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
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