Religions (3)

Christendom

The New Testament warns us against many evils and tells us to "hold aloof from every form of wickedness" (1 Thessalonians 5:22). 1 Corinthians speaks of many evils that had affected the Assembly at Corinth - sexual misbehaviour, fraud, drunkenness and so on (chapters 5, 6, 11:21) as well as scepticism as to that fundamental of Christianity, the belief in the resurrection (chapter 15). However, it is not those kinds of things that it is intended to focus on in this article, but rather the efforts of Satan to drag us down to the level of Judaism or Greek philosophy.

If we look at the epistle to the Hebrews we find the writer seeking to persuade his readers to go on and not give up Christianity and return to Judaism (chapter 10:38/39). He emphasises the seriousness of reverting to Judaism (chapter 10:26-31). In Christianity God has given his best and if that is not good enough for us there is really no hope for us (chapter 6:1-12). The book brings before us what is better (the word better appears thirteen times). The law was good (Romans 7:12) but now we have what is better. It is not here a matter of good and evil; black and white, but rather bringing us out from the half light into the full light (chapter 9:8). There is thus a lot of comparisons made in Hebrews, such as, between Christ and angels (chapter 1); the old priesthood and the new (chapter 7); the Old and New covenants (chapter 8); the old system of worship and the new (chapter 9) and so on. The old system was not evil. This was impossible, because God had instituted it, but it was essentially a material system (Hebrews 9:10) and now God has instituted a spiritual one. The things now are heavenly (Hebrews 9:23). The former were figurative and give us some idea of the latter.

Turning now to the epistle to the Galatains we find that they were not, we may say, hauling down the flag of Christ and reverting to Judaism as the Hebrews were in danger of doing. This would have involved rejecting Christ (Hebrews 6:6). However, what they were doing was bringing Judaism into Christianity. They were practising (at least to some extent) Judaism under the flag of Christ. Paul points out that if they did this they would not profit from being Christians (Galatians 2:21; 4:10/11; 5:2 & 4). Practically the effect would be little different from an actual reversion to Judaism.

The danger not only still exists today but has made inroads in Christendom. Ornate churches with a clergy and vestments as well as such things as incense savour greatly of a religion designed to appeal to man in the flesh. In other words the religion in many cases is a material one, rather than a spiritual one. The idea that the loaf and cup of the Lord's supper are physically the Lord's body and blood is the gross expression of this false system. According as they approach the mind of Christ any body of Christians tends to depart from the material system and take on more spiritual features. Music becomes less important and prayers become more real as the formal reading of them is dropped. The keeping of a calendar of feasts, as the Jews did, has been adopted by Christendom whereas we should keep them in a spiritual way (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).

In the epistle to the Colossians which was addressed to Gentiles the danger was different. Their danger was to add Greek philosophy to their Christianity. They were, in effect, saying that Christ was not sufficient and they needed to add something else. Paul warns them against doing this, pointing out that in Christ all the fulness of the Godhead dwells and that we are complete in him (chapter 2:9/10). As to the Galatians Paul had pointed out that the law had been our tutor to bring us to Christ, but that now we should not go back to the child condition but live, we may say, as adults (Galatians 3:24/25; 4:1-7). Greek philosophy may have had some use, but probably only as something that would show that we need Christ. Plato is reputed to have said: "Maybe one day, - a logos - a reason will come from God who will reveal the mysteries and make things plain." Philosophy and science can only take us so far. We need Christ the Word (the Logos) if we are to understand what is beyond man's ability to find out by the use of his mind. Christendom has often brought the ideas of the Greek philosophers such as Plato