True Christianity: It’s Purpose – Part 2

Of Jesus it is said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) He was sent to reveal the Father’s character amongst the most despotic of all nations, as a sheep among wolves.

Christ came to make men free, ”The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.” (Luke 4:18 [KJV])

The Roman Empire then filled the world,  “the sublimest incarnation of power, and a monument the mightiest of greatness built by human hands, which has upon this planet been suffered to appear.” That empire, proud of its conquests, and exceedingly jealous of its claims, asserted its right to rule in all things, human and divine. In the Roman view, the State took precedence of everything. It was entirely out of respect to the State and wholly to preserve the State, that either the emperors or the laws ever forbade the exercise of the Christian religion. According to Roman principles, the State was the highest idea of good. “The idea of the State was the highest idea of ethics, and within that was included all actual realization of the highest good; hence the development of all other goods pertaining to humanity, was made dependent on this.” — Neander. 5  {1898 ATJ, Great Empires of Prophecy (GEP) 346.4}

 Man with all that he had, was subordinate to the State; he must have no higher aim than to be a servant of the State; he must seek no higher good than that which the State could bestow. Thus every Roman citizen was a subject, and every Roman subject was a slave. “The more distinguished a Roman became, the less was he a free man. The omnipotence of the law, the despotism of the rule, drove him into a narrow circle of thought and action, and his credit and influence depended on the sad austerity of his life. The whole duty of man, with the humblest and greatest of the Romans, was to keep his house in order, and be the obedient servant of the State.” — Mommsen. 6   {1898 ATJ, GEP 347.1}

Jesus Christ came into the world to set men free, and to plant in their souls the genuine principle of liberty, — liberty actuated by love, liberty too honorable to allow itself to be used as an occasion to the flesh or for a cloak of maliciousness. Liberty led by a conscience enlightened by the Spirit of God, liberty in which man may be free from all men, yet made so gentle by love that he would willingly become the servant of all, in order to bring them to the enjoyment of this same liberty. This is freedom indeed. This is the freedom which Christ gave to man; for “whom the Son makes free is free indeed.” {1898 ATJ, GEP 346.1}

Rome in conquering the nations, did not interfere with their religious services.  To the Romans, all religion was simple superstition. See Acts 25:19.

The conquered is allowed to worship, as long as they acknowledge that Caesar is God above all others, in another word, Caesar was the supreme “God”. 

The controversy that arose between the Christians and the Romans was not a dispute between individuals, or a contention between sects or parties. It was a contest between antagonistic principles.  Christianity demanded absolute freedom of conscience, the right of the individual to worship God as he or she saw fit.  On the part of Rome, it was the assertion that Caesar was the highest and every other god is subservient to Caesar. Caesar was the State and the State rules in all things, divine as well as human, religious as well as civil.

It became clear that for any man to profess the principles and the name of Christ was virtually to set himself against the Roman Empire.  For him to recognize God as revealed in Jesus Christ as the highest good, was but treason against the Roman State. It was not looked upon by Rome as anything else than high treason; because, as the Roman State represented to the Roman the highest idea of good, for any man to assert that there was a higher good, was to make Rome itself subordinate. And this would be a direct blow at the dignity of Rome, and subversive of the Roman State. Consequently the Christians were not only called “atheists,” because they denied the gods, but the accusation against them before the tribunals was of the crime of “high treason,” because they denied the right of the State to interfere with men’s relations to God. The common accusation against them was that they were “irreverent to the Caesars, and enemies of the State and Caesar.

In trying to trap Jesus the Pharisees asked; “Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?  “ Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” (Matt 22:21 [KJV])

With this declaration, Jesus made it clear that Caesar’s role was civil only, and everything dealing with conscience is to God.  He made it clear that Caesar was not God.  To the Christians were given the commands, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus  20:1). “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve”.  
(Matt 4:10 [KJV]).  “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I [am] God, and [there is] none else”. (Isa 45:22 [KJV]) These texts were clear and there could be no compromise. 

Therefore to acknowledge Christianity and profess that you are a follower was literally a death sentence.  That has always and will always be the path to true Christianity.  “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Matt 16:24 [KJV])

In matters of conscience the soul must be left untrammeled. No one is to control another’s mind, to judge for another, or to prescribe his duty. God gives to every soul freedom to think, and to follow his own convictions. “Every one of us shall give account of himself to God”. No one has a right to merge his own individuality in that of another. In all matters where principle is involved, “let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind”. (Romans 14:12, 5). In Christ’s kingdom there is no lordly oppression, no compulsion of manner. Desire of Ages (DA) 551

True Christianity  is founded and built on  liberty of conscience.  See (Acts chapter 4 and  5:17-33).  He who follows the multitude to force one to violate his conscience is not Christian.    

“For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.  And a man’s foes [shall be] they of his own household.  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it”. (Matt 10:35-39 [KJV])

**True Christianity: The Conclusion. Part 3 to follow**