Nothing except the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a greater miracle or wonder in human history. God becoming flesh in human history is the greatest marvel. Avatar is what this is called in Hindu religious tradition. Jesus of Nazareth was foretold in the Torah and the Prophets centuries before his appearance and he was proved to be real and not a pretender due to his death and Resurrection. The early church grappled with all of this intellectually. Many heresies were confronted, answered, and dismissed. Throughout the 2000 plus years of church history, many of the early church heresies have reappeared over and over again. Whether you are Catholic or Protestant the answers are from the Word of God. It behooves us to search the Scriptures to answer questions about the Christ. The Messiah, who was born in a stable and came to die and lives forever in a new body, like that which we will have in the future if we have faith is worthy of our understanding who he is and what it means to us today. Athanasius and his work is still very relevant to the 21st century. The conflict in his age still continues to this day. As a high school student I was approached at my front door about this controversy. Last week I was confronted again April 20, 2011. How so? A local Jehovah Witness knocked at my door. They do not believe in the Trinity or the divinity of Jesus Christ. Their views are supported by an altered translation called the “New World Translation” A friend of mine attends an Apostolic Church in Indio, California. They too do not believe in the Trinity. Jesus is the only God to them or so they say. Questions about the God of the Scriptures come also from outside of pseudo Christian traditions. Islam and other world religions do not understand Jesus. Some seek to understand him in light of other prophets like Mohamed or Joseph Smith. What is the truth? Arius in the first century taught a similar doctrine. The early church set up councils to determine areas of dispute. Who is Jesus of Nazareth was a disputed issue in the early church and it continues to this day. Neo-Arian thought still exists. The Council of Nicaea determined this issue for the Church. Some of you may say, “What difference does it make?” It makes all the difference in the world. (The Scriptures are the source evidence. The Council of Nicaea examined the evidence and came to the “Trinity Conclusion” as the best way to make sense of the evidence. This has been supported by both Catholic and Protestant thought alike, for with all of the evidence it makes sense.) It matters who Jesus was and is in reality. If Jesus was only a man his death would not cover the sins of the world nor would he return to life. Who Jesus is also affects our salvation. Is salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord full and complete, or do we have to finish the work by our efforts? Many accept these thoughts, “If you believe you are a failure you will never succeed in life.” or “If you believe you can not trust others you will never have meaningful relationships.” Almost all modern people can ascribe to these two thoughts. But, when it comes to theological thought some accept relativity. It does matter what you believe. There is the truth about someone and there are lies. If people believe lies about you it does matter. The same is true with the person of Jesus of Nazareth who is the Incarnation of the Word of God. Lewis’s introduction has not been edited. The work of Athanasius has been updated to make it more readable to a modern audience. The term Catholic means universal. Even the Apostles’ Creed uses this term to mean universal church. This does not always mean the Roman Catholic Church. May you learn and grow, as you understand the truth about Jesus, Dr. Tom Morris
Posted on: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 00:32:19 +0000
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