“I have been
crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave
Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
As I reflect over this
past month I can’t help but think of a few individuals who are a part of our
congregation who are currently serving in our country’s armed forces. These
young men (and all who have served in our armed forces for that matter) have made
an oath to support and defend our constitution as a nation against all enemies,
and to obey the orders given to them from the President and their commanding
officers. Thus, by affirming this oath, they have stated something that is
worth dying for, namely the protection and freedom of our nation. For this I
believe that we should always be grateful for these individuals and their
families!
This month as we
celebrate Good Friday and Easter, we remember Someone else who saw something
worth dying for. Jesus died for the sins of all people so that all might be
able to receive eternal freedom. Jesus knew that in order to bring the
possibility of eternal freedom in Heaven with God to mankind, He must pay the
ultimate price, His own life. And He willingly gave His life for us on His own
accord. Thus, in Jesus’ eyes, you are worth dying for.
Throughout the ages,
many men and women have recognized that the cause of Christ is something worth
dying for. During the years following Jesus’ ascension, tension developed between
the Jews and Christians. In order for a person to be saved prior to the cross
of Christ, they had to become a Jew, placing their faith in the One True God.
However, with the coming of Jesus, He claimed to be the fulfillment of all the
Old Testament (OT) prophesies concerning the Anointed One who was to come, the
Christ (John 4:25-26). Some recognized this reality, and affirmed who Jesus was
and is (Matt. 16:16). And Jesus’ death and resurrection affirmed His identity
(John 20:28-29).
Since the time of the
cross and resurrection of Jesus, in order for anyone to be saved: Jew and
Gentile (those who are not Jewish) alike they would now have to recognize that
Jesus is the One True God and place their faith in Him. This meant that for
those living during that time as believing Jews would have to now place their
faith in Jesus (becoming Christians) in order to remain saved. There were many
Jews who were unwilling to accept this. Some of these Jews so adamantly opposed
this that they sought to hunt down and kill Christians for their faith in
Jesus. All of the remaining 11 disciples (excluding Judas Iscariot) died for
their faith in Christ, as they sought to share the Good News of Jesus with
others.
At the heart of the
opposition was the fundamental Biblical truth in the Trinitarian God, and the
Trinitarian God alone is to be worshiped. Most of the Jews rejected the idea of
the Trinity even though it can be seen clearly in the OT (see http://eugenechristianchurch.
blogspot.com/2014/05/god-revealed-7-case-for-trinity.html). While on the other
hand, many of those who experienced opposition including death from those with
non-Jewish backgrounds did not have any problem with the claim of Jesus being
God, or God the Father, or God the Holy Spirit. Their problem was the exclusive
claim of the Trinity: One God in 3 persons. This non-Jewish opposition thought
that it was ok to worship 1,000s of gods (and some saw Caesar, the Emperor of
the Roman Empire, as superior to the others). Yet the foundational issue that
these early Christians stood for to the point of death was their belief in the
Trinitarian God, and the Trinitarian God alone is to be worshiped. A similar
opposition still exists today.
As we travel through the history of
Christianity, we find numerous individuals dying for this foundational
teaching. Prior to A.D. 1232, the Bible was primarily only available for those
within the religious hierarchy. However, from that point on began a movement to
get the Bible into the hands of the common man. John Wycliffe (A.D. 1329-1384)
stood as the leading reformer. He taught, as the Bible itself teaches, that the
Bible is the sole authority for faith and practice (see Deut. 4:2; Pro. 30:5-6;
Matt. 15:3, 6; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 4:6; Col. 2:8; 1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2
Pet. 3:15-16; Rev. 22:18-19). Thus, believing this foundational principle of
Christianity, Wycliffe produced the first English manuscripts of the Bible. Those
who opposed the teaching of the Bible alone as the sole authority for faith and
practice, and that every person has a right to have God’s Word in their own
language were so infuriated by Wycliffe that after he died a natural death they
dug up his bones, crushed and burned them then scatter them in a river.
Similarly, many of Wycliffe’s associates and succeeding individuals who
believed in the Bible alone as the sole authority were likewise put to death
(Peter Waldo, William Swinderby, William Tyndale, etc.). A similar opposition
still exists today.
Meanwhile, throughout
the history of the church there have been many who have stood for the
foundation doctrine of justification by faith alone; that is that a person is
saved by faith alone in the Trinitarian God alone (John 3:16; Rom. 3:20-28;
Gal. 2:16; 3:2-14; 5:1-13; Eph. 2:8-9). The opposition has claimed that yes
faith is necessary but so are works in order to be saved; while the Bible
teaches that good works are a natural result or evidence of salvation (Eph.
2:10; James 2:18). In A.D. 1517, Martin Luther sounded the battle cry of the
Protestant Reformation which focused primarily on the foundational elements of
the Bible alone and justification by faith alone (see The Encyclopedia of
Christianity, “Reformation Principles,” pgs. 531-532). And as a
result Luther and other reformers experienced persecution, some even died for
these foundational doctrines of Christianity. And the same is true today.
During my lifetime, I
too have experienced opposition from those who oppose these same foundational
principles of Christianity. While going to Bible College, my wife and I had a
certain “Christian” church financially support us. After graduation, I learned
that this “Christian” church did not adhere to Christ’s deity and the doctrine
of the Trinity. Upon learning this, I showed them numerous passages supporting
these foundational teachings, yet they rejected them. It was from that moment
that I rejected our partnership with them costing me hundreds of dollars
monthly. However, it was the right thing to do.
Since then, I have similarly
seen people leave churches because they rejected the foundational teachings of
Christianity. My heart has broken over each one of them, as I love them all
dearly. While there are many doctrines that Christians can agree to disagree
upon, the foundational principles are worth dying for as so many throughout
church history have demonstrated. And at the end of the day, if we do not stand
for anything, we will fall for everything.
Thus, I want to make
very clear, I love all people regardless of their religious beliefs! Yet I
challenge you to consider why you believe what you do; is it worth dying for?
God bless!
In His service,
Matt
