How HIstorical Church Knowledge Aids Our Faith

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications,

 prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, 

be made for all men; for kings, and for all 

that are in authority; that we may lead 

a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness 

and honesty. For this is good and acceptable 

in the sight of God our Savior; who will have 

all men to be saved, and to come unto the 

knowledge of the truth. 

!Timothy 2:1-4

     All men and women are products of their past, both by ancestors, also by the circumstances and events surrounding our ancestors, those philosophers and theologians so that we have history that has led us to where we are in life today. Yes, we have the present decisions, our decisions both good and bad that have added to our history but more than that, this new development in our history becomes history for our progeny, and the events in secular circumstances caused by our decisions have an lasting effect on history. 

     We study history for more than just knowledge of history. We study history so that we can make changes in our present history that make for a future better world. 

     The Christian Church has had to face many new thoughts, new ideas on theology, heresies, and as much as it is history those ideas have continued into our present day in one form or the other. One such contention that caused much concern in the Church was Judaism. What is this Judiasim? It as a theological position of the Jews that demanded that the Jewish law was to be kept as a requirement for salvation. We can see a form of this thought in such groups as the Seventh Day Adventist. There was a group of men and women called the Ebionites that persisted in Palestine for over 200 years. These people emphasized the unity of God, His creatorship of the universe. The Ebionites believed that the Jewish law was the highest expression of God's will and that the law, not just the Ten Commandments, but the rituals, and laws governing the life of the Jews were still binding upon man. More than that, they believed that Jesus was a man who became the Messiah by virtue of His complete fulfillment of the law. It was their insistence as to the Law of God and how it applied to Christians that Paul and others had to write about so as to keep Christianity pure as taught by Jesus. What was and is the overriding principle that should be governing people? it is faith in Jesus Christ alone that justifies and individual and not works. This has been shown in previous blogs that Clement wrote about this fact: we are justified by faith in Jesus Christ alone. 

     Jesus Christ alone to be our Savior and the foundation for our faith then it is most important to know the truth as to who Jesus is: a man who became Messiah, an angel sent to earth, a creator other than Jehovah, a phantom, or any other form as to Jesus. We are to lead people to the truth about Jesus and to be able to do that we must first come to the truth about Him ourselves. This is what this blog is all about: Considering our faith and making any needed changes starting from the inside out and being manifested in our daily lives. We owe it to God to be our best for Him, and for His sheep so out of our love for God we give aid to others and in this giving as we focus a person present need we also look to give them the truth as to salvation, repentance, and the fact that Jesus Christ will save them from this sin of the world that is condemning them.  

        "Christ is our leader, and we His soldiers. Let us then, men and brethren, with all energy act the part of soldiers, in accordance with His holy commandments. Let us consider those who serve under our generals, with what order, obedience, and submissiveness they perform the things which are commanded them. All are not prefects, nor commanders of a thousand, nor of a hundred, nor of fifty, nor the like, but each one in his own rank performs the things commanded by the king and the generals. The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence arises mutual advantage. (Literally, “in these there is use.”) Let us take our body for an example. (1 Cor. xii. 12, etc.) The head is nothing without the feet, and the feet are nothing without the head; yea, the very smallest members of our body are necessary and useful to the whole body. But all work (Literally, “all breathe together.”) harmoniously together, and are under one common rule (Literally, “use one subjection.”) for the preservation of the whole body."

     I will, next week, begin a series on our Christian heritage and about those philosophical heresies that not only plagued the early Church, but has plagued the Church throughout history and is plaguing the Church today. We then, after having learned about this can examine our faith, our how we have and we we have come to believe. 

Behold, I am against them that prophesy

     false dreams, saith the LORD, and do

tell them, and cause My people to err by

    their lies, and by their lightness yet I

sent them not, nor commanded them: 

    therefore they shall not profit this people

at all, saith the LORD.

                Jeremiah 23:32

Immerse yourself in the Bible

Richard L. Crumb

What Is This Thing Sanctification?

And the very God of peace  sanctify you wholly; 

and I pray God your whole spirit and soul 

and body be preserved blameless unto the 

coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is

 He that  calleth you, who also will do it.

1Thessalonians 5:23-24 

     Christians speak much about sanctification and yet many do not know what it means to be sanctified. Yes, God has sanctified in heaven all who believe on His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ and have faith in Him. This is the dual effect placed upon Authentic Christians: Justification and sanctification, therefore we we die, whenever that occurs we are already sanctified and have been justified. But, we while here on earth must  work out this sanctification in our daily lives, not justification for man cannot by any work justify themselves. 

     Are you praying to become sanctified? Well, God has done His part are you willing and are you prepared to face the standard that has been set forth in Scripture? I believe that we take sanctification way too lightly and will do all we can to avoid the cost of sanctification. Why? Because sanctification means that we must narrow our interests as to this world and its culture and we must broaden our interests in God. Authentic Christians who are pursuing sanctification are the ones concentrating on God's viewpoint, not man's. Why do some attempt to avoid the costs of sanctification? It is because there has not be a realizing as to the meaning of sanctification, not from man's point of view, rather God's. Are you prepared to that which will cost you? Here is a fact: It will cost you everything that is not of God in you. Are you prepared to set yourself apart and allow the Holy Spirit to work in you? 

     This is what these early Church fathers always stated as to our life, as to our growing in sanctification. First, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, repent of your sins against our holy God, and then be obedient to the commands of God, His precepts. 

     Authentic Christians have all they will ever need but many are running too and fro trying to obtain what God is willing to freely give, they are striving after things that are not of God even when they may seem to be godly. Clement gives us a wonderful admonition so that we can grow in our sanctification: 

        "How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God! Life in immortality, splendour in righteousness, truth in perfect confidence, (Some translate, “in liberty.”) faith in assurance, self-control in holiness! And all these fall under the cognizance of our understandings [now]; what then shall those things be which are prepared for such as wait for Him? The Creator and Father of all worlds, (Or, “of the ages.”) the Most Holy, alone knows their amount and their beauty. Let us therefore earnestly strive to be found in the number of those that wait for Him, in order that we may share in His promised gifts. But how, beloved, shall this be done? If our understanding be fixed by faith towards God; if we earnestly seek the things which are pleasing and acceptable to Him; if we do the things which are in harmony with His blameless will; and if we follow the way of truth, casting away from us all unrighteousness and iniquity, along with all covetousness, strife, evil practices, deceit, whispering, and evil-speaking, all hatred of God, pride and haughtiness, vainglory and ambition. (The reading is doubtful: some have ἀφιλοξενίαν, “want of a hospitable spirit.”) [So Jacobson.] For they that do such things are hateful to God; and not only they that do them, but also those that take pleasure in them that do them. (Rom. i. 32.) For the Scripture saith, “But to the sinner God said, Wherefore dost thou declare my statutes, and take my covenant into thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee? When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with (Literally, “didst run with.”) him, and didst make thy portion with adulterers. Thy mouth has abounded with wickedness, and thy tongue contrived (Literally, “didst weave.”) deceit. Thou sittest, and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest (Or, “layest a snare for.”) thine own mother’s son. These things thou hast done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest, wicked one, that I should be like to thyself. But I will reprove thee, and set thyself before thee. Consider now these things, ye that forget God, lest He tear you in pieces, like a lion, and there be none to deliver. The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and a way is there by which I will show him the salvation of God.” ( Ps. l. 16–23.) The reader will observe how the Septuagint followed by Clement differs from the Hebrew."

     Do you see in this writing of Clement of Rome anything that we find so important: i.e., must have only wine in the communion cup, or, we must meet on Sunday, or, we must speak in some "gibberish" tongue, or, that we must do this or that other than that we are to become obedient in our Authentic Christian Faith? No! Some things are ok, only wrong if they are forwarded as the sign of a true doctrine. The only sound doctrine and are not fables are that which is simply found in Scripture, nothing added, not taken away, only Scripture. Authentic Christian Faith has always had the need to fight that which appear intellectually respectable and to fight the threat of legalistic or philosphical perversions of Christianity. Many follow those heretical ideas and then schisms occur and new sects are developed.

      How can you or I grow in sanctification? Read the Bible!

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

     Fear God, and keep His commandments:

for this is the whole duty of man.

                       Ecclesiastes 12:13

Live what God has declared you to be

Richard L. Crumb

 

     

Learning Our Church History: Growing In Our Faith

Beware of false prophets, which come to 

you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they

 are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by 

their fruits. do men gather grapes of thorns,

or figs or thistles? 

Matthew 7:15-16

     Allow me this statement: "We are justified not by our own works, but by faith." We are the product of those who went before us, whether they be good or bad. We are not unable to overcome the bad even if it is in your heredity, but we can do good if we turn our minds to the good and the good is Jesus Christ, His words, His commandments, His precepts. 

     Why study these early Church fathers? Are they not the ones who developed Christianity and the various theological positions? Yes! Some development was good and others bad. Therefore we have the responsibility to learn which is which. We do this by studying those early Church fathers their writing, their lives. For instance: Origen a Church father of the third century (190A.D-250 A.D) who was a student of Sacchus the founder of Neo-Patonism along with Potius who was a strong Neo-Platonist. It is true that these early Christian writers often offered informal, simple statements of sincere faith and piety, yet with Origen who was a student of Neo-Platonism we can notice in his writings evidence of his philosophical training in pagan philosophy. We see excessive use of typological interpretation. 

      Clement of Rome (30 A.D.- 100 A.D.) who was born about the time Jesus was crucified, lived during the time of the apostles, wrote about the death of Paul and Peter, a leading elder in the Church at Rome when in 95 A.D. a great disturbance in the Corinthian Church wroth to them and this epistle has been assigned the most prominent place among the writings of the apostolic writers because it is the earliest Christian writing apart form the books of the New Testament. 

     The Christian Church from its beginning had to fight heresy along with the fighting to preserve its existence in the fact of Roman attempts to abolish this religion. With the influx of new converts to the Church came old ideas until they could be properly instructed. There was, and is in this day, threat of legalistic or philosophical perversion of Christianity. Then, and now, overzealous leaders would and have developed a particular interpretation to correct real or fancied evils in the Church and have been able to gather followers of their heretical ideas and by this schisms and from these schisms came new sects. 

     God gives gifts and a great reward so the question is: How shall we obtain it? Through a denomination, through following men: i.e., Calvin, Arminus, Wesley, Moody, Graham, or others, or Scripture? How shall we become Authentic Christians holding Authentic Christian Faith?

     "How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God! Life in immortality, splendour in righteousness, truth in perfect confidence, ( Some translate, “in liberty.”) faith in assurance, self-control in holiness! And all these fall under the cognizance of our understandings [now]; what then shall those things be which are prepared for such as wait for Him? The Creator and Father of all worlds, ( Or, “of the ages.”) the Most Holy, alone knows their amount and their beauty. Let us therefore earnestly strive to be found in the number of those that wait for Him, in order that we may share in His promised gifts. But how, beloved, shall this be done? If our understanding be fixed by faith towards God; if we earnestly seek the things which are pleasing and acceptable to Him; if we do the things which are in harmony with His blameless will; and if we follow the way of truth, casting away from us all unrighteousness and iniquity, along with all covetousness, strife, evil practices, deceit, whispering, and evil-speaking, all hatred of God, pride and haughtiness, vainglory and ambition. (The reading is doubtful: some have ἀφιλοξενίαν, “want of a hospitable spirit.”) [So Jacobson.] For they that do such things are hateful to God; and not only they that do them, but also those that take pleasure in them that do them. (Rom. i. 32.) For the Scripture saith, “But to the sinner God said, Wherefore dost thou declare my statutes, and take my covenant into thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee? When thou sawest a thief, thou consentedst with (Literally, “didst run with.”) him, and didst make thy portion with adulterers. Thy mouth has abounded with wickedness, and thy tongue contrived (Literally, “didst weave.”) deceit. Thou sittest, and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest (Or, “layest a snare for.”) thine own mother’s son. These things thou hast done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest, wicked one, that I should be like to thyself. But I will reprove thee, and set thyself before thee. Consider now these things, ye that forget God, lest He tear you in pieces, like a lion, and there be none to deliver. The sacrifice of praise will glorify Me, and a way is there by which I will show him the salvation of God.” ( Ps. l. 16–23.The reader will observe how the Septuagint followed by Clement differs from the Hebrew."

     This earliest of Christian writers outside of the books of the New Testament has spoken. 

O LORD our God, other lords

     beside Thee have had dominion 

over us: but by thee only will we

    make mention of Thy name.

                 Isaiah 26:13

Fear God: Not men

Richard L. Crumb