In this episode of Tidbits from Church History we consider Polycarp’s Martyrdom and find in the account of his faithfulness unto death real encouragement. Though we may not know the persecution that those in the first centuries experienced, we nevertheless need to be strengthened to stand against the modern opposition to our faith. Even a brief glance at the final moments of Polycarp’s life will help us here. It is one thing to die, everyone dies. It is another altogether to die well, to die in faith, and to die in hope of a resurrection.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18  But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

We are referring to the first half or so of the second century, and proof of the difficulty that the early church faced is readily seen when we consider Polycarp, perhaps the most famous martyr of the immediate post-Apostolic period. Polycarp served as bishop of the city of Smyrna, and he enjoyed the respect of many laypeople and fellow bishops for two reasons. First, Polycarp was renowned for his compassion and his pastoral care. Second, when Polycarp was young, he knew the Apostle John personally. In addition, Polycarp was friends with Ignatius of Antioch, an important early church leader who himself was martyred early in the second century. Polycarp also taught an important early church father named Irenaeus, who led the fight against the Gnostic heresy.

Much of what we know about Polycarp’s martyrdom comes from the second-century work titled the Martyrdom of Polycarp. This work offers an eyewitness account of the bishop’s death at the hands of the Romans, and it is something of a guide as to how Christians are to face martyrdom should that be their end. Unlike heretics of the time or many of the later Crusaders who believed that death during a crusade would guarantee salvation, Polycarp did not seek out martyrdom. He did not hold to the assumption that says dying as a martyr automatically gives one a ticket to heaven, which is merely an extreme form of works-righteousness.

Even though Polycarp said that Christians should not go looking for martyrdom, his example does show us that martyrdom must be embraced when the only alternative is to deny the faith once delivered to the saints. When the Romans arrested Polycarp and took him to an arena for public execution, they offered to spare the elderly bishop if he would renounce his faith and worship Caesar. Polycarp refused, for he treasured Jesus more than his own life. Thus, he was put to death by fire and sword.

~ from Ligonier Ministries

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Proverbs 3:31-35 Do not envy a man of violence and do not choose any of his ways, for the devious person is an abomination to the LORD, but the upright are in his confidence. The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous. Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor. The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace.

In these final verses of Proverbs 3 we clearly see the impending judgment that awaits the unrepentant sinner. Though the wheels of justice move slowly at time, they are always moving. God’s judgment will come upon every sinner. The only way of escape is through the Lord Jesus Christ. The punishment due to my sins and your sins must be satisfied. Either you will satisfy it for eternity in hell or a Substitute will satisfy it. Jesus Christ is that sin-bearing Substitute. He is mighty to save!

“It is only the righteous that do not receive justice. It is the righteous that will inherit honor according to the text. It is the humble to whom God gives favor.” [03:10]

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In this episode we consider God’s supremacy. Meditating on this attribute of God helps us to view God more accurately and see Him as altogether glorious, necessary, and desirable. God is the greatest being that ever was or ever will be. Nothing can compare with God Almighty. He perfectly rules over all His creation and does all that He pleases in the heavens and in the earth. No man can thwart His plans or interfere with His purposes. God is the great God, the only true God.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Of old, God complained to an apostate Israel, “Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself” (Ps. 50:21). Such must now be His indictment against apostate Christendom. Men imagine the Most High is moved by sentiment, rather than by principle. They suppose His omnipotency is such an idle fiction that Satan can thwart His designs on every side. Mankind thinks that if He has formed any plan or purpose at all, then it must be like theirs, constantly subject to change. They openly declare that whatever power He possesses must be restricted, lest He invade the citidel of man’s free will and reduce him to a machine. Men lower the all-efficacious atonement, which redeems everyone for whom it was made, to a mere remedy, which sin-sick souls may use if they feel so disposed. They lessen the strength of the invincible work of the Holy Spirit to an offer of the Gospel which sinners may accept or reject as they please.

The god of this century no more resembles the Sovereign of Holy Writ than does the dim flickering of a candle the glory of the midday sun. The god who is talked about in the average pulpit, spoken of in the ordinary Sunday school, mentioned in much of the religious literature of the day, and preached in most of the so-called Bible conferences, is a figment of human imagination, an invention of sentimentality.

God’s supremacy might well be argued from the infinite distance which separates the mightiest creatures from the Creator. He is the Potter, they are but the clay in His hands, to be molded into vessels of honor or to be dashed into pieces (Ps. 2:9) as He pleases.

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Proverbs 3:27-30 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you. Do not plan evil against your neighbor, who dwells trustingly beside you. Do not contend with a man for no reason, when he has done you no harm.

In four short verses Solomon by the Holy Spirit presses upon us the necessity of redeeming those opportunities God places in front of us to do good to our neighbor. The Christian is to be generous, a free giver. We should always be looking for an opportunity to help, to give, to encourage, and to exercise the love which Jesus Christ has planted within us. To neglect such opportunities is failure and a lack of love. Selfishness is is completely contrary to all that Christ represents and the life He lived. Love in word and in deed, Christians.

“If God sends rain upon the just and the unjust, if God is kind to the ungrateful and the evil, then we too should be imitators of Him as His beloved children and walk in His ways.” [03:23]

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In this episode of Tidbits from Church History we take a glimpse into the life of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria. It was after the Council of Nicea that the opposition against the Biblical doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ was most fierce. Over the course of years, Athanasius was exiled from Alexandria five different times and yet he stood firm for what he knew the Bible to teach about Christ being fully God. His battle over orthodox trinitarianism will forever be remember as Athansius contra mundum.

Colossians 1:15-20 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

Controversy is never a pleasant thing, but in the life of the church some of the most bitter controversies have yielded the sweetest and most enduring fruit. The Arian controversy produced not only the Nicene Creed of 325 (which is still recited in many churches today) but it also brought to the fore a truly heroic figure of the faith, namely, Athanasius of Alexandria. Born around 296, Athanasius was somewhat of a theological prodigy and was brought up from an early age in the home and under the tutelage of Bishop Alexander. At the time of the Council of Nicaea, Athanasius was a deacon and attended the council as a secretary for Alexander. Even in the role of secretary, Athanasius was a significant contributor to the wording of the creed. But it was in the aftermath of the council that Athanasius’ legacy was forged as he ascended to the office of bishop in 328 upon the death of Alexander. There are three things concerning this champion of orthodoxy that I would like to commend to the contemporary church for consideration.

First of all, Athanasius was driven in his rebuttal of Arianism by its practical implication. In other words, in this finely nuanced theological debate he was concerned about the implications of this heresy on salvation. Two of Athanasius’ writings reflect his practical and pastoral concerns. On the Incarnation outlines the fact that in the incarnation, God the Word, Jesus Christ, became human to renew what was human, to sanctify what had become corrupt in Adam. And in Against the Arians, he asserts that God alone initiates and accomplishes salvation, and he argues that it was necessary for our Savior to be both fully human (to renew humanity) and fully divine (to accomplish reconciliation).

Evangelical Christians have a tendency to stand back from theological controversies assuming that it’s just a matter of theologians flexing their intellectual muscles in speculative debates that have no bearing on personal faith. While there may be instances where this is true, many of the current controversies, such as the “Lordship debates,” “E.C.T.” (Evangelicals and Catholics Together), and the “New Perspective” controversies are very practical. And, like Athanasius, we must understand their implications in relation to the “faith once delivered.”

A second thing we can learn from Athanasius is that unity should not be sought apart from, or at the expense of, truth. The Council of Nicaea produced the creed that established the orthodox formula of the nature of Christ. All those who did not conform to this creed were deemed to be heretics, and this resulted in the exile of Arius and those who sided with him. Ten years later, key leaders of the church prevailed upon the Emperor Constantine to restore Arius. Constantine in turn wrote a letter to Athanasius (who had become a bishop by this time) urging him to receive Arius “whose opinions had been misrepresented.” Athanasius refused to re-admit Arius and his followers on the grounds that “there could be no fellowship between the church and the one who denied the divinity of Christ.” Seeing that the Emperor and many of his fellow officers were pushing for restoration, concession would have been easy if not understandable for Athanasius, but he would not budge. The lesson for us is obvious: when those with whom we have fellowship depart from the fundamentals of the faith, it is nothing less than a breach of that fellowship. This is the clear teaching of Scripture: Galatians 1:6–9; 2 John 7–11; Jude 3–4. Separation is painful, but sometimes it is necessary. The eventual restoration of Arius and his followers eventually led to Arianism becoming dominant in the Eastern provinces of the church.

A third thing we can learn from Athanasius is bold tenacity for truth. The restoration of Arius and his followers eventually led to Athanasius’ expulsion in 335. Although he was restored shortly before the death of Constantine in 337, this was only the beginning; in all, Athanasius was exiled five times. Two things can be gleamed from Athanasius’ expulsions. First, he did not allow the experiences to make him bitter or wallow in pity. Like Paul during his various imprisonments, Athanasius was quite productive while in exile. Second, exile did not cause this saint to cave in and compromise. Our adversary seeks to wear us down in his assaults, and if the first attack doesn’t do the trick maybe the third or fourth will. Athanasius was just as bold for truth after his fifth and final exile as he was after the first. What can we learn from this courageous man of faith? We can learn that the Gospel is defended or denied in the doctrines we hold and that Christian fellowship is first a matter of doctrinal unity. Finally, we must firmly hold to the Gospel in spite the consequences.

~ Ken Jones of Ligonier Ministries

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In this fourth episode in our series on the attributes of God we take a cursory look at God’s foreknowledge. I say cursory because you really can’t cover all that much in 6 minutes! Nevertheless, I wanted to give a brief but Biblical explanation of what God’s foreknowledge is according to Scripture and that it is always (5 instances in the our New Testament) a foreknowing of persons. Many wrongly understand God’s foreknowledge to be God seeing ahead of time the choices of men, thus basing eternal election on man’s belief and repentance. Yet this is neither Biblical nor satisfactory. It undermines the beauty of the Golden Chain of Redemption we read of in Romans 8:29-30. I hope this study helps to clarify a point or two and ultimately brings glory to our God of sovereign grace!

Romans 8:29-30 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

All Christians believe in predestination by God. They believe in it because the Bible clearly teaches it. But not all Christians mean the same thing by it.

The most common error among Christians about predestination arises from a misreading of Romans 8:29. There we are told that God’s predestination is grounded in His foreknowledge. This has been misunderstood to mean that God looked down the corridors of history, foresaw what you and I would do, and stuck that into His plan.

This view does not reckon with the fact that God created time, and therefore all events in time, when He created the world, so that He does not look down through history but looks at history as a complete whole. Apart from such a weighty philosophical objection, however, we can notice that Romans 8:29 does not say that God foreknew certain decisions on our part. It does not say that God foresees our faith, and on that basis predestinates us. It says nothing of the sort.

Rather, Romans 8:29 says that God foreknew certain people. A study of the idea of knowledge in the Bible will show that it usually involves a choice of intimate relations, as when Adam “knew” his wife Eve and she conceived. Romans 8:29 means that God “fore-loved” certain people, and predestinated them. He chose them; they did not choose Him.

Romans 9 makes this abundantly clear, because Paul goes into a discussion of God’s sovereign choice of Jacob over Esau, a choice based on nothing either had done (Romans 9:11). The objection, “Is God unjust?” could not arise unless Paul were teaching real predestination; after all, nobody accuses the “foreseen faith” view of being unjust (9:14). And Paul’s answer in verse 15, which stresses that God decides whom He will save and whom He will not, clinches the matter clearly.

~ from Ligonier Ministries

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Proverbs 3:21-26 My son, do not lose sight of these—keep sound wisdom and discretion, and they will be life for your soul and adornment for your neck. Then you will walk on your way securely, and your foot will not stumble. If you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden terror or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.

We have six delightful verses before us in this episode, six verses that warm the Christian soul. And why? Because they so beautifully capture the foundational reality of the Christian life, that we have peace with God. Yes, we are no longer hostile enemies of God, but we now have peace with God. This peace produces such sweet effects in the life of a believer. With God as our Father, Deliverer, Keeper, and Guide we walk in His ways in safety for He is guarding our steps. Even in sleep we experience greater rest for God is with us when we lie down. The Lord is the Christian’s confidence all his days.

“Yes, He’s a mighty deliverer. Yes, He’s a loving Father. Yes, He nourishes us and wraps us in the garment of peace. Yes, this is what our great God does for us. ” [04:00]

The illustration of “The Brave Miner” was taken from our growing database of child-friendly teaching illustrations for us in family worship.

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Proverbs 3:13-20 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed. The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew.

In these eight verses we see the tremendous gain that comes to every Christian who finds and embraces and cleaves to God’s wisdom. Truly, the wisdom that comes from above is more valuable than silver and gold. What will it profit a person who gains the whole world and loses his own soul. Walking in God’s wisdom is life-giving and full of pleasantness. The very source of this wisdom is the Life-giver Himself. The wealth of wisdom is to be pursued by every Christian.

“Christianity is not about, ‘Don’t do this. Don’t do this. Don’t do this.’ Christianity is about long life and pleasantness and joy in the Holy Spirit.” [02:25]

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In this episode we take a brief look at God’s knowledge. According to Scripture, God’s knowledge is exhaustive. There is not anything our God doesn’t know. Positively, we would say our God knows all things. According to Isaiah, God knows the end from the beginning. His knowledge of creation is so deep and intimate that he knows the very number of hairs upon our heads. This is a true comfort to Christians. The God who knows us so well cares for us so deeply. Yet, for the unbeliever, this is a terror. Their sins will find them out and they will one day stand before Jesus Christ in the judgment. They will have to give account before the one who knows all things.

Psalm 139:1-6 O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

The assertion of Psalm 139 is that God, having brought us under his omnipotent gaze, knows everything we do. In verse one, David speaks to the Lord and acknowledges that God has looked deep into his heart, and discovered the truth of all that is there. When the Psalmist moves from place to place, and even when he takes his seat or rises from it, God is not caught unaware. He knows everything we do.

There is a very good example of this in the New Testament. Was not the Lord most surely aware of every circumstance in the life of the apostle Paul when he sent an angel to tell his apostle that not one person’s life on board the ship would be lost? (Acts 27:21-25). How could God have his messenger say such a thing if he did not know all that would take place?

Did he not also know that Paul would do the responsible thing and tell the soldiers that if the sailors did not stay with the ship, they could not be saved? Surely, the Lord knew that the soldiers would make the right decision. The Lord was not waiting to find out what they would do. Though there are passages that indicate that the Lord tests us, and “awaits” our obedience, these are certainly anthropomorphic. There are far too many affirmations in Scripture that God knows all things, from the beginning, to think otherwise.

You perceive my thoughts from afar (Ps. 139:2b).

Does God know everything that we are thinking and can he “read our minds” without being present with us to observe our mood? Indeed the Lord can do such a thing, and that is part of David’s confession of faith. He knows everything we think. Does not this aspect of the knowledge of God undergird the teaching of our Lord in the Sermon on the Mount? We cannot be content with a show of outward obedience to the law, because there is a God above who sees into the very heart of man. This is the view of the writer of Hebrews. “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord (Ps. 139:4).

As I write, I do not know precisely what I will say in the next sentence or paragraph. In fact, thanks to word processing I will no doubt easily revise my words repeatedly, hopefully for the better each time. I do not know what I shall say, but the Lord knows each statement, each change, and the outcome, though I do not. This is the testimony of the Word of God. God knows everything that we will say before we say it.

For practical purposes, is this not the definition of the omniscience of God? He knows all things, past, present, and future, and therefore he knows all that we do (which includes the remembrance of all that we have done), all that we think (and the record of those thoughts), and all that we say.

~ Joe Nesom @ Founders.org

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In this episode of Tidbits from Church History we look the Biblical account of the death of King Herod I. This is found in Acts 12, the same chapter in which James is martyred and Peter is imprisoned and then freed by the angel.

Acts 12:20-24 Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they came to him with one accord, and having persuaded Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their country depended on the king’s country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and delivered an oration to them. And the people were shouting, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. But the word of God increased and multiplied.

I wanted to bring in addition material from the historian, Josephus, that so closely parallels Luke’s account in Acts. This is a big moment in the history of the early church and there are many lessons we can learn from it.

“On the second day of the shows he put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a texture truly wonderful, and came into the theater early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment being illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun’s rays upon it, shone out after a surprising manner…and presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another, (though not for his good,) that he was a god; and they added, “Be thou merciful to us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.” Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery.”

From the account of Josephus, we learn that Herod’s death wasn’t instant but that he lived a very painful 5 days before dying at the age of 54.

“But as he presently afterward looked up, he saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill and fell into the deepest sorrow. A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, “I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death.” When he said this, his pain was become violent. Accordingly he was carried into the palace, and the rumor went abroad everywhere, that he would certainly die in a little time…And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and in the seventh year of his reign.”

~ The Works of Josephus

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