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
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