The Church Persecutes

1. The Church Persecutes Lesson 24

2. Immediately after the ascension of Christ, the believers in Christ began to be persecuted by Roman and Jewish authorities, but the Christian church continued to grow. Persecution did not stop it.

3. Then Satan began to attack the Christian church from within. Error was stealthily introduced into the beliefs of the Christians, errors such as Sunday sacredness,

5. the immortal soul,

7. and infant baptism.

10. While such doctrines were accepted by the majority of people, God’s true flock did not accept them, and his people continued steadfast in their faith.

11. Then Satan began to attack God’s people with persecution by the church itself, and that is what our lesson is about this week. We will learn what heresy is and how the Roman church treated it.

12. The word heresy means: a belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine And what does orthodox religious doctrine mean? Traditional doctrine--that which has been established by a particular religious body as truth.

13. In the year 325, the first major council of the Christian church took place in Constantinople.

18. Constantine convened this council. Approximately 318 men attended. Various issues were discussed and then votes were taken. The most important thing agreed upon was a profession of faith.

19. What is a profession of faith? Every, or nearly every, church body has put down in writing a profession of faith, or a list of their beliefs. Today Seventh-day Adventists have 28 fundamental beliefs, but our original declaration of fundamental principles in 1872 contained 25:

20. 1. One God 2. One Lord Jesus 3. Bible given by inspiration of God 4. Baptism 5. New birth 6. Prophecy 7. World’s history is outlined in prophecy 8. Second coming precedes, not follows, the millennium 9. 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 10. Sanctuary 11. The law 12. The Sabbath 13. The man of sin, the papacy 14. The work of the Holy Spirit in conversion 15. Dependence on Christ for justification and for grace to render obedience 16. Gifts of the spirit 17. Three angels’ messages 18. Investigative judgment 19. The grave has no work, device, wisdom, nor knowledge 20. State of the dead 21. The resurrection of both righteous and wicked 22. The living righteous to be changed in a moment 23. The millennium 24. Final destruction of the wicked 25. New heavens and a new earth

21. 28 Fundamental Beliefs of SDAs are: 1. Bible 2. Trinity 3. Father 4. Son 5. Holy Spirit 6. Creation 7. Nature of man 8. Great Controversy 9. Life, Death, Resurrection of Christ 10. Salvation 11. Growing in Christ 12. Church 13. Remnant and Its Mission 14. Unity in Body of Christ 15. Baptism 16. Lord’s Supper 17. Spiritual Gifts 18. Gift of Prophecy 19. Law of God 20. Sabbath 21. Stewardship 22. Christian Behavior 23. Marriage and the Family 24. Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary 25. Second Coming 26. Death and Resurrection 27. Millennium 28.The New Earth

22. The two side-by-side:

23. 1. Bible 2. Trinity 3. Father 4. Son 5. Holy Spirit 6. Creation 7. Nature of man 8. Great Controversy 9. Life, Death, Resurrection of Christ 10. Salvation 11. Growing in Christ 12. Church 13. Remnant and Its Mission 14. Unity in Body of Christ 15. Baptism 16. Lord’s Supper 17. Spiritual Gifts 18. Gift of Prophecy 19. Law of God 20. Sabbath 21. Stewardship 22. Christian Behavior 23. Marriage and the Family 24. Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly Sanctuary 25. Second Coming 26. Death and Resurrection 27. Millennium 28.The New Earth 1. One God 2. One Lord Jesus 3. Bible given by inspiration of God 4. Baptism 5. New birth 6. Prophecy 7. World’s history is outlined in prophecy 8. Second coming precedes, not follows, the millennium 9. 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 10. Sanctuary 11. The law 12. The Sabbath 13. The man of sin, the papacy 14. The work of the Holy Spirit in conversion 15. Dependence on Christ for justification and for grace to render obedience 16. Gifts of the spirit 17. Three angels’ messages 18. Investigative judgment 19. The grave has no work, device, wisdom, nor knowledge 20. State of the dead 21. The resurrection of both righteous and wicked 22. The living righteous to be changed in a moment 23. The millennium 24. Final destruction of the wicked 25. New heavens and a new earth

24. In the profession of faith set forth in Constantinople, it is stated that if a person believed Jesus did not exist “before he was begotten,” that person was cursed.

25. The Profession Of Faith at the Council of Nicea, 325 1. We believe in one God the Father all powerful, maker of all things both seen and unseen. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten begotten from the Father, that is from the substance of the Father, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not made, Consubstantial with the Father, through whom all things came to be, both those in heaven and those in earth; for us humans and for our salvation he came down and became incarnate, became human, suffered and rose up on the third day, went up into the heavens, is coming to judge the living and the dead. And in the holy Spirit. 2. And those who say 1. “there once was when he was not”, and “before he was begotten he was not”, and that2. he came to be from things that were not, or from another substance, affirming that the Son of God is subject to change or alteration, these the catholic and apostolic church anathematises [or curses].

26. Perhaps you have heard of the word anathema. It is a Greek word that means accursed or to place under a great curse. Paul uses anathema in Galatians 1:8 and 9, and the so-called Christian church in AD 325 placed a great curse on anyone who did not believe that Christ had always been in existence, just as the Father has always been. We know, however, that Jesus was begotten because this is what the Bible teaches. We don’t know when or how he was begotten--God has not told us that--but just because we cannot explain what God says does not mean we are to stop believing it.

27. Other councils were convened in 381, 431, 451, 553, 680, 787, 869, 1123, 1139, 1179, 1215, 1245, 1274, 1311, 1414, 1438, 1512, 1545, 1870, and 1962. The one in 1962 was held at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican and addressed various issues over three years, including the declaration that the only church of Christ is the Catholic Church.

33. To mark the 50th anniversary of this ecumenical council, Pope Benedict announced in October 2011 that October 2012 through November 2013 is to be a year of faith and has ordered all parishes and religious institutions to reaffirm in some manner either the shorter Apostolic Creed or the longer Nicene Creed. What is an integral part of the Apostolic and the Nicene Creeds? Who God is.

34. In these councils, the Roman church set in writing their beliefs about various doctrines, and then they began to persecute those who would not accept them. They needed a biblical reason to kill those who disagreed with the doctrines, and they used Luke 22:38 as a justification.

35. “And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.”

36. And from this text the Catholic Church has developed the doctrine of the two swords--one sword a spiritual power and the other sword the power of government--and the papacy has used the government to force people to obey them. Ellen White tells us it will happen again:

37. The dignitaries of church and state will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor Sunday. (GC 592) A key word is compel. God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort--to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce--is compulsion by cruelty. (Ibid., 591)

38. Credits: Slide 4: Chris D at flickr Slide 6: Phil Scoville at flickr Slide 8: Simon at flickr Slide 9: Cosmin Cornea at flickr