2017-06-16
Good Morning Dear Ones,
As promised last week, this week we will look at the evolution of the church. An obvious overview would reveal that a united belief in Christ by the early church evolved into many denominations, just as with all the other belief systems in the world. It’s not my purpose to go over the entire history of all these denominations, but instead to look at how churches held in people’s homes in Christ’s days on earth began to evolve into what we see today. It was the Jewish custom for certain young people with good schooling and an interest in doing so to follow well-respected rabbis (teachers) from home to home, learning from them. Much of the teaching was passed on orally this way. Accuracy to God’s words found in the “Tenach” (Hebrew for the OT) was demanded of these students.
In the Greek circles of Christ’s day, it was assemblies of free voting citizens of a city that discussed these matters. The Septuagint is an outgrowth of the need to write down spiritual principles. It is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) and used by the early Church. The Septuagint is also called the translation of the seventy because tradition states that the Septuagint was translated by seventy. As time went on, the term “gates of Hades” came to refer to the power of spiritual death. It was used to describe the forces opposed to Christ. When it came to be time for the apostles to divide up their work, a more mature Peter was appointed to the Jews of Jerusalem and Paul to be an apostle of the Gospel to the Gentiles elsewhere. Once Peter acknowledged Christ’s deity by saying, in MT 16: 16, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” the stage was set for what came next. Peter’s role was made clear from the time of MT 16: 18 with Christ’s words, “And I tell you that you are Peter and on this rock I will build My church.” (You’ll remember that the name Peter means “rock” in Greek). Authority for this task was given by Christ in MT 16: 19, “I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” In view of Peter’s being so impetuous in his early years, only Christ could have known ahead that Peter could and would hold such a responsibility.
1 PET 2: 4-8, deals with the Living Stone and a chosen people. Human nature, being what it is, has shown that confronting people with a list of rules to obey often leads to breaking those rules. This was particularly true when the 1st to 4th century rabbis began writing the “oral Torah.” In their legalistic ways, these human-crafted writings, which continue in modern times, raised God’s 10 basic Commandments to 613! Only Christ could keep them all. In the face of this, comes 1 PET 2: 2-6, “As you come to Him, the Living Stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him—you also like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” This passage goes on to cite IS 28: 16, “See I lay a Stone in Zion, a chosen and precious Cornerstone, and the one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame. The Stone the builders rejected has become the Capstone. And, a Stone which causes men to stumble and a Rock that makes them fall.” [See also IS 8: 14; LK 2: 34-35].
There were some matters that had to be decided for practical reasons. One was whether or not Gentiles joining the church had to follow the Mosaic laws and whether or not males should be circumcised. These matters where settled in ~48-50 AD in the Jerusalem council (described in AC 15 and GA 2). It was decided that Gentile males didn’t have to be circumcised. However, it was agreed that acceptance of the Noachian Laws—namely, regarding avoidance of idolatry, fornication, and the eating of flesh cut from a living animal—should be demanded of the heathen desirous of entering the Church. Moreover, Peter would head the church in Jerusalem, and Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus) would be as he describes in RO 1: 1, “a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God…” would be the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul would first travel with Barnabus and later with Silas. We all know that the church spread to places many citizens of Jerusalem had never been. [See RO 9: 22-23]. Two matters to consider are the church’s fate and the consequences of serial unbelief.
PRAYER: O Lord, we, who are believers in Jesus Christ, are faced with many issues that impact our faith. Change has always seemed inevitable, but one thing that must not change is our willingness to approach You with reverence, always studying Your word with no attempt to live outside the spirit of it [RO 7: 6]. We are aware of Your will that we should take time to learn Your word and pass it on to our children [DT 6: 4-7]. Learning it and passing it down with accuracy matters [2 TIM 1: 13-14]. Taking responsibility for our own actions and decisions is a sign of maturity, with obeying Your teaching. The church today has been split into many denominations over matters of human disagreements and politics. You never intended for this to happen, for unity in our beliefs has always been Your desire for us [AC 4: 12; EPH 4: 3-5]. We offer no excuses, as these divisions are a product of human imperfections and sinfulness. Those reading this prayer hope to remain well versed in Your word, obedient to Your teaching, and grateful for the blessings You give us each day. You and You alone deserve all the credit for any victories we have over sin and our very salvation [PS 115: 1]. We offer You praise and thanks for Your continuing presence and intervention in our lives, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: I’m commanded by the Holy Spirit to continue writing on the evolution of the church, particularly in view of the transition from the old to the new covenant, its spiritual beliefs, and its organization. No one knows exactly what the fate of the church will be except God Himself. However, we are given as much information about that as He wills us to have in books like Daniel and Revelation. As for the consequences of serial unbelief, that has been made clear. For this writer, serial unbelief (constant refusal to accept Christ as our Savior and the wisdom He has given us) isn’t worth it. Being faithful to Christ may not be the easy way, but it certainly is the right one if eternal life and all its ramifications matter. Each of us needs to be alert to the status of our faithful obedience to Him. The only way to do this is to be willing to examine it regularly. I pray that our Lord Jesus will help each of us to do this with honesty and a heart that seeks the Holy Spirit. Our God deserves our compliance with His will and will help us to do this. Praise and thanks be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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