others who did not convert to the Christian Religion yet wrote about it, even at times in unflattering words. One such man: Paul the famous hermit, not the apostle, lived until the year 343 A.D. and is one of those channels by which the history of Jesus Christ would be conveyed, pure, unadulterated by those Pagan philosophers, whose testimonies make for the truth of our Savior’s history. Yes, it is true that many philosophers, Pagans did come to conversion to Jesus Christ and embrace the Christian Religion from its infancy, and others came to believe and convert during the first three centuries as they informed themselves of the particulars of the history, and the Man Jesus Christ. I have chosen only a single link of martyrs, but there were many more that could be accounted that delivered this account of Jesus Christ and of the Christian Religion and this will be found the way that the gospel filled the whole Roman empire, and the many who became Christian. There is no doubt that there were many witnesses that could be found if some extant of them could be found, yet were in every single Church and if their account could be found it is sure that they would speak of the same message: they heard the gospel, and they believed, not tacitly, but active, with intention, and this due to the fact that the message was founded in truth, a truth that would be known and carried throughout these first three centuries.

            There is more evidence that must be addressed and that is the tradition of the first ages of Christianity for there are peculiar circumstances to it which made the Christian Religion more authentic than any other tradition in any other age of the world. Many were the persecutions against Christian, both local and national, therefore the Christians were incessantly comforting, and supporting, one another. How? By speaking of the histories of Jesus Christ and His apostles. This account of Jesus Christ was the subject of both in their assemblies, but of their private visits and conversations. Tatian the historian who lived in the second century spoke of Christian virgins: “discourse over their distaffs on divine subjects.” Even when religion was aligned with government it flourished under the protection of the emperors, men’s thoughts and discourses were, as they are now, full of secular affairs, but in the first three centuries of Christianity, men who embraced the Christian Religion, had given up all their interests in the world, and lived in perpetual preparation for the next, knowing that they may soon be called to walk, their talk, about heaven and going to be Jesus Christ. Is this what is true of you and me? These men had little else to talk of, but the life and doctrines of Jesus Christ who was their hope, their encouragement, and glory. I ask again is this true of you? How can we imagine anything else different than this message of Jesus Christ, the Christian Religion would not be repeated a thousand upon thousand of time in a person’s life, relating all of our Savior’s birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension? We can’t if we be true to the facts.

            This is especially true if we consider that they could not be received as Christians till they have undergone several examinations. How different it is in many churches. There is a call to “come forward and receive Christ.” Something far different from the early church, and then if someone did come they were admitted to the church but little or none was the preparation or confirming of their conversion. They are often left to themselves, they leave the church and are not catechized. In the first centuries those who professed Christianity were obliged to pass through many repeated instructions, and to give a strict account of their proficiency, before they were admitted to baptism. For those who were baptized in their infancy, they too would have need to be cared for and prepared, disciplined for confirmation, then and only then could the be admitted to the church. They needed to be found upon examination, to have made sufficient progress in the knowledge of Christianity.

            Another observation is that in these times that there were religious conversations among Christians privately, there was also correspondence between the Churches. A constant line of correspondence in communication between those churches established by the apostles, or their successors in several parts of the world. If any new doctrine was started, or any fact reported of our Savior, a strict enquiry was made among the churches, especially those planted by the apostles themselves, assuring that what is being taught is what was previously received from the mouths of the apostles. The traditions were examined in light of what was transmitted to the church by the apostles and others who were appointed by the apostles or were taught by men who were taught by apostles. This assured that any new theology would be detected and censured.

            The apostle John lives so many years after the death of Jesus Christ was appealed to in such emergencies that came about by new doctrine or traditions that need to be proved and as the living oracle of the church his testimony lasted the first century. Many of the apostles lived long and into a great age and would be others who were witnesses of Jesus Christ, and, who had observed the providence of God and personally conveyed the truth of the gospel, a conveyance remote from the first publication of it. When Jesus sent out the seventy, Peter was among them to publish the gospel before His crucifixion. Peter heard of the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and himself presided over the church at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, and the events of that destruction, the siege, and led out of Jerusalem the congregation of believers before the destruction came following the advice of Jesus Christ.

            There is much evidence as to the Christian Religion so that no one can admit that this religion did not exist and did not have great influence upon the world due to the one Man who is the foundation of the Christian Religion; Jesus Christ. We did not live then, but if we did, the forms of communication would have been as it was, oral, written on material that would not last, but would be repeated accurately, as was the custom of the day, so that they is no reason to not believe that God through all the circumstances this world would throw at the new Christian Religion would not accomplish His purpose to have a congregation of believers who knew the truth, would protect the truth, and transmit the truth until the time would come when the truth would be transmitted into forms that would last. Praise God for we are not left without witnesses to our faith and the Christian Religion.

This Jesus God has raised up,

     Of which we are all witnesses.

Therefore being exalted to the

     Right hand of God, and having

Received from the Father the promise

    Of the Holy Spirit, He poured out

This which you now see and hear.

                                     Acts 2:32–33

Are you preparing for the Sabbath?

Richard L. Crumb

Evidence Of The Christian Religion: Part VII

Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus

From the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep,

Through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Make you complete in every good work to do His will;

Working in you what is well pleasing in His sight,

Through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory

Forever and ever. Amen.

            Hebrews 13:20–22

My desire, as always is to excite a person, those seeking truth, to give cause to examine what they believe and have a sound understanding of the truth. To do this I am persuaded, that truth is no other way to be defended but by truth, and that such as the mind is fully satisfied with; it being in vain to attempt to persuade others to that which you yourself are not convinced of. Therefore this is the desired final outcome, to aid others to have Authentic Biblical Faith. This excitement is not for a person to “feel” pious, rather that you may make use of this information, first for the glory of God, and not for your profit alone, but also for the propagating of the Christian Religion. You will meet with pagans who are professed enemies of Christianity, who are profane and are ready to spread abroad their poison amongst the weak and simple, those who are not prepared and are ready to conceal themselves in fear for the lack of ability to defend their faith. We must, therefore, by ready to be employed to confute their errors, and to aid others not to be seduced by those heathen that are set against the Christian Religion. We who are converted to the Christian Religion must show that the Christian Religion is not a vain and empty religion.

            In time the disciples of Jesus Christ died and their place was filled with some other person of eminence by means of their piety and learning. As well were often a member of the same church they presided over, and when they died others with the same credentials took their place. This line of succession was continued in an uninterrupted line. I was Irenæus who in his writings informs us that every church preserved a catalogue of its bishops, for each succeeding bishop, although the number he, those in the church at Rome, the list is small by having eight or nine persons, though these were men close to the time of the apostles. This was not the case in other churches that were filled with a greater number. The succession in the early days of the church, were quick due to the fact that many of the bishops were martyred. These men who led their churches knew that the fury of the state when persecution arose would fall on them and leaders, therefore they did not undertake these offices out of any temporal view. These men were satisfied in the belief of what they taught. They held firm to what they had received from the apostles and laid down their lives in the same hope, and upon the same principles. We must not take the position that the utterly disregard their own happiness as to die in a horrible death so that they might enter eternity. This they would not do, and would not invent fables and inventions of their own, or to produce forgeries of their predecessors, those who presided in the same church. They would have been easily detected by tradition of that church and by the testimony of others. Here is an interesting fact: none of the heretics was martyred who disagreed with the apostolical church and introduce many of the absurd notions into the doctrines of the Christian Religion. These heretics did not put at stake their lives and future happiness by admitting to the Christian Religion of the apostolic church, rather they shun persecution by their unrealistic imaginations, and even taught that it was unnecessary for their followers to bear their religion through such trials. 

            It is easy to realize that many of this first age of apostles and disciples, and of the many who were converts, extended into the middle of the second century, and some into the third generation and were but the fifth in line from Jesus Christ. Do we know the ages and the numbers of the members of each particular church which was planted by the apostles? I doubt that we do, but in most of them there might be found at least five person who were in the continued series, that is, till the 265^th year from the death of Jesus Christ.

            Let us examine and look at four of the persons and their writings and sufferings out of the innumerable multitudes who had embraced the Christian Religion. This account will extend for us into the 254^th year from the death of Jesus Christ. First, John the apostle who was beloved by Jesus Christ and conversed with Jesus intimately and live till the year 100 A.D. Second, Polycarp, a disciple of John and had conversed with others of the apostles, and disciples of Jesus Christ and lived until 167 A.D. Polycarp was martyred. Third: Irenæus, who was a disciple of Polycary, and conversed with many of the immediate disciples of the apostles and lived unto 202 A.D. He too was martyred. This same year another man, Origen was appointed regent of the cathecatic school at Alexandria, a learned man of philosophy as well as theology and was looked upon as being a champion of the Christian faith unto the year 254 A.D. Some traditions have him being martyred. We do know that he was tortured and underwent many trials worse than death. Origen fought heresy and conversed with many of the Christians of his time in Egypt, and in the east, and brought many over to the Christian Religion leaving behind him several disciples of great fame and learning. There were many who knew Origin and had been his hearers, scholars, or proselytes that live till the end of the third century, that is till the reign of Constantine the Great.

            Reading of the lives and writings of Polycarp, Irenæus, and Origen, that these three fathers believed the accounts which were given to them of Jesus Christ as recorded by the four evangelists of the Bible, and they had arguments to support their beliefs that not only did John, but many others of the disciples of Jesus, did publish the same accounts of Him. This belief of these fathers was also the belief of he main body of Christians in all these ages. This fact is determined by the respect given to Polycarp as the representative of the eastern churches in this particular, Irenæus of the western churches, and Origen of the churches established in Egypt.

            I will continue this avenue in the next blog. It is informative to know that the Christian Religion not only existed as a religion with many churches being established, but also that from this information our faith grows, and we become steadfast and sure of our Authentic Biblical Faith.

But the wisdom that is from above

     Is first pure, then peaceable, gently,

Willing to yield, full of mercy

     And good fruits, without partiality

And without hypocrisy.

                        James 3:17

Speak to someone the gospel

Richard L. Crumb

Evidence For The Christian Religion: Part VI

My son, keep my words,

And treasure my commands within you.

Keep my commands and live,

And my law as the apple of your eye.

Bind them on your fingers;

Write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 7:1-3

            History reminds us that God has chosen those who would carry to the world that He exists and that He, as God, has revealed to us what is best for us. That is, if we keep His commands and His law we shall live, now, and forever. If we don’t then we cannot expect to have God redeem us from the power of sin. If a person does not believe in “sin” then that person is like an ostrich with its head in the sin. Any sentient person can see that bad things occur at all times, everywhere, and that if those involved in doing bad things followed the law of God, His commands, then they would not do those bad things. Yet, man does bad, and seems to have a propensity for bad, and this is revealed to us as why it happens, and what is the cure. It is God’s revealed will for man, His commands and His law and we are to write them on our heart. In an attempt to avoid dealing with God man has devised many ideologies to try and explain life. As I have been writing on, the subject of the Christian Religion, and the fact that there is much proof that the Christian Religion is of God, there are still those who will not allow this proof to either change their thinking or to increase their faith. They are like the ostrich, they wish to avoid that which may be at first hard to understand, or that which may make cause for them to change. I will continue through this subject for those who do desire to have an arsenal or proof for what the believe, The Christian Religion.

            Did the men with all their leaning and have means of opportunities to inform themselves of the truth about the history of Jesus Christ? If this is not true or cannot be pointed out, their testimonies will be invalid and ineffectual. Many thousands of people had seen the events surrounding Jesus Christ and many of those were eye–witnesses. Some, if not many, were the recipients of oral testimony of the account of Jesus Christ. I shall begin with the twelve disciples that include Paul the Apostle for they had a particular call and published, spoke, preached about Jesus Christ, His life, and His miraculous events. Also, others had share in publishing this history of Jesus Christ, the foundation of the Christian Religion. There are those who cavil about the history of the twelve disciples and of the Christian Religion pointing out that the Gospel was a local occurrence and the rest of the world was left in darkness. This is not borne out in historical records of Christianity for many of the apostles and disciples did travel to the remotest parts of the world.  These travelers gathered many people about them, acquainting them with the history and the doctrines of Jesus Christ. If were to admit that all Christian records were lost, and many have been, the effect is that plainly the truth of them were evinced, for how else could as many lives accept Christianity, and such a rapid spread is amazing as it coursed through several nations of the Roman Empire. Remember the Roman Empire was large and spread north into the Scandinavian Countries, to England, to India, and even into China there are reports of Christians traveling there and preaching the gospel there. This message delivered to all parts of the known earth resulted in many to become convicted and convert to the Christian Religion.

            Pagan, heathens of every age, sex, and quality, born in cultures different from Judaism, and bred up under very different institution, who when they saw men of plain sense, without the help of learning; men who were patient, and courageous, no wealth, no pomp or power, expressing in their lives the excellency of morality, those things they expressed in their lives as having been taught by Jesus Christ, who had seen His miracles, spoke with Him after His death; they saw no falsehood, no treachery, or worldly interest.  The witness they lived in their behavior and conversation and often they were submitted to a horrible, cruel death rather than retract from their testimony. These men of Christ followed to the letter Christ’ command to take the gospel to every part of the world and when they did many saw no reason to doubt the veracity of these facts as related to them, those facts which these men of the Christian Religion were employed.

            No matter how those motives to faith in Jesus Christ were, they would not have been sufficient to have brought about, in so few years, the many conversions, had not the apostles been able to exhibit with greater proofs of the truths which they taught. The Jews and the land of Israel were despised among many countries and many people who despised this nation would not have come to a conversion to Jesus Christ had they not been shown without doubt credentials from Jesus Christ who had sent these men. Men with such a message as for these heathens to turn from their gods to the One Great God and His Savior Jesus Christ. We can be assured that these apostles were given the power of working miracles which would be convincing others of the miracles of Jesus Christ giving validity to the message, and the reason for these heathens to convert to the Christian Religion. These miracles would have the impact of overcoming every cavil, every prejudice, and all ignorance. Would we then believe, as some do, that these men who carried such an important message, to be commanded to take this message to the world would not be equipped to be able to dispense the truth. Jesus Christ did not authorize these men to establish a religion in the world by a lie, which would be displeasing to Him, or that evil spirits would lend them the ability to be effectual to beat down idolatry and pagan gods.

            In time these apostles would leave this earth in death. They formed assemblies who preached the same message of the gospel, they appointed men from these new converts who were mature in the faith, had unblemished lives to preside over these assemblies, and to inculcate what they had heard from the mouths of these eye–witnesses.

            I will continue to teach the evidences for the Christian Religion in the next blogs. There is much to learn. We will, with the help of the Holy Spirit, grow in our Sanctification, and in the practicality of our lives.

But if they confess their iniquity

And the iniquity of their fathers,

With their unfaithfulness in which

They were unfaithful to Me, an

That they also have walked contrary to Me…..

Then I will remember My covenant with Jacob,

And My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant

With Abraham I will remember:……I am the LORD their God.

                                                Leviticus 26:40,42, 44b

Praise God for He is Merciful

Richard L. Crumb

Evidences Of The Christian Religion: Part V

For since the beginning of the world

Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear,

Nor has the eye seen any God besides You,

Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,

Who remembers You in Your ways.

You are indeed angry, for we have sinned––

In these ways we continue; and we need

To be saved.

Isaiah 64:4–5

            In man’s hunt for purpose in regards to our lives, the reason why we exist, the fact that we have a desire to have a god in our life, or to just cast aside any thought of a god and to live as a person pleases is an age old process. Those who would condemn the Christian Religion as being nothing more than man’s hunt for a purpose of our existence relish in their unbelief and vilify those who do believe in the Christian Religion and the God who they worship. In our study of the Christian Religion and the fact that some would protest that we do not have historical facts that God has a religion and commands us to follow His religion I have approach this issue appealing to the fact that many heathen people wrote in regards to our Christian Religion. Some Pagans, or heathens, upon studying and writing against the Christian Religion became Christians and give testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ.    

            I will confine my essay to include a list of Pagan writers who touched upon Jesus Christ and any of the particulars of the life of Jesus Christ. Those Pagans that converted to Christianity, their testimonies should be looked upon as being the more authentic; therefore, I will confine my list to those Pagans who converted to Christianity in the first three centuries as it is in this time period in which men had the best means of informing themselves of the truth of the history of Jesus Christ. Some Pagan who said they converted to the Christian Religion, those philosophers who made this decision under the reigns of Christian emperors, some may have done so partly out of worldly motives.

            Let us look at those Pagans that converted to Christianity that made mention of Jesus Christ and the particulars of His life. I will suppose that some learned Pagan writer who lived some sixty years after our Savior’s crucifixion and was shown that false miracles were done in obscurity, and they occurred before few or no witness, and then wrote: “But his works were always seen because they were true; they were seen by those who were healed, and raised from the dead, were seen not only at the time of their raising but long afterward. They were not only seen while Jesus Christ was on this earth, but survived after Jesus departed from this world, and some are living in our days.”

            Would you not admit that this is a glorious attestation for the cause of Christianity because it came from the hand of a famous Athenian philosopher. Actually, those words in italics above did come from one who lived about sixty years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, and was a famous philosopher in Athens. It might be said that this philosopher would write such words for he became a convert to the Christian Religion. Let us look at this account impartially and see if his testimony is not much more valid for that reason. As a Pagan philosopher he would not have said or write what he did for he would have been considered to be not sincere, or that he did not believed it and we would have been told that he embraced the Christian Religion. In the case of this man, he did thoroughly examine the truth of the history of Jesus Christ, and the excellency of the Christian Religion, a religion he taught, and was convinced of and became a proselyte and died a martyr. Who was this man? It was Aristides (Here is the reference from Jerome, Illustrious Men 20): Aristides, a most eloquent Athenian philosopher, and a disciple of Christ while yet retaining his philosopher's garb, presented a work to Hadrian at the same time that Quadratus presented his. The work contained a systematic statement of our doctrine, that is, an Apology for the Christians, which is still extant and is regarded by philologians as a monument to his genius. This Athenian philosopher was famous for his learning and wisdom and did convert to Christianity. We cannot question that he perused and approved of the apology of Quadratus Estimated Range of Dating: 120-130 A.D. He is said to have been the first of the Christian apologists.The apology is now lost but was extant in the time of Ado. Vinesis, 870 A.D., who was highly esteemed by the most learned Athenians as the author gives witness. This apology must have contained tremendous arguments for the truth of Jesus Christ and His history, because in it he asserted the divinity of our Saviour which could not but engage him in the proof of His miracles. A side note: Those who teach that Jesus Christ was not considered to be God, Divine and of the same essence of God are teaching a lie or they just don’t know the history of the Christian Religion.

            Someone may cavil that this account is not so acceptable and must be question as an evidence for the Christian Religion and to make cause for his belief. Yet, we must consider, in this case before us, who were the person we appeal to for they were of an opposite persuasion until they were persuaded of the truth of the facts which the report. They bear evidence to a history in defense of the Christian Religion. These former Pagan men were attesting to facts they heard as Pagans and had they not found reason to believe them they would have stayed as Pagans and made no mention of them in their writings.

            When a person is born of Christian parents they are trained up in the Christian Religion and guide themselves by the rules of Christian faith. the believe what has been delivered by the evangelists. Pagans do the same thing before they became Christian and were guided by the common rules of faith; that is, they examined the nature of the evidence which could be sine in the common fame, traditions, and the writings of those person who were related to them. With all this, the number, concurrence, veracity, and private characters of those persons, and being convinced of all accounts had they not the same reason to believe in the history of Jesus Christ as those who were not actually eye–witnesses. Were they not bound by all the rules of historical faith, and of right reason, to give credit to this history? Yes, and this is what they did and published these same truth themselves, suffered may afflictions, and even death. It was the Savior Jesus Christ who induced these men to embrace His doctrine. While saying that I also admit that there were many other motives that conduced this admission, as the excellency of His precepts, the fulfilling of prophecies, the miracles of His disciples, the irreproachable lives and magnanimous sufferings of their followers. No matter the nature, whatever collateral arguments may be advanced more or less with the philosophers of that age, it is certain, that a belief in the history of Jesus Christ was one motive with every new convert; this can be traced as being the very basis and the foundation of Christianity.

            I will add as I have already done, the many particular facts which are recorded in Scripture, attested to by Pagan authors, the testimony of those I am now going to produce, will extend to the whole history of our Savior, and, to those actions which are related of Him and His disciples in the books of the New Testament. The evidence appears from the quotations of the evangelists and will confirm any doctrine or account of Jesus Christ. Any learned man who examines the writings of our most sacred fathers will refer to several passages in Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clements of Alexandria, Origen, and Cyprian, those who show plainly that each of these early writers ascribed to the four evangelists by name, their respective histories; so there is no room for doubting of their belief in the history of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospels. These men were inquisitive and deep in the knowledge of Pagan learning and philosophy. Therefore as I continue to give evidence for the Christian Religion I will turn our thoughts and learning upon such evidence as can be found in the writings of several men who attest to the truth of the Christian Religion.

But now, O LORD,

You are our Father;

We are the clay,

And You our potter;

And all we are the

Work of Your hand.

Do not be furious, O LORD,

Nor remember iniquity forever;

Indeed, please look—we all

Are Your people!

                           Isaiah 64:8–9

Be glad and rejoice in God

Richard L. Crumb

Evidences For The Christian Religion: Part IV

Let your conduct be without

Covetousness; be content with such

Things as you have. For He Himself has said,

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So we may boldly say:

“The LORD is my helper;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?”

Hebrews 13:5-6 (cf. Psalm 118:6)

            So often is a portion of the above Scripture cited: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That is true and we can put our faith in that statement, but, we must not just take a good sounding verse, or portion of a verse without considering the context. Jesus will not leave us or forsake us, this is a fact, but we are to have our conduct to grow in Sanctification. Then we can have that promise be applied to us. Why would God, or His Son, or the Holy Spirit keep His promise if we ignore that precept that includes brotherly love, hospitality to be mindful of prisoners, those ill-treated, and to be honorable in marriage keeping the marriage bed undefiled, for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. We as a children of God are to not be just satisfied with the present things, and as the literal translation for the word covetousness, which is not a bad translation only the Greek word has more meaning, it means not to be fond of money, to be liberal and generous. It is easy for us to “hang our hat” on a verse that is so pleasing and desired and yet it so often difficult to study deeply the things of God and of or Christian Religion. We so often want the experience and not the work. We are not then prepared to give an answer for our faith. Authentic Biblical Faith is not static; rather it is moving forward, growing and increasing but this does not happen in a vacuum, it happens as we apply our minds to the task of preparation and to be good Ambassadors for Christ. So let us begin anew in this study that shows evidences for our faith. We will grow and so will others who are assisted by our knowledge and preparation.

            As has been pointed out in truth; there are no extant writing by Pagan men, and others who lived during the time of Jesus’ life on earth. Does this frighten you? It should not for I covered the fact why such writing would or could disappear due to the method of transmission, or communication, the type of materials used for writing and the method of storage. Did men write in those days, and before the time of Jesus? Yes! we have found many writings stored in a place where they would not deteriorate. Let us though take time to consider those Pagan writers that are extant by means of undoubted authorities. The premise must be that at least some parts of the life of Jesus Christ would reasonably be expected written about even by those that lived a distance from Judea. There were those followers of Jesus Christ who were eye witnesses who must also be premised to have passed down what the heard and saw and that communication was persevered in other writings. Let us make note of the events in Judea that were recorded by Pagan giving authority and validity to our Christian Faith.

            Some events were attested to by those living in or near Jerusalem by many Pagan authors: the following will give proof of that fact:

“That Augustus Cæsar had ordered the whole empire to be censed or taxed,” which brought our Savior’s reputed parents to Bethlehem: this is mentioned by several Roman historians, as Tacitus, Suetonius, and Dion. “That a great light, or a new star, appeared in the east, which directed the wise men to our Savior:” this is recorded by Chalcidius. “That Herod, the king of Palestine, so often mentioned in the Roman history, made a great slaughter of innocent children,” being so jealous of his successor, that he put to death his own sons on that account: this character of him is given by several historians: and this cruel fact mentioned by Macrobius, a Heathen author, who tells it as a known thing, without any mark or doubt upon it. “That our Savior had been in Egypt:” this Celsus, though he raises a monstrous story upon it, is so far from denying, that he tells us, our Savior learned the arts of magic in that country. “That Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea; that our Savior was brought in judgment before him and by him condemned and crucified:” this is recorded by Tacitus. “That many miraculous cures and works, out of the ordinary course of nature, were wrought by him;” this is confessed by Julian the apostate, Porphyry, and Hierocles, all of them not only Pagans, but professed enemies and persecutors of Christianity. “That our Savior foretold several things which came to pass according to his predictions;” this was attested by Phlegon in his annals, as we are assured by the learned Origen against Celsus. “That at the time when our Savior died, there was a miraculous darkness, and a great earthquake:” this is recorded by the same Phlegon the Trallian, who was likewise a Pagan, and freeman to Adrian the emperor. We may here observe, that a native of Trallium, which was not situate at so great a distance from Palestine, might very probably be informed of such remarkable events as had passed among the Jews in the age immediately preceding his own times, since several of his countrymen with whom he had conversed might have received a confused report of our Savior before his crucifixion, and probably lived within the shake of the earthquake, and the shadow of the eclipse, which are recorded by this author. “That Christ was worshipped as a God among the Christians; that they would rather suffer death than blaspheme him: that they received a sacrament, and by it entered into a vow of abstaining from sin and wickedness,” conformable to the advice given by St. Paul: “That they had private assemblies of worship, and used to join together in hymns;” this is the account which Pliny the younger gives of Christianity in his days, about seventy years after the death of Christ, and which agrees in all its circumstances with the accounts we have in holy writ, of the first state of Christianity after the crucifixion of our blessed Savior. “That St. Peter, whose miracles are many of them recorded in holy writ, did many wonderful works,” is owned by Julian the apostate, who therefore represents him as a great magician, and one who had in his possession a book of magical secrets, left him by our Savior. “That the devils or evil spirits were subject to them,” we may learn from Porphyry, who objects to Christianity, that since Jesus had begun to be worshipped, Esculapius, and the rest of the Gods, did no more converse with men. Even Celsus himself affirms the same thing in effect, when he says, that the power which seemed to reside in Christians proceeded from the use of certain names, and the invocation of certain demons. Origen remarks on this passage, that the author doubtless hints at those Christians who put to flight evil spirits, and healed those who were possessed with them: a fact which had been often seen, and which he himself had seen, as he declares in another part of his discourse. against Celsus. But at the same time he assures us, that this miraculous power was exerted by the use of no other name but that of Jesus; to which were added several passages in this history, but nothing like any invocation to demons. These writings of attestation to the fact that Jesus Christ lived and about the Christian Religion that we are assured that our faith in our Christian Religion is a good thing. There is more to come and when we are through with this study your faith should be so grounded that our faith, if it be Authentic Biblical Faith, is acceptable to God. 

Teach me Your way, O LORD,

      And lead me in a smooth path,

Because of my enemies.

                        Psalm 27:11

Praise God for His Faithfulness

Richard L. Crumb