Cross Training - Agents of Faith - Luther

We are skipping ahead a few years to the 1500’s and looking at an individual who helped shape what is known today as the Protestant Reformation – Martin Luther.  There are several historical items concerning Luther's life that you may not have known about:


· He was born in Eisleben, 120 miles south of modern day Berlin, Germany.
· He studied at the University of Erfurt when he was only 13-year old.
· He was called into ministry at the age of 21 while fighting a thunderstorm and a lightening bolt struck near him. He cried out, “Help me St. Anne! I will become a monk!”
· In 1521, while he was in ministry, he was called to an assembly at Worms, Germany, to appear before Chales V, Holy Roman Emperor. He quickly discovered that he was called for his own trial to recant his views – Show video clip
· He translated the Bible into German.
· He composed the song, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”
· He was labeled as an “anti-Semitic,” especially towards the end of his life.
· He was also known to have a bad temper and a foul-mouth.

All of these things considered, what Luther is most known for is what we know today as the Protestant Reformation.  This came about because of Luther's struggle with the Catholic churches abuses of indulgences and the connection they made of indulgences to faith and salvation.  In 1517 Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church as a means of presenting questions for open debate.

What Luther discovered after reading from Romans 1:17, what this, that man is saved by faith alone.  Luther understood that through God’s grace and sheer mercy we are pardoned through faith in Christ and His sacrifice on our behalf.  Our actions and deeds have nothing to provide for us or for God's expectation of a sacrifice in order to pay the necessary price for our sin.

Luther's teaching on faith and salvation alone raised the attention of the Catholic church, especially when he began to point fingers at the Pope, accusing him of leading the Catholic church down a road that was unscriptural.  Luther argued that indulgences did not remove guilt, and gave a false sense of eternal security. His understanding of salvation was transformed from an attempt at winning personal salvation, to receiving salvation on the merit of faith. He understood what Paul meant when he write the Roman Christians, "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe" -- Romans 3:22 (NIV)

Luther understood that our ability to bring about spiritual cleanliness was completely taken care of through Christ and offered to us unconditionally through faith in him.  This message turned the Catholic church on its ear and created what we know today as the Protestant Movement (the Protesters), and spring boarded the church into a new way of thinking and worshiping.

Luther would tell you that this discovery was not new, but was a return to the original message of the Apostles and a return to the very foundation of the church.

If you would like to read more on Luther visit www.ccel.org.


Randy

Cross Training - Agents of Faith - Origen

Origen is by far the most thought-provoking and somewhat controversial character we have dealt with yet. He was born during a period of intense persecution of the church. His father Leonides was beheaded as a martyr for the faith and then had his fortune confiscated, leaving the family poor and dependent on Origen to take care of his mother and six siblings. Origen wanted to die a martyr but his mother prevented him from this by hiding his clothes.

Some interesting facts concerning Origen.

· Believed that because there are 2 creation accounts in Genesis, there was 2 literal creations – First – “spiritual;” Second – “material," instead, of there being two separate accounts of the same creation event.
· Attempted to combine Christian faith with philosophical Platonism.
· Believed that in the end even Satan would be saved and creation would return to its original state.
· He wrote several commentaries on the Bible.
· It is estimated he wrote 6,000 separate writings.

Origen was considered by some to be a heretic because his views and writings sometimes were contrary to the standards held by the church at that time.  In particular, was his view on the Trinity.  Origen described the Trinity as a hierarchy instead of an equality between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Some found difficulty with him because of his "self-mutilation" which he deemed was in accordance with Matthew 19:12 - "12 Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven.” -- Matthew 19:12 (NLT)

In 553 the Council of Constantinople pronounced him a heretic, three centuries after his death.  Much of what he wrote quite possibly lost due to his condemnation. 

You could write-off an individual such as this, because of his views, which may lie contrary to your own.  Let me be frank, that was the direction I was taking at first.  Then I spoke with one of my Graduate School Professors who reminded me that historically the early church had many individuals who were influential in the construction of the early church, who at the same time, dabbled in views and teachings that today might be deemed heretical. 

What I find so fascinating about Origen was his willingness to stand for the essentials of the faith.  The scriptures as the inspired word of God was never to be forsaken.  He states - “Since scripture is from God, it ought to have the distinctive characteristics of the Divine works: truth, unity and fullness. The Word of God cannot possibly be untrue; hence no errors or contradictions can be admitted in Scripture.”  Origen worked for 20 years on the Hexapla, his analysis of the Old Testament to answer Jewish and Gnostic Critics of Christianity - six parallel columns: one in Hebrew and five in Greek.  It became an important part to the development of, what today we call, our Bible.

My point then, is the care we take in making sure, when it comes to the Early Church Fathers and to those very influential in the development of the church, that we don't "throw out the baby with the bathwater."  Yes, many of our Early Church Fathers dabbled in what today we would deem heresy, but at the same time they became a formative part in the development of our belief systems that carry us today, and because of that I am thankful, while being careful at the same time.

Randy

Cross Training - Agent of Faith - Ireneaus

So let me ask the question again, "who kept the church going after the disciples were gone?"  I know I have already proposed this question to you, but I am so fascinated by the men and women of the early church and their willingness to stand up for this fledgling church.  An individual that rose to prominence during this early part of the second century was a man named Ireneaus.

Ireneaus, like Polycarp and Clement, had a close association with the teaching of the Apostles.  Some believe he was a student of Polycarp, who was also, as you might remember, a student of the disciple John.  Little is really known about him, but what we do know is that he was a giant in defense of the faith.  He was a Bishop to Lyons (Southern France); he fought to keep the date for Easter in accordance with Jewish dates instead of with the equatorial fullmoon; he wrote 5 books against Gnosticism entitled – “Detection and Overthrow of the False Knowledge.

Of course, like the other Early Church Father, Ireneaus also had a heart that beat with the message of Christ.  In particular was his desire to see God's creation, you and I, reconnected to the Divine.  Ireneaus coined a term entitled, "Divinization."  It was a term to describe what Ireneaus saw as God's activity in recreating communion between lost humanity and its Creator.

From the beginning, God's activities, Old Testament and New, always centered around communion between the Divine and humanity.  Those same activities continue in the life of the church through the power and influence of the Holy Spirit in our personal lives.  Ireneaus saw communion with our Creator as a catalyst for personal worship.  Much of what he wrote seemed to suggest that worship to him involved at least three fundemental elements: Study - Obedience - Service.  These three actions were what made up ones worship. I call it the SOS of Worship.  

Justo Gonzalez in his book, "History of Christianity," said it this way - “God’s purpose is to make us ever more like the divine… God’s initial purpose included being united with humankind… Even before the incarnation, and from the very moment of the first sin, God has been leading humanity toward closer communion with the divine.”

Irenaeus knew that a personal / closer communion with the divine would enable us to live in renewed freedom. Renewed freedom starts with forgiveness: personal and corporate. Freedom then is chased in our Worship (SOS) – Study – Obedience – Service. As these become developed and defined the realization of our freedom in Christ will become more pronounced. Our service to Christ would then become more about the fruit and less about the beauty of the tree.

Cross Training - Agents of Faith - Clement

Polycarp, being one of the first "Church Fathers" of the early church, was followed closely by another by the name of Clement.  Clement came along during the second generation of leaders following the Apostles.

The 1st Century Church was under a great deal of strain, struggling with explosive growth, stretched borders with no authority and leadership, and persecution from inside the ranks of the newborn church, as well as, influence from outside pagan influences. Clement was known for the following:

· Consecrated by St. Peter as one of the first Apostolic Fathers of the early church, and is known to be a leading member of the 1st Century Church.
· Assisted St. Paul.
· Possibly the Clement Paul spoke of in his letter to the Philippians -   

3 And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life -- Philippians 4:3 (NLT)
 
· Wrote 1st Clement to the church in Corinth. A second letter was written, however, most believe it was by a different author. 

 Clement, like Polycarp, loved the church and resisted frequently the influences that emerged and attempted to infiltrate the church.  Clement was very concerned about the world's influence and pull on a believer.  He warned that divisiveness within the church is not started with groups but with individuals.  Individuals who spread dissension to hungry ears.  Clement said this -- “Every kind of honour and happiness literally, “enlargement” was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that which is written, 'My beloved did eat and drink, and was enlarged and became fat, and kicked.” Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity.'"  

He went on to say, "For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and is become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world."

 Clement stood by the church and her defense as a guardian and all the while, like Polycarp, continued to encourage the church to love and care for one another within her ranks.  His love for the church was obvious in his message to her, the message of repentance with confession.  

"Let us look steadfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of repentance before the whole world.” 

Acts 13 speaks of the power of repentance -  19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord -- Acts 3:19 (NIV).   
The term "refreshing" means to recover your breath, like what happens when you get the wind knocked out of you and you suddenly get your breath back.  The same analogy is true when it comes to repentance, which Clement believed to be a necessary part of a Believers walk.  Clement understood that repentance brought refreshing and release to the life of a believer, versus heaviness and guilt, which only strip one of joy and the ability to bring release to another struggling with the same weight.

Clement loved the church, and he especially loved a church that lived under the canopy of joy that was a result of true confession.  The same principle applies today.  For many of us, heaviness is a daily infection that plagues us and keeps us from truly living the promises of Christ.  Often the answer lies simply in confession of personal sin or the restoration of a relationship gone awry that was partly or completely our fault.  You can fill in the blanks.  Times of refreshing await us when we take the steps necessary to bring joy and life to our bones.  

Give it a try!




Randy