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Elder Christians God
In the beginning of the second century there lived near Ephesus a Christian elder of such eminence and reputation that he could style himself simply “the Elder” in his letters. Tradition has called him John. He is spoken of by Papias of Hierapolis A.D. 130-40, which he states his (Presbyter) as one of the disciples of the Lord. In his letters he points out he is different than the apostle John. At this time in history, a disagreement had risen between Christians of Asia about the reality of Jesus’ life and death. (An Introduction to the New Testament by Edgar J. Goodspeed Copyright 1937 The University of Chicago Press; Chicago Illinois)
How could a divine being, the Son of God, possessed of a nature so utterly removed from matter, have lived a life of human limitation and suffered an agonizing and shameful death? This question is still being asked today throughout the world still of the Son, all these other non realistic religions have their own false prophets just float on to heaven. There is no pain involved in the false faiths for forgiveness and divine healing, these letters from the Elder explains the truth and light of Christ’s existence.
First point is how John explains the experience of living in the light, “GOD is Light, and not the faintest shadow of darkness can exist in Him.” Harper Study Bible, Revised Standard Version Since God wants us to have true fellowship with each one living in the same light, which he eternally exists, should clean us from any and every sin. Advocating before God that Jesus Christ the righteous who made “personal atonement” for our sins, clarifies when we obey God’s law that we can be quite sure we know Him. For the Asian Christians of that time they did not understand the true meaning of obedience under His rule. Obedience is the test of whether we really live in God or not. Through Christ there should be no racism, bigotry, hate involved, John states, “anyone who claims to be in the light and hates his brother is in fact still in complete darkness.” “The man who loves his brother lives and moves in the light, and has no reason to stumble.” This is a basis for how the ancient near east natives all the way to modern day twenty first century can view one another and prosper in their daily battle against the evil one. That is why Christianity is so unique and full of divinity compare to any other faith.
Second point John tries to make clear is how to see the world for what it is, never giving your heart to this world or to any thing in it. “A man cannot love the Father and love the world at the same time. The whole world system is on man’s primitive desires, their greedy ambitions and the glamour of all that they think splendid, is not derived from the Father, but of the world itself.” Letters to Young Churches By J.B Phillips, Copyright 1947 The MacMillan Company New York City, New York
You can get expert help with your essays right now. Find out more...To look at it differently to say the world and its passionate desires will disappear but who ever follows Gods and HIS will is permanent and will forever exist, with no heartache spiritually. God is wholly good, himself could only indirectly be brought into relation with this material universe through Jesus. This concept of was and still is a hump that many in the near east to the west are trying to mentally comprehend of God.
Problems that the Elder was facing was the Docetic view of Christ, which is the belief that Jesus' physical body was an illusion, as was his crucifixion; that is, Jesus only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but in reality he was force, a pure spirit, and hence could not physically die. This belief treats the sentence "the Word was made Flesh" John 1:14 as merely figurative. Most Christian theologians have historically regarded Docetism as heretical this clarifies the meaning of this research. This pastoral letter carried by most of the churches of Asia to save them from the Docetic views that were threatening the churches. This to my understand explains why all the Asian faiths are involved with the elements, force and nature. Docetism is derived from the Greek dokeo, “to seem.” It is the erroneous belief that Christ only seemed to be human, that He did not really have a body of human flesh. It denied the Incarnation; Christ did not really have Mary as His mother according to the flesh. It was one of the first theological errors to appear in church history, for it is probably the target of the warning of 1 John 4:2,3: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. This is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come: and even now already it is in the world.” Docetism came from the view that flesh and physical matter were evil, or the source of evil. Therefore the Savior could have had no contact with it. All Gnostics, which plagued the early Church, were Docetic..This can be a bridge the gap with conversions through the generation evangelism in Asia. Letters to Young Churches By J.B Phillips, Copyright 1947 The MacMillan Company New York City, New York
Clarifying the following of Christ is Johns’ main point and battling with the many antichrists is my next point I researched. The prophecy in Revelation has stated that the son of the devil will rise against the nation of Israel through power in politics and military. John states that the end is near already and the fight with these forsaken souls will be abroad. He states clearly “that any man who refuses to acknowledge the Father and the Son is an antichrist.” An Introduction to the New Testament by Edgar J. Goodspeed Copyright 1937 The University of Chicago Press; Chicago Illinois
This is an inward battle against whomever that walks this earth in defiance to our belief so its figurative by the Elder that not just one will be the son of the devil but many will be under the devils influence and make due against our people. What I mean by our people is the heredity of the children of God, the world will more recognize us than it recognized Christ. This brings me to my next point the Elder states his warning against false teaching. This world is full of false prophets and it is our job to discover if they are from God or not. An example of this is the Bar Jesus, Mohammed to a modern day Jim Jones out of San Francisco. These are followers of the anti christ they are known as the children of the world, speaking the world’s language and the world is drawn all their attention to them.
Finally the Elder’s words of is how these churches need to explain to these Asian folk, real faith in Christ as God’s son can make his children confident, obedient and loving. In addition that in the physical form Jesus Christ came with the double sign of water and blood. The water is his cleansing of His baptism as a Man and the blood of the atonement that He made by His death. To the followers John wrote to whoever already believes in the Name of God’s Son so that you may be quite sure that, here and now, you possess eternal life. John in his epistle tells his followers that he has strong confidence in Him that God hears every prayer that is made His own plan on earth will how he will answer our prayers which makes myself a young Christian fully reliable on God. His attention to our prayers whatever they are about, we can be sure that they will be answered.
Thoughts of the Elder about his authorship is makes me even more confident how to live my life under His rule. He makes it clear to help each other to live without sin which is beautiful. “if any of you should see his brother committing sin, he should pray to God for him and secure fresh life for the sinner.” An Introduction to the New Testament by Edgar J. Goodspeed Copyright 1937 The University of Chicago Press; Chicago Illinois When we fail to obey God and His law it is classified as sin, but there is sin that does not include repentance and forgiveness. There are churches still battling the truth of bring the correct word since the ancient near east. This Elder can teach anyone and did to really take the worlds view out of perspective and clarify how to truly be guided under Christ.
Work Cited: Harper Study Bible, Revised Standard Version
Letters to Young Churches By J.B Phillips, Copyright 1947 The MacMillan Company New York City, New York
An Introduction to the New Testament by Edgar J. Goodspeed Copyright 1937 The University of Chicago Press; Chicago Illinois
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