Tag Archives: crucifixion

The Edict of Milan

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I recently attended a conference, calling itself an “alternative conference to those applauding Emperor Constantine and the signing of the Edict of Milan.”  This year marks 17 centuries since Emperor Constantine signed the Edict, legalizing Christianity in the Roman world.  It’s called the Edict of Milan because he signed it here in Milan.

On the surface, it seems like the Edict was a good thing for Christianity.  After about 300 years of persecuting and exterminating (feeding Christians to the lions, soaking them with oil and lighting them as torches, and crucifixion), instead of ending Christianity, it had continued to grow.

Constantine was no fool.  He decided that if you can’t beat them, join them.  So that’s what he did.  Was he sincerely converted to Christianity?  Only God knows, but probably not.  The Edict was a political move to bring Christianity under government control—the opposite of the Biblical model, in which the government is under the control of God.  The result was the ritualization of what had until then been Spirit-inspired rites (the Lord’s Supper, for example).  And little by little through these rituals, the human doctrines replaced Biblical soundness (infant baptism and praying to saints, for example).

On December 8, 1854 the Immaculate Conception became a doctrine of the Catholic Church—a fact that many Catholics are unaware of.  Many Protestants don’t realize that the Immaculate Conception is not about the sinless purity of Jesus, it’s about His mother, Mary, being born sinless.  Of course, if Mary was a sinless, divine person, then Jesus could never have died for our sins.  The only way that He could die in our place is if He was 100% human in body.  If you’re interested in reading more on the subject, here’s a link:  Immaculate Conception.

Ironically, the Edict, which was called the “Edict of Tolerance,” gave birth to a new anti-Semitic form of Christianity: Replacement Theology (link for those interested in knowing more about that).  Before the 4th century, Christians were very much aware of their Jewish roots.  But with the government-controlled version of Christianity, came a way to control the Jews.  Despite having been scattered all over the known world, the Jews continued to grow in population and most refused to convert, but remained Jewish.  Replacement Theology basically says that God gave up on the Jews and turned His attention and affection onto the Christians, instead.  Of course, this doctrine shows a basic lack of understanding about God: He is not a man and He does not change His mind (Numbers 23:19).  God is more than able to love Christians while still loving the Jews.  It’s like being a parent.  My sons are as different from each other as brothers can be, but I can and do love each of them equally.  If I, as a flawed human mother, can love my children equally in their differentness, can’t God also love both the Christians and the Jews?  Of course He can!

There were professors and clerics (Catholic, Evangelical, and Jewish), docents and intellectuals that spoke at the conference.  They spoke on their particular areas of expertise, and in the end we were given the opportunity to sign a petition declaring repentance and true tolerance for the Jewish people and for the State of Israel.

Recently, I have lost some friends.  These are Christian people who disagree with me on the true nature of grace.  They have decided to stop being friends because I believe that grace does more than save your soul.  (You can read more in my blog posts: Stop Complicating the Simple Things, Gracious Grace, Dis-Graceful Conduct, Generous Grace, and Blessed Reassurance, Part One.)  I wanted to agree to disagree—extending grace to them—but they were unwilling.  One of these former friends showed up at the conference, and was so surprised to see me there that when I greeted her warmly, she smiled and kissed me back.  Then she scurried away from me, ostensibly to find a seat, and never said another word to me.  This is at a conference about a new declaration of tolerance?  I tried not to let it hurt my feelings, but I am human, and I did have genuine affection for this person.  She used to be my cell group leader, for crying out loud!

This morning, the Word that the Lord gave me is Isaiah 65:17: “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth.  The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.”  In meditating about this verse, I realized that God isn’t saying that we won’t have the ability to remember, but rather that we won’t have the motivation to remember.  It’s like when you’re on vacation in a beautiful, tranquil place.  It’s not that you don’t remember the stress of your daily life, it’s just that there’s no motivation in that setting to do so.

Promised Land

In considering these things even further, I remembered a sermon I heard by Chuck Missler in which he described this world as a digital simulation of the real world: An Extraterrestrial Message.  I recommend watching that sermon (follow the link) because it is one of the most amazing explanations of the proof that the Bible is a supernatural book.  His point is that Heaven is a more real reality than this world.  I really like Chuck Missler because he’s unashamedly and unapologetically both Christian and intellectual.  The 2 are not mutually exclusive!

I understand very well why the Bible says that all creation groans to be set free from the bondage of decay (Romans 8:21-22).  I am groaning for it, too!  I look forward to the day when all these injustices (as with the Edict) and misunderstandings (as with grace) are a thing of the dim past that is not worth remembering.  God is good!

Stop Complicating the Simple Things!

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Day Eleven

We are such silly, irrational creatures sometimes!  We complicate the simplest things.  There’s water, for example.  Ask for a drink of water, and the question comes back: “Still or bubbly?”  How about water from the tap?  Most everyone in the developed world has indoor plumbing, and no city could survive if its tap water was undrinkable.  The water sold in bottles is from a tap, for crying out loud!  And now they’re saying that refilling the plastic bottles will give you breast cancer.  If that were really so, then they wouldn’t sell it in plastic bottles to begin with.  P. T. Barnum would have loved to see the pigeons we’ve got today: “Egress!  This way!”  Suckers!

Matters of faith, like water, are really the simplest concepts that exist.  From the cross, Jesus said, “It is finished!”  Grace, from that moment, is freely given to all mankind—it’s the ultimate “Get Out of Jail Free” card.  But just as the GOJF card does you no good if you don’t pick it up and use it in the game of Monopoly; if you don’t accept the salvation and power of grace, it will do you no good in eternity.

Some people (sincere people) read the Old Testament and realize that they are Commandment-breakers (aren’t we all?) and they add the law to grace, hoping that it will help them to make real and lasting changes in their lives.  Nothing could be farther from the truth!  Adding human effort to God-given perfect grace makes grace of no effect.  Take a look at Galatians 3:16-18:

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ. What I mean is this: The law, introduced 430 years later, does not set aside the covenant previously established by God and thus do away with the promise. For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on the promise; but God in His grace gave it to Abraham through a promise (emphasis mine).

This is that famous chapter that begins: “You foolish Galatians!  Who has bewitched you?”  The Galatian church is the only church that Paul did not give a friendly greeting.  He warmly greeted the Corinthian church, and they had issues of incest and drunkenness during Communion.

Mixing law and grace is the reason why Paul confronted Peter for refusing to continue eating with the gentiles when some prominent Jewish believers arrived (well, that and hypocrisy – Galatians 2:11-13).

Some church leaders worry about people using grace as a license to sin.  Actually just the opposite is true.  The person who genuinely loves God and is filled with the Holy Spirit, following Jesus may sin from time to time, but the desire to continue in a lifestyle of sin melts away.  John explains how this works in the short book of I John.  Will some use grace as a license to sin?  Of course, but those people clearly don’t know God—and they never did or they wouldn’t continue in a lifestyle of sin.  Don’t throw out grace just because some people understand it all wrong.

We’ve got to quit complicating the simple things of God.  You can have grace, in which all your sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven forever by the finished work of Jesus on the cross.  Or you can have the law.  But remember that if you choose the law, you’re saying that you are capable of keeping the whole law.  It’s tantamount to saying to Jesus: “No thanks!  I’ll get myself into heaven.”  (Psst!  Here’s a hint:  you can’t!)

Grace is amazing!  And God is good!