Church History Overview ENTIRE SERIES

Church History TOTAL SERIES

PART 1

Alright so there was this fella named Adam and this lady named Eve . . .

I hated reading growing up àI read about a book a week for 7 years, and never once chose a book about church history, and yet, it was one of the subjects I enjoyed most

I am using chiefly one of the books used as a textbook in one of my church history classes called Turning Points by Mark A. Noll

Cant cover everything of course . . .

2,000 years of people who loved the Lord and his Word and wrote about it

2,000 years of a Church, movement, the greatest movement that has ever been in all of mankinds history. . . and here we are on the top of it, pressing onward into the future

The kind of movement that doesn’t make sense to historians, it should have died, so many times

And yet here it is, here you are, as proof of its success

The story of church history is not a story of how all these other people got it wrong for 1700 years until our group finally came along and got it right. This is a story of millions of people who loved the Lord and sought after him, and sought to pass it on to the next generation.

Matthew 16:18 – the gates of Hades – I will build My church – reason it did not fail

The church will not fail. Every other Kingdom will fail, this one will not.

Church history is an EPIC Story, its actually the story of the Kingdom that was always promised, that arrived with Christ the King.

Daniel 2 (550 yrs)

WORLD RULING KINGDOMS

Babylon Fell to Persia and Cyrus the Great in 539

Persia Fell to Greece and Alexander the Great in 334

Greece Feel to Rome in 146

Stone

looks weaker than all the rest

Appears as if from nowhere

In the days of Roman Rule

Mountain that Fills the Earth – the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it

Ezekiel 37:21-28

Hebrews 12:26-29

Matthew 28:18-19

Outward – Go make disciples

Inward – Teach to Obey (Disciple)

Jesus appears on the scene (yr 0), life, death, resurrection, ascension – Gospels 0-33

The Acts of the Apostles– Holy Spirit – Advancement of the Kingdom – 33 A.D. à Early 60’s

1:8 à Jerusalem throughout Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the Mediterranean world.

Pentecost – Paul’s missionary Journeys (church planting)

Book finishes with Paul imprisoned under house arrest in Rome but able to gather people and preach and teach

Old Temple vs New Temple – People of God

Persecution from the Old Temple was the force that drove Christianity outward, but there was still this strong connection with Jerusalem

The early center of Christianity was Jerusalem, most significant church, church councils met there, everyone sort of reported back to Jerusalem. It had become sort of new synagoguing.

The early Christian movement didn’t make any sense to the surrounding cultures – Rome thought they were simply a sect inside of Judaism, so they didn’t understand the significant conflict between the two, and beyond that, this movement was multiethnic and crossing cultural and racial and social barriers, all treated as equals, and that was simply unprecedented. But Rome didn’t really do anything about Christianity in particular because they didn’t see it as truly distinct from Judaism.

1st Turning Point: The Destruction of Jerusalem - The Church Pushed out of Jerusalem Once and for All

AD 66– Jewish exasperation with the rule of Rome had reached a fever pitch.

Long history of Strife

Rome let them worship their God, but were still domineering and did what they wanted (taxes temple)

The common view was that just as had been done in Exodus, the Messiah was coming to rid the Jews of the Roman oppression – Peter takes up sword

Ad 66 – Some Greek speakers attacked a group of Jews, and the Roman guards nearby stood by and did nothing – when word spread, there was an immediate reaction. Jews attacked the local Roman garrison, slaughtered its defenders, and appealed for an end of the subjugation. They then stopped the homage paying to the Roman leader.

War was inevitable.

(7) Years of bloody strife followed, the Jews fought hard and even gained the upper hand – but you must understand what this was, this wasn’t ROMAN ARMIES vs Jews, it was pesky Jews, send some troops, and the Jews kept defeating them.

When Rome had had enough, Rome sent 4 legions (5-6,000 per) under Vespasions charge to discipline the Jewish colony

Vespasion became Emperor and passed the charge over to his son Titus. April 70 AD the siege began. The suffering was horrific. The last stand in Jerusalem took place in the temple in September, and Rome finally destroyed it.

Tacitus reported that Titus was eager to destroy the temple because “he wanted to eradicate the temple in order that the Jewish and Christian religions might more completely be abolished . . . if the root were taken away, the stalk would easily perish.”

What this meant, destruction of THE TEMPLE

Hub of Judaism

Location of God

Cessation of Sacrifices

For Christians at the time, this too seemed like an unspeakable tragedy, but it was the final separating factor between Christianity and Judaism – think about how much of the pre-70 NT is seeking to do this

No longer was Christianity seen as simply a variety inside Jerusalem, Christianity was now making its independent way in the Gentile world

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The Theological significance of this event varies based on ones eschatological view – I haven’t studied this deeply enough to take a strong stance . . .

Matthew 24

Luke 21:20ff

Revelation – 666, Beast – Harlot riding the back of the Beast is Judaizing Israel

Christians had gotten out of Dodge (Eusebius says in Pela – NE of Jerusalem across the Jordan)

So this new Christianity, separated from Judaism, had to figure out what it was, it needed something to hold it together, to be the boundaries, to give it structure. – As we will see – Heresy played a major role early in the church, as could be expected – Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, even Islam – Entirely different teaching, but they try to hold hands with Christianity also

Needed guards against this

We don’t have hardly anything until about 110

By the year 112

Ignatius is able to write “Follow the bishop as Jesus followed the Father” – showing some sort of church organization

At least by this time, there were 2 collections of writings that were circulating through the churches – 4 Gospels, and 10-13 letters as authoritative like the Old Testament writings

There also had appeared short concise summaries of what it meant to be a Christ follower or to join a church – Creeds from the latin credo “I believe” or credeemus “We believe” – were useful for marking out the boundaries of the Christian faith

2 Thess 3:6, 1 Cor 11:12, 1 Cor 15:3ff, Col 1:15ff

Ignatius – 110 – Turn a deaf ear to any speaker who avoids mention of Jesus Christ who was of David’s line, born of Mary, who was truly born, ate and drank, was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, truly crucified and died while those in heaven, on earth, and under the earth beheld it, who was truly raised from the dead, the Father having raised him, who in like manner will raise us also who believe in Him, his father, I saw, will raise us in Christ Jesus apart from whom we have not true life. (against Docetism)

The “Old Roman Creed” which later became the Apostles Creed, was used as early as the beginning of the second century, maybe by baptismal candidates

I believe in God the Father almighty; and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord, Who was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried, on the third day rose again from the dead, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, whence He will come to judge the living and the dead, and in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the flesh (the life everlasting).

3 things that acted as structure in the Early Church – Canon, Creed, Episcopacy – Organized Leadership in the church

Canon – Measuring Stick – Standard

2 Pet 3:16 – “Other Scriptures”

Beyond those 17 books, the other 10 took longer to become Canonized

Key throughout was apostolicity

By the year 200, we have a list of canonical books – All but Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter

Additional books – Wisdom of Solomon, Apocalypse of Peter, Laodicea and Alexandria (against Marcion)

PART 2

Cant cover everything of course . . .

2,000 years of people who loved the Lord and his Word and wrote about it

2,000 years of a Church, movement, the greatest movement that has ever been in all of mankinds history. . . and here we are on the top of it, pressing onward into the future - EPIC Story

The kind of movement that doesn’t make sense to historians, it should have died, so many times

And yet here it is, here you are, as proof of its success

The story of church history is not a story of how all these other people got it wrong for 1700 years until our group finally came along and got it right. This is a story of millions of people who loved the Lord and sought after him, and sought to pass it on to the next generation.

Matthew 16:18 – the gates of Hades – I will build My church – reason it did not fail

The church will not fail. Every other Kingdom will fail, this one will not, and there never was a time when it did.

Church history is an EPIC Story, its actually the story of the Kingdom that was always promised, that arrived with Christ the King.

Daniel 2 (550 yrs)

All around the globe, right now at this moment, people’s hearts are being pricked for the first time . . standing in water awaiting their baptism overjoyed at joining this kingdom . . .

Jesus appears on the scene (yr 0), life, death, resurrection, ascension – Gospels 0-33

The Acts of the Apostles– Holy Spirit – Advancement of the Kingdom – 33 A.D. à Early 60’s

1st Turning Point: The Destruction of Jerusalem

A. The Church Pushed out of Jerusalem Once and for All

What this meant, destruction of THE TEMPLE

Hub of Judaism

Location of God

Cessation of Sacrifices

For Christians at the time, this too seemed like an unspeakable tragedy, they weren’t cheering, but it was the final separating factor between Christianity and Judaism – think about how much of the pre-70 NT is seeking to do this

No longer was Christianity seen as simply a variety inside Jerusalem, Christianity was now making its independent way in the Gentile world

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The Theological significance of this event varies based on ones eschatological view – I haven’t studied this deeply enough to take a strong stance . . .

Matthew 24(:34) - Luke 21:20ff

Matt 24 - Writ Large

Revelation – 666, Beast – Harlot riding the back of the Beast is Judaizing Israel

Soon take place

Christians had gotten out of Dodge (Eusebius says in Pela – NE of Jerusalem across the Jordan)

Questions – I haven’t given myself to deep study on this topic – In the end – we win through Jesus – Im not opposed to changing my eschatology midair, but ask and I’ll be honest about what I currently think for whatever that is worth

B. The Guardrails

So this new Christianity, separated from Judaism, had to figure out what it was, it needed something to hold it together, to be the boundaries, to give it structure. – As we will see – Heresy played a major role early in the church, as could be expected – lot of time arguing about it – not like well they don’t take Lord’s supper weekly, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness, even Islam – Entirely different teaching, but they try to hold hands with Christianity also

Needed guards against this – new converts – “What is true?”

We take for granted that if you converted today, and looked around and said, wow lots of different beliefs, what is exactly true, Christianity has an answer from you – “Orthodox”

They were living on much shallower ground at the time. There weren’t deep roots, so there were offshoots popping up all over the place, and the early church had to say no, this is what is true, this is what was taught at the beginning.

3 Guardrails

CANON– measuring stick (probably) – Standard - “We don’t have a Bible until 367 or later”

At least by 100-110, there were 2 collections of writings that were circulating through the churches – 4 Gospels, and 10-13 letters as authoritative like the Old Testament writings

NT written from 40’s to 90

NT recognizes OT as authoritative, Already recognition of their inherent authority

2 Pet 3:16 – Paul’s writings scripture, 1 Tim 5:18, 1 Cor 14:37

John 14:26 – Spirit will remind apostles of all things he said

Colossians 4:16 –Send the letter around

More than just for a particular congregation, there is a universal authority – recognized already

Church Fathers, Ignatius (End of 1st century) Irenaeus (second century) quote the 27 NT books as authoritative – we could reconstruct the entire NT just from the quotations of the early church fathers

Over the first few hundred years, most of the NT books were accepted by all as Canon, and they were measuring and judging the rest and seeing if they really carried apostolic authority

First time we get an enumerated list wasn’t until 367 in a letter from Athanasius, but that out of context could leave the impression-

Canon wasn’t declared, it was recognized – the early church was very careful to make sure they only gave the final authority to books that were inspired – there wasn’t a “Hey just bring your book and we will add it” – HISTORICITY

The 27 NT books are the 27 OLDEST

By the year 200, we have a list of canonical books – All but Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter

Additional books – Wisdom of Solomon, Apocalypse of Peter, Laodicea and Alexandria (against Marcion)

CREED(often in response to heresy – Jesus was God in the Flesh, Jesus physically rose from the dead)

There also had appeared short concise summaries of what it meant to be a Christ follower or to join a church – Creeds from the latin credo “I believe” or credeemus “We believe” – were useful for marking out the boundaries of the Christian faith

1 Cor 15:3ff, Col 1:15ff, Phil 2:6-11, 1 Tim 3:16

The “Old Roman Creed” which later became the Apostles Creed, was used as early as the beginning of the second century, just a few decades after the last apostle died, maybe by baptismal candidates

I believe in God the Father almighty; and in Christ Jesus His only Son, our Lord, Who was born from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, Who under Pontius Pilate was crucified and buried, on the third day rose again from the dead, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, whence He will come to judge the living and the dead, and in the Holy Spirit, the holy Church, the remission of sins, the resurrection of the flesh (the life everlasting).

EPISCOPACY

By the year 112

What exactly church organization was like in the first years is hotly debated – It is certain that by the end of the 2nd century, most churches were ruled by a single bishop, but it doesn’t seem that was always the case..

NT uses Bishop or overseer and Elder interchangeably (Ac 20:28)

NT sees plurality of elders as standard model (Ac 11:30, 14:23, 15:2, 20:17, Titus 1:5, Phil 1:1, 1 Tim 3:1-7)

Didache (Date unknown, most think about 100) “Elect for yourselves bishops and deacons who are worthy of the Lord…”

In a latter called 1 Clement, dated c. 96 – Clement writes to the church at Corinth trying to convince them to reinstate its bishops/elders who were wrongly deposed. He even quotes the Bible saying it was right to appoint bishops and deacons in every church.

The Shepherd of Hermas, c. 150, writes also of the “presbyters who lead the church”

What caused the transition? Jerome describes it well

The presbyter is the same as the bishop, and before parties had been raised up in religion by the provocations of Satan, the churches were governed by the Senate of the presbyters. But as each one sought to appropriate to himself those whom he had baptized, instead of leading them to Christ, it was appointed that one of the presbyters, elected by his colleagues, should be set over all the others, and have chief supervision over the general well-being of the community. . . Without doubt it is the duty of the presbyters to bear in mind that by the discipline of the Church they are subordinated to him who has been given them as their head, but it is fitting that the bishops, on their side, do not forget that if they are set over the presbyters, it is the result of tradition, and not by the fact of a particular institution by the Lord (Comm. Tit. 1.7📷).

Jerome’s comments provide a great summary of this debate. While the single-bishop model might have developed for practical reasons, the plurality of elders model seems to go back to the very beginning.

Canon, Creed, Episopacy

PART 3

Cant cover everything of course . . .

Matthew 16:18 – the gates of Hades – I will build My church – reason it did not fail

The church will not fail. Every other Kingdom will fail, this one will not, and there never was a time when it did.

Church history is an EPIC Story, its actually the story of the Kingdom that was always promised, that arrived with Christ the King.

Daniel 2 (550 yrs)

All around the globe, right now at this moment, people’s hearts are being pricked for the first time . . standing in water awaiting their baptism overjoyed at joining this kingdom . . .

1st Turning Point: The Destruction of Jerusalem

C. The Church Pushed out of Jerusalem Once and for All

D. The Guardrails

CANON– measuring stick (probably) – Standard

At least by 100-110, there were 2 collections of writings that were circulating through the churches – 4 Gospels, and 10-13 letters as authoritative like the Old Testament writings

Had NT “Scriptures” very early – being sent around

CREED(often in response to heresy – Jesus was God in the Flesh, Jesus physically rose from the dead)

There also had appeared short concise summaries of what it meant to be a Christ follower or to join a church – Creeds from the latin credo “I believe” or credeemus “We believe” – were useful for marking out the boundaries of the Christian faith

1 Cor 15:3ff, Col 1:15ff, Phil 2:6-11, 1 Tim 3:16

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EPISCOPACY

What exactly church organization was like in the first years is hotly debated – It is certain that by the end of the 2nd century, most churches were ruled by a single bishop, but it doesn’t seem that was always the case..

NT uses Bishop or overseer and Elder interchangeably (Ac 20:28)

NT sees plurality of elders as standard model (Ac 11:30, 14:23, 15:2, 20:17, Titus 1:5, Phil 1:1, 1 Tim 3:1-7)

Didache (Date unknown, most think about 100) “Elect for yourselves bishops and deacons who are worthy of the Lord…”

In a letter called 1 Clement, dated c. 96 – Clement writes to the church at Corinth trying to convince them to reinstate its bishops/elders who were wrongly deposed. He even quotes the Bible saying it was right to appoint bishops and deacons in every church.

The Shepherd of Hermas, c. 150, writes also of the “presbyters who lead the church”

What caused the transition? Jerome describes it well

The presbyter is the same as the bishop, and before parties had been raised up in religion by the provocations of Satan, the churches were governed by the Senate of the presbyters. But as each one sought to appropriate to himself those whom he had baptized, instead of leading them to Christ, it was appointed that one of the presbyters, elected by his colleagues, should be set over all the others, and have chief supervision over the general well-being of the community. . . Without doubt it is the duty of the presbyters to bear in mind that by the discipline of the Church they are subordinated to him who has been given them as their head, but it is fitting that the bishops, on their side, do not forget that if they are set over the presbyters, it is the result of tradition, and not by the fact of a particular institution by the Lord (Comm. Titus)

Canon, Creed, Episopacy

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Various persecutions that the Christians endured

some because they saw Christians as disturbing the peace or causing division

some because the emperor demanded to be worshipped as the only Lord and Christians refused

some because they thought suffering was because Christians weren’t worshipping the gods

some because of misunderstanding of Christianity . . . cannibals

Atheists - The Proconsul asked him whether he was Polycarp. On hearing that he was, he tried to persuade him to apostatize, saying, “Have respect for your old age, swear by the fortune of Caesar. Repent, and say, ‘Down with the Atheists!’” Polycarp looked grimly at the wicked heathen multitude in the stadium, and gesturing towards them, he said, “Down with the Atheists!” “Swear,” urged the Proconsul, “reproach Christ, and I will set you free.” “86 years have I have served him,” Polycarp declared, “and he has done me no wrong. How can I blaspheme my King and my Savior?”

Thousands of Christians were persecuted and martyred because they refused to deny Christ.

The worst of the persecutions was probably that led by Emperor Diocletian around 300, seeing Christianity as divisive and wanting to unify the empire.

Diocletian set out as never before to actually totally extinguish Christianity. He prohibited all Christian worship, and destroyed all Christian books he could find. He ordered that all Christians be arrested unless they sacrifice to the pagan deities, this lasted for about a decade until Diocletian fell very ill.

Diocletian divided his realm into 4 districts, over 1 of them he installed Constantius Clorus, whose son, Constantine, would emerge as the successor to Diocletian as Emperor. (along with Licenius)

Constantine was not only friendly to Christians, he himself claimed a miraculous conversion to Christianity himself.

When he became co-emporer, he issued the Edict of Milan, which decreed the full toleration of Christianity and all peaceful religions.

324 – Constantine became Soul Roman Emperor – he too was greatly concerned with the unity of the Empire, and saw Christianity as the way to do that

So he set out to solve the Church’s internal strife, thinking if he did so he could find a cultural glue for the Roman world.

In order to do this, he called a Council, the first ever ecumenical (worldwide) council - Acts 15

2nd Turning Point: The Council of Nicea (location of meeting)

SN - Think about how quickly this has gotten to this point, small time Chrisitianity - Jewish, cannibals, atheists . . . Roman Emperor – what could constitute that kind of growth? Its almost like a stone that grew into a mountain . . .

The church would never be the same – Political power involved

Emperor didn’t just call the council, he himself chaired the deliberation and implemented the directives. The church’s history was decisively turned from an alien pilgrim persecuted body to the benefits and perils of establishment, the state support of religion.

Issue causing strife

· Ongoing Effort to define the nature of Christ and what he did (Christ’s divinity)

230 Bishops gathered at Nicea (modern day Turkey)

The most significant of these was a man named Athanasius, who would devote his life to defending and hammering out the declaration at Nicea.

Specific Theological issue concerned the teachings of Arius that had gained a lot of steam

How to define Jesus special status as the Son of God, the Logos of God, the Savior who was One with the Father

HOW TO UNDERSTAND GOD

Declared then and held ever since: Within the One Being that is God, there exists eternally Three co-equal and co-eternal persons: namely the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The Bible is Clear

There is Only One God – Shema – Daily Prayer –

Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. And as for you, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

The Father is God (never in question)

Jesus is God - Jn 20:28, Jn 8:58-59, Rom 9:5, Titus 2:13-14, Rev 22:12-13 (Jesus speaking)

Spirit is God – (Ac 5:3-4, 13:2, 10:19-20, 20:28, 1 Cor 12:11, 2:10-11)

Let me give you an illustration to help you understand the trinity – hey stop listening – there are no good illustrations – because there is nothing like God

In your mind, I want you to come up with a brand new color, create a new color . . . describe it to me so that I can picture it in my mind

The way we understand things is by comparing them to something else we know – tough chicken

When we encounter new things or ideas, it works well to fit them into existing categories by comparing them to past experiences or facts. What is it like to go to a Braves game?

This works quite well for most things, it doesn’t work well for truly unique things though, if the thing is indeed truly unique, then to compare it to things it is quite different than will at best lead to significant error. We may be able to describe an aspect of a unique thing with comparison, but our comparisons will be quite limited and if pushed too far, dangerous. We don’t encounter many truly unique things, so we get along just fine. But God is totally unique.

Isaiah 40:18 - To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness compare with him?

So to say God, the entirely unique thing, completely other, is like _______ is dangerous ground to walk on. He is totally unlike anything else, this makes it tough to understand him and the Trinity.

1. God is three persons (Distinction)

Deny this Truth: Modalism - 1 appearing in different guises à Water, Dad

2. There is One God (Unity)

Deny this Truth: Tritheism

3. Each Person is Fully God (Deity) (LAST)

Deny this Truth: Arianism - Wanted to logically explain the Trinity – the Father is God, Jesus is not fully God - Jesus was more than human but less than God – the first and greatest of God’s CREATIONS

The Sun – Star itself, the light, the heat – light and heat are just creations or emanations from the Sun and not one in nature with Him

Clover – Partialism – each is a not a distinct person of the godhead but each a part of God, each composing 1/3 of the divine

Egg – Same problem

Arius communicated great respect for Jesus and a HIGH AWE view of God the Father, but Jesus wasn’t God. He famously argued “There was when Christ was not”

(Jn 14:2 – Greater than I, Lk 2:52 – He grew, Jn 4:6-7, 19:28 – He thirsted and fatigued, focused on firstborn – Rom 8:29, Col 1:15)

He was rightly accused of twisting the scriptures and prooftexting, and not dealing with the primary passages that show Christ as God.

(Important that both sides were arguing from scripture, that was the whole argument)

Athanasius focused also on what this would do to salvation - “If Christ were not truly God, then he could not bestow life upon the repentant and free them from sin and death. Yet this work of salvation is at the heart of the biblical picture of Christ and has anchored the church since the beginning.”

2 Cor 5:21– How can this be true if Jesus isn’t God

He was a savior from God and of God that restored humanity to God.

To take divinity away from Christ is to take hope away from us.

1. Christ was true God from true God. Jesus himself was God in the same sense that the Father was God. . .

2. Christ was consubstantial (of one substance) with the Father. (Jn 10:30)

3. Christ was begotten, not made. (Never formed, but was from eternity the Son of God)

4. Christ became human for us humans and for our salvation.

Arius was the dissenter from the already Orthodoxy

Another turning point here was the critical choice that was made for the wisdom of God in preference to human wisdom.

None of this was actually the Nicene Creed you may be familiar with though, that actually occurred at the next church council in 381 at Constantinople – where they reaffirmed what was stated at Nicea and presented a final expanded version of the statement that was referred to as the Nicene Creed (which spoke much more extensively about the Holy Spirit as also being God)

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all the ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being (consubstantial) with the Father. For us humans and for our salvation he came down from heaven, by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]. Who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. Who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

(Was it just the winners winning history – Athansius banished twice by following Emperors – Constantius II, after Constantine, was an Arian)

What role does the Emperor play? Church State

(Chapter 4 final 10 minutes for transition?)

Greg Is Cool

PART 4

Matthew 16:18 – the gates of Hades – I will build My church – reason it did not fail

Church history is an EPIC Story, its actually the story of the Kingdom that was always promised, that arrived with Christ the King.

Daniel 2 (550 yrs)

All around the globe, right now at this moment, people’s hearts are being pricked for the first time . . standing in water awaiting their baptism overjoyed at joining this kingdom . . .

E. Destruction of Jerusalem: The Church Pushed out of Jerusalem Once and for All

F. The Guardrails

Various Persecutions – “Disrupting Unity,” Emperor demanded to be only Lord, Blamed Christians for bad circumstances, Cannibals and Atheists (Polycarp)

Diocletian Efforts to Wipe out Christianity Entirely

Constantine becomes Emperor, 313 – Edict of Milan

G. 325 – Council of Nicea – First worldwide Council

Political Power involved – chaired council, changed everything – from alien pilgrim persecuted body to the benefits and perils of establishment/state support

Constantine wanted to solve the strife in the church – Divinity of Jesus/Spirit

Arius – There was when Jesus was not

The Bible is Clear - (Important that both sides were arguing from scripture, that was the whole argument)

Can compare God with nothing else (Various heresies)

2 Cor 5:21 – How can this be true if Jesus isn’t God

He was a savior from God and of God that restored humanity to God.

(Was it just the winners winning history – Athansius banished twice by following Emperors – Constantius II, after Constantine, was an Arian)

Declared then and held ever since: Within the One Being that is God, there exists eternally Three co-equal and co-eternal persons: namely the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

I believe I will finish a bit earlier than normal tonight, so if you have questions about anything at all, church history or not, you will likely have an opportunity at the end to ask them. But of course you are all welcome to ask a question as I go along.

4. The Council of Chalcedon – 451

Emperor Marcian - Hoping to End Disputations

If Jesus was fully divine (Nicea), was he fully human? Nicea said these things, that was always the Orthodox position, but it was argued that if he really was fully divine then he couldn’t be fully human.

13 Sessions in that year to come to clarify and codify Christian teaching

WAS JESUS FULLY HUMAN

Some of the things people outside of Orthodoxy were saying – think in your mind what is the problem with this, what would I say if someone said this to me?:

- Divine Person (LOGOS) in a Human Shell (God inside, human outside) - not really human, divine, wearing human

Common Greek viewpoint that we ARE our souls, in bodies . . .

OR – He was divine at some moments and Human at other (to) moments, but never really both

OR – God – A Human – B Jesus – C neither - Red, Blue, Jesus is Purple, neither Red nor Blue

Problems with these? Who cares? (1. Jesus was only human exteriorly, superficially, he only had to deal with pimples, but not a human mind and heart/emotion 2. Totally arbitrary 3. “Jesus knew was it was to be Blue,” no he didn’t, Jesus took on blue to save the blue, no he didnt )

This is so hard to comprehend! And because its so hard to comprehend, we often don’t think about what it really means for us. It is emphatically clear here that it is true that Jesus was fully human

Col 1:22– How have you been reconciled? In Christ’s body of flesh

This doesn’t just mean physical body, there are 2 Greek words here. The first word is SOMA, which is translated body and just simply means physical body, then there is another word, the second word is the word SARX, which is the word used throughout the New Testament as the part of us that is opposed to God, opposed to the Holy Spirit.

Christ really did become human, he is fully identified with us, sinful humanity. He shared the difficulties of humanity. He was tempted in his flesh, experienced our suffering, experienced the battle with sarx, and was victorious over it because we never would be.

I mentioned these categories in a sermon a while back, but I want to see them clearly as to Christ’s real humanity

Christ’s Human Body

John 1:14– WHAT A THOUGHT! The Logos . . .

2 John 7– One of the early tests of false teachers . . .

Jesus was BORN – Lk 2:7, same as you and I were born…

God didn’t just create beings that would experience these things, HE EXPERIENCED IT HIMSELF. He knows what it felt like for your body to wear down, for your mouth to be dry, for your stomach to growl, to go through puberty, to be told by aunts “You’re getting so big.”

Christ’s Human Heart

We don’t often think about this aspect of Christ’s humanity, but Jesus clearly displays human emotions.

Matt 26:37-38a– these words aren’t here just to make a good story, HE ACTUALLY FELT immense sorrow

Matt 8:10 – When he heard the centurions faith, he marveled at it . . . (not, he appeared to marvel at it to the dumb onlookers)

Heb 2:18 – Suffered when he Was tempted

As one theologian memorably summed it up, “Christ has put on our feelings along with our flesh.”

Christ’s Human Mind

We have only experienced one mind, and simply cannot fathom what it would be like for one person to have both a human mind and a divine mind.

We know Jesus didn’t only have a human mind, EXAMPLE? He saw Nathanael under the fig tree while they were still miles apart, He knew Judas would betray him before Judas knew it, He knew how many husbands the Samaritan woman had had, He read the minds of his enemies constantly à Jn 16:30, 21:17 – “You know all things”

And yet

Luke 2:52 – Increased in Wisdom (God cannot increase in wisdom – attributes series)

Mark 13:32 – Of that hour, the Son doesn’t know

What looks difficult at first glance is actually a glorious confirmation of Jesus’s full humanity.

He knows what it is to deal with a mind, just like you and I do, to have to learn. The elusive enemy, so difficult to control

Christ’s Human Will

The difficulty of comprehending doesn’t get easier here. Jesus not only has a divine will, but also a human will.

“I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)

Jesus prays to the Father, “Not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

Jesus has an infinite, divine will that is the will of his Father (one will in God). And as man, he has a finite, human will that, while being an authentic human will, is perfectly in sync with, and submissive to, the divine will.

Jesus knows what it is like when our wills don’t seem to line up with God’s will. How many times have you asked why would God allow this . . .

It is a great mystery, beyond our experience and understanding, and beyond what we will ever know as mere humans, but it is such great and encouraging news that Christ was human, in every respect, like me. BODY, HEART, MIND, WILL. This should lead us not ultimately to confusion, but to worship. . . Would we want to fix our eternal honor and worship on one who was not utterly unique?

Just like with Nicea we said HE BETTER BE FULLY GOD . . .

Hebrews 2:14-18

Hebrews 4:15-16

1 Timothy 2:5The One Mediator between God and man – why is He the only one possible Mediator? God and Man.

Jesus took a human body to save our bodies. And he took a human mind to save our minds. Without becoming man in his emotions, he could not have rescued our hearts. And without taking a human will, he could not save our broken and wandering wills. In the words of Gregory of Nazianzus, “That which he has not assumed he has not healed.”

He became man in full, so that he might save us in full.

Chalcedon’s Answer - “Jesus was 1 Person consisting of 2 Natures”

Sound Doctrine is Important - - - “I just want Jesus”

Who is that?

Ariel telling me about her day “I just want to have a relationship with you” Ariel “I don’t like it when you invite people over without telling me,” “Listen woman, I just . . .”

“The same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a [rational] soul and body; consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; … born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union

--- Important for going forward ---

Over 500 Bishops met at Chalcedon

Some Bishops held more weight than others, want to guess? – Constantinople, Alexandria, Rome.

Pope Leo the Great (“Pope” was used for many bishops at the time)

Great man (When political power was in flux and barbarians were invading Rome, he negotiated with Atilla the Hun)

Large role in these Christological debates

Leo’s Tome – Single Person 2 Natures – major role at Chalcedon – emphasized the salvific weight of this decision

Also advanced Argument for Bishop of Rome as direct successor of Peter (on this Rock I will build my church)

Hadnt gotten yet to the point where he was King Christian, able to speak with the authority of Canon

East – Constantinople (Greek) and West – Rome (Latin)

PART 5

Matthew 16:18 – the gates of Hades – I will build My church – reason it did not fail (TIMELINE to Today)

I. Destruction of Jerusalem: The Church Pushed out of Jerusalem Once and for All

II. The Guardrails

Various Persecutions à Constantine – Edict of Milan

III. 325 – Council of Nicea – First worldwide Council

1 Being – 3 Persons

Political Power involved – chaired council, changed everything

IV. The Council of Chalcedon - 451

Chalcedon’s Answer - “Jesus was 1 Person consisting of 2 Natures”

V. Monasticism

kkk

--- Important for going forward ---

Pope Leo the Great (“Pope” was used for many bishops at the time) – “Tome” – significant role

Also advanced Argument for Bishop of Rome as direct successor of Peter (on this Rock I will build my church)

Hadnt gotten yet to the point where he was King Christian, able to speak with the authority of Canon

East – Constantinople (Greek) and West – Rome (Latin)

320-1517

V. The Monastic Reform/Advancement of the Church – (Benedicts Rule 530)

What do you know about Monks/Nuns? Can you think of any by name?

1st Monk – Antony – 270 left his family’s farm in Egypt to go out by himself and live at the edge of the desert to find God.

1st Monastery – Pachomius – 320 - men to live together in a life of prayer

Really began growing in the late 300’s and the centuries that followed.

WHY DID IT START? – We don’t know exactly

Antony immense persecution and societal unrest

Christianity now functionally the national religion, what issues do you think that could cause for the heart of Christianity? Problems

Within the rise of the Church Establishment, the life of a church professional offered considerably potential for worldly gain, whether it be status and power of even financial gain.

Re-focus on the spiritual nature of Christianity, the need for honest faith and fidelity – “Living Martyrdom”

Monks known from the beginning for their asceticism à WHY?(response to the worldliness of nominalism, platonic thought (Plato’s cave (Mumford and Sons) EXTREMELY PREVALENT at the time, still affects us –truest and realest things are spiritual, material is low and demonic– so prevalent it is a bedrock belief – like equality or freedom today)

“The ideal Christian life is a passing from the ordinary, the material, and the terrestrial into the extraordinary, the spiritual, and the celestial.”

Flesh is bad – sex, eating, drinking, bad à Monks

Prioritizing inner life – many hermits

Colossians 3:1, Matt 6:25 – material bad

Beauty in it – utter giving up of worldly idols

Problems arise when the cost to be a Christian is low, RAISE THE COST REALLY HIGH

Antony, the first of the Monks, heard a sermon on Matthew 19:21, and he decided to do just that, after just receiving his sizeable inheritance from his parents.

1 Corinthians 7:8 Large Role – Good to stay unmarried

JtB Life in the dessert

Jesus life forsaking wealth

Fascination with Angels and Demons and spiritual realm and warfare that is constant, it was thought that the Monks, by denying the physical world, were able to be involved in that spiritual realm in a way that others were not.

Created a sort of 2 tiered Christianity - Monks (“Athletes of God) who were the TRUEST SPIRITUAL Christians and everyone else

Led to Monks thinking of themselves more highly than they ought, especially of their personal spirituality, and ordinary people thinking too little of the spirituality within their ordinary lives

WHY WERE THEY GOOD

For over a millennium, in the centuries between Constantine and the Protestant Reformation, almost everything in the church that was highest and noblest and truest was done either by those in the monastic way or those inspired directly by them.

Missionary expansion was almost entirely the work of the monks. Intense expansion. Missionary History in the middle ages is traditionally divided into two periods – 500-1000 Barbarians, 1000-1500 Nominals – the key in both were the Monks.

1st half - St Patrick to Ireland and Great Britain in the 5th century, St. Boniface to Germany and France in the 7th century, Cyril and Methodius to Eastern Europe in the 9thcentury. They would move a bit out from a monastery, set up a new monastery, and reach further still.

2nd Half – They were the ones preaching the faith and traveling calling the people to godliness. Additionally, they began the work of apologetics, specifically with the muslims in view – Thomas Aquinas and Raymond Lull - Monks

“Virtually all cross-cultural proclamation of the gospel in the Middle Ages was done by Monks and Friars”

Scripture Study and Preservation and PRAYER

As a part of the evangelism, they began the translations into those languages of the Bible and copied them

Preserved, studied, Copied the Manuscripts

Some of the most learned people, deep study of the Bible when no one else could or would

“Cruce, libro, et atro” – The monks civilized Europe with cross, book and plow.

Serving the Communities

Wide variety of benevolence. As they would build new monasteries, they would begin helping develop the communities around them. They developed considerable skill at draining swamps, clearing forests, breeding cattle and sheep, and farming in various locales.

Manage Directory

Profiles

BENEDICTS RULE

St. Benadict is considered the father of monasticism. Founded many monasteries, the most significant being Monte Cassino, which still exists today, and where he wrote his REGULA – Rule, which quickly won universal approval and was used by all

St. Benadict wrote this rule in order to guide Monk’s to holiness and correct the monastic abuses of his day

Abuses – Zealous spirit bordering on fanaticism, asceticism to Gnostecism or Docetism, for prioritizing scripture over inner spiritual illumination, for making prayer central, for linking exalted religious experience with ordinary work, study, eating and sleeping.

This rule did things like sternly forbidding personal possessions, and also simpler things like advised each room in the monastery to have an older monk rooming with a younger monk, so that when the bell rung at midnight for prayers, “all might rise without delay . . . so they might quietly encourage each other, for the sleepy like to make excuses.”

He also emphasized the need for work, and everything was grounded by prayer.

He allowed the schedules to vary somewhat, but a typical example of a Monks daily Schedule

6-9 AM – Prime (names of various liturgies) in the church – ½ hour, breakfast, Work or Reading

9-10 AM – Chapter Mass in the church

10-11 AM – Chapter Meeting in the Chapter House

11-12 PM – High Mass in the Church

12-2 PM – Dinner then siesta

2-4 PM – Nones in the church, Work

4-6 PM – Vespers in the church, Work

6-7 PM – Supper

7 PM – Compline, the evening prayer in the church, Bed

Midnight – Matins in the church, Back to Bed

Mark Noll (Protestant) – “The rise of Monasticism, after Christ’s commission to his disciples, the most important and most beneficial institutional event in the history of Christianity.”

NEGATIVES

Two-Tiered Christianity

All equal at the cross

All involved in spiritual warfare

All righteous equally by Christ

Asceticism – Platonic

Incarnation proves that body isn’t evil, and God has always called creation itself Good

Shouldn’t withdraw from the world, Jesus and the apostles were in the midst of it

Jesus first miracle was to help the party at a wedding feast, surely he didn’t see wedding feasts as sinful or denying yourself these sorts of joys as a must or even good

Surely he didn’t see the marriage act itself as not good

This world may be but a foretaste of the world to come, but it isn’t a shadow of reality, it is real, and it is good

Heaven is not disembodied, it is embodied, it is eating and drinking and enjoying each other – Jesus eating fish

Life in ordinary society and married sexuality are good gifts of God

Works Righteousness if not careful (Luther, Monk)

POSITIVES

Incredible Devotion

Missionary Efforts

Scripture Copying

Benevolence

Apologetics

Learning and Thinking

Holiness

“Monks for more than 1,000 years sustained what was most noble and most Christ-centered in the church.”

“You cant hate the Catholic church because they brought the faith through generations” – monks did that

PART 6

Matthew 16:18 – the gates of Hades – I will build My church – reason it did not fail (TIMELINE to Today)

VI. Destruction of Jerusalem: The Church Pushed out of Jerusalem Once and for All

VII. The Guardrails

Various Persecutions à Constantine – Edict of Milan

VIII. 325 – Council of Nicea – First worldwide Council

1 Being – 3 Persons

Political Power involved – chaired council, changed everything

IX. The Council of Chalcedon - 451

Chalcedon’s Answer - “Jesus was 1 Person consisting of 2 Natures”

X. Monasticism

NEGATIVES

Two-Tiered Christianity

Asceticism – Platonic

Works Righteousness if not careful (Luther, Monk)

POSITIVES

Incredible Devotion

Missionary Efforts

Scripture Copying

Benevolence

Apologetics

Learning and Thinking

Holiness

“Monks for more than 1,000 years sustained what was most noble and most Christ-centered in the church.”

XI. The Rise of the Pope and Christendom

What do you know about the Pope?

To what extent should church and state overlap?

Downsides? Benefits?

December 25, 800 AD

The celebration of the birth of Christ on this day was already well established, celebrated similarly to as it is today

Something of much broader significance happened this day.

In Rome, in the church dedicated to St. Peter, at the end of the day’s first service, Charles (Charlemagne) King of the Franks, knelt to pray. As he rose from prayer, the Roman Bishop – Pope Leo III moved forward quickly and crowned Charles, the people all around in the church had been told what to do, as soon as he crowned him, they all shouted “To Charles Augustus, crowned by God, great and peace-giving emperor of the Romans, life and victory!)

Charles said later that if he knew that was going to happen, he never would have entered the church, they basically tricked him into being made Emperor.

This event itself is not really the turning point, but it is more like evidence of how different things had become, that the religious figure of the Bishop of Rome had the authority to declare who became Emperor.

“High Middle Ages” – “Christendom” (Christendom pointed to at various points, Noll initiates it here because this is the point where the churches power over all things is most clear)

POPE

The Greek word papas, Pope, was originally applied to high church offices of all kinds, applied to most if not all bishops. This was to some extent the case until 11th century– non-Roman bishops referred to as Popes, however, already in the 200’s and 300’s some were saying the Roman bishop was above all of the rest.

There isn’t one event or one big movement that is black and white and sudden where we all of a sudden have a POPE like we think of it today, or even one who would have the ability to crown an emperor. This is a lesson in the ability of slow incremental change to exert tremendous impact.

From at least the 200s, the bishop of Rome was considered one of the most important bishoprics. Why?

- It was ROME! The ROMAN Empire!

- Rome’s significance in the New Testament

o Acts ends with Paul’s arriving in Rome

o Romans is the fullest expression of Paul’s mature theology – his Magnum Opus

o Revelation contains many veiled references to Rome – likely the ten-horned seven headed beast

o Peter and Paul were both probably martyred in Rome

- Most Roman Bishops were Great, some were GIANTS

o Some of the key men to rebut heresy in the first centuries

o Victor Fixed a common date for Easter

o Damasus commissioned Jerome to produce a Latin Bible – Vulgate, which was THE scriptures of the time period and was very important well into last century

o Leo the Great – Council of Chalcedon – Tome

o Gregory the Great – the list of his accomplishments is breathtaking, and yet he was incredibly humble and pious. When many others tried to heap praise on to him for all he had done, or when others demanded that they be called impressive names, Gregory responded that he cared only to be known as “A Servant of the Servant of God,” a title still used by the Popes today.

255 – Pope Stephen advanced the argument from Matthew 16:18 which is still used today – direct line from Peter passed down

360 – Leo’s further advancement of Matt 16:18

No one act shaped the papacy, but by 800, the Roman Bishop was regarded unquestionably as the prime church figure and even with the authority to crown a new emperor and that task not be questioned.

Christendom

Early 600’s, Mohammed gathered some followers to his new movement – Islam.

622 – They were driven out of Mecca by rivals. They went to Medinah and ended up conquering that city. 8 years later, they return to Mecca and conquered that land. 2 Years later when Mohammed died, Arabia was 1/3 Muslim, 2 years after that, all of Arabia was Muslim. Within the next decade, Muslim armies had conquered Syria, Palestine and Persia and had made it as far East as India and Egypt. Their advancement westward toward Rome seemed inevitable.

Charlemagne’s grandfather was the first one to give a significant defeat to the Islamic forces and turn them back. Charlemagne inherited the alliances that his grandfather had built against the Muslims, and was a very successful military leader himself, having conquered the Saxons and the Spanish and the Lombards, controlling more of Europe than anyone in 400 years.

For the next 800 years, Politics, Learnings, Social Organization, Art, Music, Economics, and Law of Europe would be “Christian” – not necessarily in the truest since of that Word, gospel connected belief, but because the church had been so decisively connected with the new Roman Empire and Emperor – “Holy Roman Emperor”

“Separation of Church and State”

No, in Christendom, everything was based on the Christian faith as communicated by the Roman Catholic Church and protected and guarded by Secular Rulers.

To this day, church establishments exist in almost all European countered, long after the faith itself has left (by and large)

Believed and taught the Gospel, humans are sinners and need to be saved, and this salvation is won by Christ and given us by God’s grace.

The thing that made this era distinctive is the view arose that the way that grace actually comes to people is through the sacraments operated by both church and state.

It came to the place where salvation was less about faith and a heart submitted to God, and more about doing doing the sacraments and thus receiving God’s grace.

This raised the significance of the institutional Catholic church even higher, because they were the ones that had the sacraments.

7 Sacraments for all of Life – Guess them?

Sacrament for Birth – Baptism

Sacrament for coming of Age – Confirmation

Sacrament for the Confession of Sin – Penance

Sacrament for Spiritual Nourishment – Eucharist

Sacrament for Creating a Family – Marriage

Sacrament for Death – Extreme Unction

Sacrament For Spiritual Organization (to provide all other Sacraments) – Ordination

Scripture didn’t become irrelevant, but what had grown in importance was more general theological principles and practices – the scriptural basis for these things came after the system was already in place.

Protestants (non-Catholics – Us) Recognize 2 Sacraments – useless without faith

Communion

Baptism

I reached out to many different minister friends of mine of various denominations and persuasions and asked about sacraments, and pushed back a bit (cuz they’re my friends) on each.

Prefer the word Ordinance to Sacrament

Christ instituted and told the believers to partake in as a representation of the gospel as the church.

Marriage is a picture of the gospel, but it isn’t for all believers to take part in, and it is something that even non-believers can take part in.

It doesn’t seem to me even a category that we need, it seems like something held on from that time period that isn’t all that helpful – It DOES seem like those two things are connected to the local body and the church most – shouldn’t take communion apart from the local body (normatively) and shouldn’t be going around mercenary baptizing folks disconnected from a local church.

The role of the church became Distributing the Sacraments so that needy sinners could receive the grace of God.

At the heart of the ideal was the comprehensive presence and need of divine grace in all of life – to this end the church and state cooperated.

The East and the West had had issues, Islam rose and made those things worse, now there was a Comprehensive Empire ruled by a King and a Pope.

PART 7

Church History Part 7 – Roman Catholicism – You guys had a lot of good questions and seemed very interested . . .

More than 1 week – you guys are interested and its important for me to respond to that thoroughly

Catholic vs. catholic (Early writers didn’t mean Catholic – general, universal)

Over time – Rome started saying the Catholic (Universal) church is whoever submits to Rome – very sectarian

Wasn’t overnight, it was slow, we talked about that last week, podcast or youtube

Agree

Believe in the same Jesus

Trinity

Sets apart from Islam and Cults etc.

Christian Tradition

Respect the Bible – Inspired and Infallible Scriptures

Moral Issues – Pro-Life, Pro-Family, etc. (majority American catholics not pro-life) – largely nominal – whats nominal mean class?

Disagree

· Authority of the “Church” 3 Headed

o Papacy (Magisterium)

o Sacred Scripture

o Sacred Tradition – 21 church councils, church fathers pick and choose – difficult to know what counts – overwhelming amount of material

o All constitute the “Word of God”

All are equally Infallible

Only the church can interpret the Bible– interpretations are infallible - all else is foolishness (what we do, what I spend my week doing in order to . . . )

Here is a problem – they don’t interpret the Bible – officially interpreted less than 10! All I do is interpret the Bible – what if I believed I was the only one capable of doing so – they’ve only ever officially interpreted a few verses.

Convenient because you cant hold them accountable

Bible is a big mystery – cant say anything for sure unless the church has

Where do you get this authority? The Bible. How do you know the Bible says that? We say it does… well I don’t think it says that, it doesn’t matter what you think

Tradition is “developing” - convenient

“The Bible is not Enough”

2 Tim 3:16-17 – It is Sufficient

2 Thess 2:15 – Need traditions

What traditions? The things Paul has taught! Stand fast, hold on to what already given

Not R.C. traditions! Epistles! What he has already taught! Don’t leave this!

Jude 3 – Once and for all Delivered (past tense) to the Saints – not new stuff coming – no expectation for anything else

Gal 1:8 – if an angel from heaven. . .

Ac 17:11 – Bereans (is what PAUL is saying true? Don’t just believe it)

Matt 4 Temptation – What about when there is disagreement about scriptures? Jesus doesn’t go outside of scripture even to his own authority, he goes back into scripture to show it was misinterpreted.

Jesus “Have you not read . . . It is written”

Im going to share some crazy beliefs they hold, to which you’ll ask - “Where does the Bible teach that?” – that doesn’t matter

Cant contradict the Bible – BUT, you cant interpret the Bible, only the church can, they wont pick an interpretation that contradicts their views

We are going to look at the odd things the RC church holds now, and I wont have to really get into the Bible to show you they are unbiblical, you’ll know.

--- Unbiblical Teachings that have resulted ---

Individual Issues/Differences – Most important for Last – though lots of Overlap

POPE/AUTHORITY

They teach he is the

Supreme Authority of the Catholic Church

Infallible ability to tell you what the Bible means . . . imagine that

Infallibly declare doctrines equal to Scripture (higher than) . . . endless possibilities

Peter lived in Rome and stayed there after receiving Popehood as Bishop, passed down from there

Matthew 16:16-19– TWO OF THE VERY FEW THEY HAVE INTERPRETED - if you deny the church’s teachings on this, anathema

They claim the church has always understood this this way

Matt 16 - Early Church Fathers à 800’s – 17 Rock is Peter (none thought he was Pope), 16 Rock is Christ, 8 Rock is Disciples, 44 Rock is Confession

Matt 18:18-20 – keys given to apostles or church as a whole

Did the apostles see Peter this way after this?

Jesus calls him Satan right after this

Luke 22:24ff – which is the greatest – keep debating this, wasn’t it settled?

Ac 15 – James is presiding over the first church council

Paul calls Peter simply the apostle to the Gentiles – confronts him

Gregory the Great - 6thCentury – “64th Pope” – He rejected that title and rejected explicitly the idea that a bishop should be considered higher than any other bishop, he calls it Satanic – Peter, Paul, Andrew John, what were they? - nothing but heads of particular communities!

We read about church offices in the Bible, it isn’t like it was something left for us to decide, nothing like the Pope

Jn 21:15ff (responsible for ALL THE SHEEP)

In these words Jesus gave Peter primacy and he institutes the Papacy

Do we have to talk about it – you would never come to that conclusion – you’ve likely never thought about that – WHAT A DOCTRINE, WORLD CHANGING DOCTRINE TO COME TO

(Ac 20:28) – All elders are told to shepherd the church of God

1 Pet 5:1-4 – Peter sees himself as just “A fellow elder” – and tells them the same things

Who is the Chief Shepherd? Him? NO

“The church has always interpreted this verse this way” – NO early church Father did – no one did until 600’s by a Pope

BIBLE +

No need for self-study – you know your Bible much better than the average Catholic

This current pope is the first one to ever encourage lay Catholics to read their Bible

Is the Bible really the authority if the church is the only one that can tell you what it means?

Protestants - Sola Scriptura – Sola Ekklesia - can’t get teachings just from Bible

Apocrypha – Jews didn’t see them as authoritative, neither did Jesus and the apostles

Not canonized until protestant reformation

PURGATORY

A place of suffering

Purgatory place for the saved who still need to suffer for their sins – character change – more crucially – paying for your sins to make yourself holy enough – “Atoning” for yourself – BLASPHEMY

Ephesians 5:27 – if you aren’t holy and without blemish, purgatory (ignores v 26 – happening right now)

1 Corinthians 3:12-13

Indulgences and Prayers and good works for the Dead in Purgatory – paying for their sin

Biblically Heaven for Saved, Hell for Unsaved – no middle ground – 2 Cor 5:8, Phil 1:21-23 (die wouldn’t be gain for purgatory), Heb 10:14

If anyone ever would go, Thief on Cross, no good works – Luke 23:43 – today you will be with me in Paradise

Word never appears in the Bible

INDULGENCES

Money to the church to pay for sin (some did it for future sins)

Indulgences still given out, not ended – not same as it was – coin in the coffer rings

Pope Francis (current pope) – Indulgences if show up where he was going, extended that offer to those follow him on Twitter

MARY

1854 – Marian Dogmas

Immaculate Conception – Mary born without sin – did not inherit original sin – THEN SHE NEVER SINNED – first sinless human

Lk 1:46 – My spirit rejoices in God my savior – why does she need a savior?

Mk 10:18 – no one is good except God alone

Rom 3:10 – Noone is righteous no not one

Perpetual Virginity – even through birth and rest of life

Matt 1:24-25 – did not know her UNTIL . . . EVER?

SEX IS WONDERFUL IN MARRIAGE, WHY? Holdover of that philosophy we talked about

Matt 13:55, Mark 6:3, Jn 2:12, 7:3, 7:5, Ac 1:14, Gal 1:19, 1 Cor 9:5, Mt 12:46-50 - (Cousins – word could mean cousins)

Bodily Assumption (1950)

When her earthly life was over, she was taken up like Elijah

Co-Mediatrix/Co-Redeemer

1 Tim 2:5 – Mary would be appalled

“By your prayers, you deliver our souls from death” – helps Jesus save us – “the All-Holy one”

SAINTS

These people aren’t in Purgatory, actually in Heaven

Have paid enough for their own sins, you can appeal to them for some of their good works to be for you

They have special access to God, can hear you and help you with your prayers

Pray to them for them to talk to God on our behalf

Example of normal Prayer – Mother of Perpetual Help Prayer

O Mother of Perpetual Help

Thou are the dispenser of all the gifts that God grants to us miserable sinners

And to this end he has made thee so powerful, so rich and so bountiful in order that Thou mayest help us in our misery.

Thou art The advocate of the most wretched and abandoned sinners who have recourse to thee

Come to my aid for I recommend myself to Thee into Thy hand I place my eternal salvation and to thee I entrust my soul

Count me among thy most devoted servants. Take me under thy protection and it is enough for me.

For if thou protect me I fear nothing, not from my sins for Thou will attain for me the pardon for them, nor from the devils because thou art more powerful than all hell together, nor even from Jesus my judge because by one prayer from Thee, He will be appeased

But one thing I fear that in the hour of temptation I may through negligence fail to call on thee and thus perish miserably.

Attain for me therefore the pardon for my sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace ever to have recourse to thee, O mother of perpetual help.

Mary would be appalled. Phil 4:6 –

Jesus taught us how to pray “Our Father”

1 Tim 2:5 – One mediator, the man Christ Jesus

Mary doesn’t love you more than Jesus.

Prayers throughout the Bible – never to anyone but God.

Numerous passages in the Bible say do not attempt to contact the dead.

PRIESTS

(alter cristo) – Priest can act in the person of Christ – going to Jesus

Purple sash – Authority of Christ to forgive sins

MORTAL AND VENIAL SIN

There’s no list – no actual 7 deadly sins list, not entirely sure

Missing Mass

Go to Priest for Venial Sin – Sin but don’t lose salvation – confess to priest – good to go

Mortal sin Destroys grace of justification – lose salvation (not attending mass) – not saved that week, when you go back, you confess, and priest gives you back salvation

Re-justification needed afterward

Rom 4:6-8 – God will not count his sin

Romans 5:1 – Peace with God?

Luther - Born a Pile of Dung (pile up manure for spring fertilization)

Baptism makes you a Pile of Gold – God likes Gold so you get in

When you, the gold, commit a venial sin – flecks of dung show up, now you have to go to purgatory to burn it off

When you commit a mortal sin, you’re a pile of dung again.

And you never know which one you are.

Justification does not make you gold, it’s the first snow that covers over that pile of dung – takes away your offensiveness – of course Luther believed in sanctification and glorification – but making the point that you don’t become something worthy of God, you are still unworthy, but he Counts you worthy.

7 SACRAMENTS

Ways of getting Grace

Baptism (Infant) – “Makes us Christians,” gets rid of what they call original sin – BORN AGAIN

Ac 8:36 – Believers baptism

Penance – Attrition over sin, Confession to a Priest

Confess both venial and mortal sins – must be to a Priest – only the church has power of forgiveness

Treasury of Merit – Bank Vault – Works of Jesus, Mary, Saints – Extra works, more than enough works to enter Heaven

Priest has key to that vault, unlocks it, applies those merits to you and you are forgiven

Follow instructions of the Priest – “merit grace”

Not confessing to a friend, not going for counseling, not I need a friend and to get some stuff off my chest, this is about getting your sins forgiven by the Priest and church

Once you do these things, your venial sins get washed away so you wont have to pay for them, and your mortal sins are forgiven and you are saved again

No Priesthood in the Bible like this one – 1 Tim 2:5, James 5:16

Jesus is the only Mediator between you and God

Eucharist/MASS – Reason for Mass, IS Mass

Re-Presenting of the sacrifice of Jesus to the Father in order to appease God’s wrath and cover people’s sins

Transubstantiation – bread and wine literally becomes body and blood of Jesus Christ – Jesus is literally present

When the Priest does certain things as says certain things it magically becomes Jesus – they are re-presenting Jesus to the Father for the sins you have committed since you last came.

Not just a memorial – this is actually Jesus àThey worship the bread and cup afterward, physically bowing – TABERNACLE IN FRONT - genuflect

Must have it – only way to get it through the Priest – can’t be saved without this – need more grace this week

Heb 10:11-14

Rom 5:1-2 – We stand in Grace

This is why you probably know many Christians who party Saturday night without worry because they will just have it all cleaned on Sunday at Mass.

Confirmation – Coming of Age (don’t have to but way of getting grace)

Marriage – Divorce is Impossible

(Don’t have to be married – just ways of getting grace)

Holy Ordinance – Officers – Priests activities

Alter-Cristo

1 Pet 2:9

Extreme Unction/Last Rights

– Priest comes one last time to get rid of those sins

Mark 7:6-7– Teaching as law the commandments of men

GOSPELis not the Gospel - incredibly complicated in R.C.

GOSPEL: Romans 1:16 – 17 – Righteousness by Faith, Romans 5:1-2 – Peace through Christ, Romans 3:21-28, Romans 4:1-8, Philippians 3:9 – Righteousness by Faith

Faith in Christ = Salvation + Works

Vs.

Faith + Works = Salvation

Justification begins at baptism, progresses and is maintained by a person’s participation in the 7 sacraments

They don’t deny grace, they just add works to it

Council of Trent “Justified by the good works that he performs (by the grace of God and merits of Jesus Christ)”

Grace is necessary but not enough, we maintain our righteousness through our righteous works

Rom 4:4, 11:6, (Here you can have my Bible for free . . . $20), Gal 5:3-4 – once you add works, it isn’t grace anymore

What about James 2? – Justification in the eyes of men, prove it to be true – written b4 Paul

Luke 10:29, 16:15 (Justify normal usage) – this is the context

Even the example here – Abraham was already credited righteousness

Works as Result – they say anyone who says works are a fruit and not the way is anathema

It is possible in Roman Catholicism to have genuine faith and not be good enough to be saved

Paul anathematizes the Judaizers for adding one thing to what Christ did. Jesus PLUS

There is no finished work of Christ

A lot of Catholics are Christians and don’t know or embrace the Catholic teaching

Video for Great Schism History – Winger - Why Catholicism is Wrong – 43 minutes ish

Part 8

Roman Catholicism – You guys had a lot of good questions and seemed very interested . . .

Agree

Disagree

· Authority of the “Church”

o Papacy (Magisterium)

o Sacred Scripture

o Sacred Tradition

o All constitute the “Word of God”

All are equally Infallible

Only the church can interpret the Bible– interpretations are infallible - all else is foolishness – what we do here . . .

They don’t interpret it

“The Bible is not Enough” (They believe more was needed after)

2 Tim 3:16-17 – It is Sufficient

Jude 3 – Once and for all Delivered (past tense) to the Saints – not new stuff coming – no expectation for anything else

Gal 1:8 – if an angel from heaven. . .

Im going to share some crazy beliefs they hold, to which you’ll ask - “Where does the Bible teach that?” – that doesn’t matter

Cant contradict the Bible – BUT, you cant interpret the Bible, only the church can, they wont pick an interpretation that contradicts their views

--- Unbiblical Teachings that have resulted ---

Individual Issues/Differences – Most important for Last – though lots of Overlap

POPE/AUTHORITY

They teach he is the

Supreme Authority of the Catholic Church

Infallible ability to tell you what the Bible means . . . imagine that

Infallibly declare doctrines equal to Scripture (higher than) . . . endless possibilities

Matthew 16:16-19

They claim the church has always understood this this way

We read about church offices in the Bible, it isn’t like it was something left for us to decide, nothing like the Pope

BIBLE +

Apocrypha – Jews didn’t see them as authoritative, neither did Jesus and the apostles

Not canonized until protestant reformation

PURGATORY

A place of suffering

Purgatory place for the saved who still need to suffer for their sins – character change – more crucially – paying for your sins to make yourself holy enough – “Atoning” for yourself – BLASPHEMY

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INDULGENCES

(normally) Money to the church to pay for sin (some did it for future sins)

Indulgences still given out, not ended – not same as it was – coin in the coffer rings

You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 — but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day.

Hard to really figure out – read their documents and still not be sure

Pope Francis (current pope) – 2013 Indulgences if show up where he was going, extended that offer to those follow him on Twitter

MARY

1854 – 4 Marian Dogmas – Declared by the Pope as equal to Scripture

Immaculate Conception – Mary born without sin – did not inherit original sin – THEN SHE NEVER SINNED – first sinless human

Lk 1:46 – My spirit rejoices in God my savior – why does she need a savior?

Mk 10:18 – no one is good except God alone

Rom 3:10 – Noone is righteous no not one

Perpetual Virginity – even through birth and rest of life

Matt 1:24-25 – did not know her UNTIL she had given birth to a son . . . EVER?

SEX IS WONDERFUL IN MARRIAGE, WHY? Holdover of that philosophy we talked about

Matt 13:55, Mark 6:3, Jn 2:12, 7:3, 7:5, Ac 1:14, Gal 1:19, 1 Cor 9:5, Mt 12:46-50 - (Cousins – word could mean cousins)

Bodily Assumption (1950)

When her earthly life was over, she was taken up like Elijah

Co-Mediatrix/Co-Redeemer

1 Tim 2:5 – Mary would be appalled

“By your prayers, you deliver our souls from death” – helps Jesus save us – “the All-Holy one”

SAINTS

These people aren’t in Purgatory, actually in Heaven

Have paid enough for their own sins, you can appeal to them for some of their good works to be for you

They have special access to God, can hear you and help you with your prayers

Pray to them for them to talk to God on our behalf

Example of normal Prayer – Mother of Perpetual Help Prayer

O Mother of Perpetual Help

Thou are the dispenser of all the gifts that God grants to us miserable sinners

And to this end he has made thee so powerful, so rich and so bountiful in order that Thou mayest help us in our misery.

Thou art The advocate of the most wretched and abandoned sinners who have recourse to thee

Come to my aid for I recommend myself to Thee into Thy hand I place my eternal salvation and to thee I entrust my soul

Count me among thy most devoted servants. Take me under thy protection and it is enough for me.

For if thou protect me I fear nothing, not from my sins for Thou will attain for me the pardon for them, nor from the devils because thou art more powerful than all hell together, nor even from Jesus my judge because by one prayer from Thee, He will be appeased

But one thing I fear that in the hour of temptation I may through negligence fail to call on thee and thus perish miserably.

Attain for me therefore the pardon for my sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace ever to have recourse to thee, O mother of perpetual help.

Mary would be appalled. Phil 4:6 –

Jesus taught us how to pray “Our Father”

1 Tim 2:5 – One mediator, the man Christ Jesus

Mary doesn’t love you more than Jesus.

Prayers throughout the Bible – never to anyone but God.

Numerous passages in the Bible say do not attempt to contact the dead.

PRIESTS

(alter cristo) – Priest can act in the person of Christ – going to Jesus

Purple sash – Authority of Christ to forgive sins

MORTAL AND VENIAL SIN - In Debt Again

There’s no list – no actual 7 deadly sins list, not entirely sure

Missing Mass

Go to Priest for Venial Sin – Sin but don’t lose salvation – confess to priest – good to go

Mortal sin Destroys grace of justification – lose salvation (not attending mass) – not saved that week, when you go back, you confess, and priest gives you back salvation

Re-justification needed afterward

Rom 4:6-8 – God will not count his sin

Romans 5:1 – Peace with God?

Luther - Born a Pile of Dung (pile up manure for spring fertilization)

Baptism makes you a Pile of Gold – God likes Gold so you get in

When you, the gold, commit a venial sin – flecks of dung show up, now you have to go to purgatory to burn it off

When you commit a mortal sin, you’re a pile of dung again.

And you never know which one you are.

Justification does not make you gold, it’s the first snow that covers over that pile of dung – takes away your offensiveness – of course Luther believed in sanctification and glorification – but making the point that you don’t become something worthy of God, you are still unworthy, but he Counts you worthy.

7 SACRAMENTS

Ways of getting Grace

Baptism (Infant) – “Makes us Christians,” gets rid of what they call original sin – BORN AGAIN

Ac 8:36 – Believers baptism

Penance – Attrition over sin, Confession to a Priest

Confess both venial and mortal sins – must be to a Priest – only the church has power of forgiveness