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God created the eternal New Testament church before the foundation of the world with a distinct function and form. The function of the eternal church was to facilitate shared life fellowship between Himself and mankind. God provided the New Testament church with a form that was suitable. He made it in the form of a spiritual body.
The heavenly New Testament church did not change when God originated it on earth. It retained its distinct function and form. Heavenly or eternal in function and form, God created the New Testament church on earth to accommodate divine life (zoe). It was His chosen instrument to share His life (zoe) with the elect of the Church Age. Concordant with its eternal function of facilitating fellowship between God and mankind, the message of the New Testament church proclaimed the possibility of life shared with God. (cf. Philippians 2:16; 1 John 1:1-2) Thus, the message of the ecclesia of God was a “message of…life (zoe).” (Acts 5:20; cf. 2 Timothy 1:8-11) The shared life message of the New Testament church is the Gospel or “Good News” of Jesus Christ. Demonstrating the attributes of God in an unbiased, concurrent manner, its willing reception by fallen mankind serves to vindicate His nature from angelic scheme and accusation. Relative to the role of the New Testament church in the vindication of the divine nature, the heavenly host offers a varied reaction. The holy angels rejoice when a fallen human being repents and receives eternal life (zoe) through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Luke 15:7) Conversely, Satan and his angels cringe when they see man, a lesser, undeserving creature, gain through the church what they lost; glorious citizenship in the kingdom of God. The New Testament church serves as a public reminder to the devil and his angels of their judgment and condemnation. Therefore, it is for them an ever-present source of embarrassment, humiliation, and shame. As a result, the devil and his angels view the distinct church with fiery hatred. |
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![]() Testimony of Church History
The satanic scheme to produce a simulation of the church on earth was initiated early in the fourth century. It was accomplished mainly through the adoption of Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire. Congruent with the scheme, the form of the New Testament church was rendered ineffective for accommodating the function of shared life fellowship between God and man. The devilish scheme was fulfilled by the intermarriage of the organic New Testament church with an inorganic simulation. Supported by the mighty Roman Empire, the intermarriage was facilitated by a series of questionable events and governmental edicts. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough?” (1 Corinthians 5:6) Edict of Tolerance by Galerius During the early part of his reign, the Roman Emperor Galerius (AD 293 to 311) was the source of severe persecution for the New Testament church. Ravaged by disease toward the end of his reign, however, he experienced a change of mind. Galerius came to believe that his suffering was the result of vengeance from the Christian God. In fear of God, he issued an edict of tolerance toward Christianity in AD 311. It allowed Christians not only the right to exist in the Roman Empire but to meet together. The edict of Galerius did not establish Christianity as favorable but merely tolerable. Nevertheless, it was an early step that would lead to an eventual union between church and state. Constantine I Galerius’ co-emperor and eventual successor, Constantine I (AD 306-337), made more significant progress in blending church and state. While some remember him as the “first Christian Emperor," others believe Constantine’s conversion to Christianity was questionable. At least one account of the Emperor’s conversion reveals that it was motivated by a private visit and a public vision. The early church historian Eusebius reports that when Constantine and his army were marching toward the battle of the Milvian Bridge in AD 312, they saw a vision in the sky. The vision consisted of a cross of light and the words "by this sign you will be victor." According to Eusebius, Christ appeared to Constantine that night and instructed him to place the heavenly sign on the battle standards of his army. Constantine attributed his subsequent victory in battle to the power of “the God of the Christians.”[1] As a result of his vision, visit and victory, he developed a favorable stance toward Christianity. The fruit of Constantine’s experience, however, does not seem to validate an actual conversion originating from God. On the contrary, history testifies that his post “conversion” life was not evidenced by the eternal fruit of living (zoe) works but by extravagant religious devotion. Moreover, Constantine’s religious devotion led him to begin commingling church and state, altering both in a life-changing fashion. Edict of Milan In AD 313, Constantine and his co-emperor from the east, Licinius, issued the Edict of Milan, granting religious freedom to all citizens of the Roman Empire, including Christians. Philip Schaff (1819-1893), in his book, “History of the Christian Church,” notes that the Edict of Milan served to extend the scope of Galerius’ edict of AD 311. According to Schaff, Galerius’ edict had previously brought Christianity to a position of “hostile neutrality” in the Roman Empire. In contrast, the Edict of Milan elevated Christianity to a status of “friendly neutrality and protection.”[2] Once Christianity was elevated to friendly and protected status, the simulated church began to evolve rapidly. Representing the Roman state, Constantine called for several synods or councils of the church (AD 313-314). Roman coins were marked with Christian symbols (AD 315). Within four years, religious leaders were exempt from taxation (AD 319). Two years later, Sunday was declared an official day of rest or holiday (AD 321). Change in the Roman Empire was rapid, and its influence on the church was significant. Church Buildings Between AD 323-327, Constantine commissioned the construction of church buildings to serve as public meeting places for Christians. The buildings were designed according to the concept of the Roman civic meeting hall or basilica. In ancient Roman culture, the basilica was most often used for law courts but was also known to house civic business meetings and administrative offices.[3] Commonly included in the features of the Roman basilica was a raised platform, otherwise known as the tribunal of the judge and the ambo.[4] The ambo was the precursor of the modern pulpit. The design features of the basilica were reasonable for the management of legal or civic business. They served to set apart the civic leader in a position of authority and allowed him to moderate the discussion of law or business in an orderly fashion. The design of the Roman basilica was practical for managing the legal and business affairs of a city. However, it could not provide a supportive environment for the shared life function of the New Testament church. The church-state buildings commissioned by Constantine presented an environment that was public, impersonal, cold, and sterile. Nevertheless, they could adequately accommodate large group meetings. The design of the church-state building contributed to the segregation of the simulated church into two classes of adherents; clergy and laity. The clergy (priesthood) was assigned to teach about God, rule the church for Him, and promote religious activity for its members. Laity was not needed to contribute to simulated church meetings. Instead, the common man soon became responsible for little more than attendance. Therefore, his role in the church-state building gradually evolved to passive listening, learning about God, and following the legalistic, religious practice prescribed by the clergy. Facilitated by the advent of the church-state building, the simulated church was characterized by the division of the church body into two separate groups. They consisted of priestly leadership and large passive audiences referred to as “laymen.” In Name Only The development of the simulated church caused a significant change in the public perception of the church. Shortly after the origination of church-state buildings they were identified by names such as “The Church of St. John.” As a result, the public soon learned to identify the church as merely a building with a name that accommodated the practice of organized religion. The perception of the church as a living (zoe) organism began to fade. Inorganic Largely a product of the Roman state, the simulated church was inorganic by nature. Its public, sterile buildings sanctioned by the state; divided physical congregations; cold, impersonal meetings characterized by legalistic, religious activity for God; human headship providing oversight by compulsion; and passive laity all provided evidence of a lifeless (zoe) church that was capable of operating for God apart from divine influence. Council of Nicea In AD 325, the original Council of Nicea convened under the direction of Emperor Constantine. Estimated to have been attended by 250-318 church leaders from around the Roman Empire, it was considered the first ecumenical meeting of the church. The Council gathered for the primary purpose of settling a doctrinal disagreement known as the Arian controversy. Arianism, promoted by the theologian Arius (AD 250-336), presented a challenge to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. According to Clemens Petersen, “It was the first time the Christian Church and the Roman State met each other face to face; and the impression was very deep on both sides. When the emperor stood there, among the three hundred and eighteen bishops, tall, clad in purple and jewels, with his peculiarly haughty and sombre mien, he felt disgusted at those coarse and cringing creatures who one moment scrambled sportively around him to snatch up a bit of his munificence, and the next flew madly into each other’s faces for some incomprehensible mystery. Nevertheless, he learnt something from those people. He saw that with Christianity was born a new sentiment in the human heart hitherto unknown to mankind, and that on this sentiment the throne could be rested more safely than on the success of a court-intrigue, or the victory of a hired army”.[6] The Council of Nicea resulted in an agreement between church leaders about Christian doctrine. It was known as the original Nicene Creed. There are two glaring truths often overlooked by church historians regarding the Council of Nicea. First, it was called together under the authority of a state ruler who then used the state's power to implement the Council’s decisions. Second, the Council of Nicea constituted a significant step in further galvanizing the partnership or marriage between church and state. |
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