truth to lions

I just started my third class at Liberty. So far, it is my favorite! Why? The class is Church History, from the Apostles to the Reformation. Part of my assignment is to do a book review on the book by Brian Litfin, titled Getting to Know the Church Fathers. The book is a easy read. Each chapter gives a detailed account of our church fathers. The first chapter is about a man named, Ignatius of Antioch. 

Interesting enough, Antioch is the first place followers of Christ were called Christians (Acts 11:26). Both Peter and Paul were in Antioch. It was from Antioch that Paul and Barnabas were sent out on a missionary journey (Acts 13:2). Some say the gospel of Matthew was written in there and Paul wrote the book of Galatians from Antioch. So a lot of our church history took place in this city (which is in modern day Turkey).

It is in Antioch, where the great confrontation between Paul and Peter took place (Galatians 2:11-21). This is where we get our first glimpse at the culture of this city. Here the gospel itself was at stake, as Paul writes in 2:14, "But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel…"

What can we learn from the history of Antioch?We know that both Jews and Gentiles made up that church and there were two main enemies to the Gospel found at that church. The scary thing about legalism, is that it adds to either the Gospel, or it adds to Gods law by requiring individuals to obey rules even God does not require.Another enemy of Ignatius was Gnosticism. Gnosticism can be complicated. Yet, those followers of Gnosticism did not believe in the incarnation of Jesus. 

Ignatius was eventually arrested because he believed that Jesus was both God and man.That was a threat to the cultural beliefs of Gnosticism, the cultural norm of his day, and he paid the ultimate price. He was arrested and thrown to a bunch of hungry lions in Rome to the entertainment of many.His body was torn apart and then collected and buried by those from his church.He was literally torn apart, limb from limb, because he believed Jesus was both God and man.He could have said nothing or he could have left town, both probably would have saved his life. 

The question I ask myself is…. will I stand up for truth when it is culturally unacceptable? Will I stand up for legalism which comes inside my church? When the gospel is attacked, how do I normally respond? What are the major threats to the gospel and truth about God today? How I respond in those situations is very important.