Why I Believe in the Holy Trinity - Part II
It is high time I complete the second half of this post. In case you missed it, here is part I.
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." -Jesus
When our Lord left this earth, he promised that the Spirit of Truth would come to His disciples, and they would be guided into all truth. This was necessary for the spread of the Kingdom here on earth, because Christianity would be spread by word of mouth alone. As the apostles split up and spread the Word to the far corners of the earth, the Spirit of Truth went with them, and like wild fire, the truth spread throughout the known world, changing the hearts of men and women in all places, and at all times, up until this present day. It will continue to spread until the end of days, when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will return for His people, and the great day of judgement will commence.
How did the message of the gospel go from twelve men to hundreds of millions throughout the centuries? It was the testimony of their witness, and the authority of the message itself.
The apostles taught many men and women, old and young, throughout the known world. When they died, these "disciples of the apostles" continued to preach this message. When they died, they left the work to their disciples, and on and on until there was no corner of the known world without Christianity nearby.
The message of the good news was preached in times of peace, and in times of great persecution. There were at least seven major persecutions of the Church from A.D. 64 through 313. The last persecution, called the Diocletian persecution after the emperor who enacted it, was by far the most horrific. It has been estimated that 3000 - 3500 Christians were martyred, and many more imprisoned, tortured, and maimed.
Through it all, the vast majority of Christians remained faithful to Christ. They endured persecution, quite probably with Christ's promise in mind: "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Despite a bleak outlook humanly speaking, those witnesses to the gospel, those same witnesses surrounding us in a cloud right now, triumphed. And as they were tortured and killed, their clothes stained with blood,they passed from this life to the next where they received new robes, washed in the blood that sets us free from the filth of this world, and our own wicked hearts. The Lord Jesus Christ working through those martyrs spread His message of peace and forgiveness and reconciliation with God to a hateful world. Despite Satan's continued attacks on His Church, Jesus Christ was victorious.
Finally, in 313, the new emperor, Constantine, signed the Edict of Milan, which officially put an end to the horrific persecution of Christ's people, and thus the Church entered into a new stage of its life.
(End of Part II)
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." -Jesus
When our Lord left this earth, he promised that the Spirit of Truth would come to His disciples, and they would be guided into all truth. This was necessary for the spread of the Kingdom here on earth, because Christianity would be spread by word of mouth alone. As the apostles split up and spread the Word to the far corners of the earth, the Spirit of Truth went with them, and like wild fire, the truth spread throughout the known world, changing the hearts of men and women in all places, and at all times, up until this present day. It will continue to spread until the end of days, when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will return for His people, and the great day of judgement will commence.
How did the message of the gospel go from twelve men to hundreds of millions throughout the centuries? It was the testimony of their witness, and the authority of the message itself.
The apostles taught many men and women, old and young, throughout the known world. When they died, these "disciples of the apostles" continued to preach this message. When they died, they left the work to their disciples, and on and on until there was no corner of the known world without Christianity nearby.
The message of the good news was preached in times of peace, and in times of great persecution. There were at least seven major persecutions of the Church from A.D. 64 through 313. The last persecution, called the Diocletian persecution after the emperor who enacted it, was by far the most horrific. It has been estimated that 3000 - 3500 Christians were martyred, and many more imprisoned, tortured, and maimed.Through it all, the vast majority of Christians remained faithful to Christ. They endured persecution, quite probably with Christ's promise in mind: "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” Despite a bleak outlook humanly speaking, those witnesses to the gospel, those same witnesses surrounding us in a cloud right now, triumphed. And as they were tortured and killed, their clothes stained with blood,they passed from this life to the next where they received new robes, washed in the blood that sets us free from the filth of this world, and our own wicked hearts. The Lord Jesus Christ working through those martyrs spread His message of peace and forgiveness and reconciliation with God to a hateful world. Despite Satan's continued attacks on His Church, Jesus Christ was victorious.
Finally, in 313, the new emperor, Constantine, signed the Edict of Milan, which officially put an end to the horrific persecution of Christ's people, and thus the Church entered into a new stage of its life.
(End of Part II)