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
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