The Daily Dose of Discipleship Maurice Malcolm Johnson

To understand the importance of the history of the Old Testament as it relates to the New Testament and the Christian. To become familiar with a basic Bible outline. To memorize the seven reasons for studying the Old testament and the basic outline of the Bible with Scripture references.

That in the early 2nd century A.D., there was a Christian sect known as the Marcionites? They were Docetic ( they disbelieved in Christ's humanity). According to their branch of religious philosophy, material/physical matter was evil.. while spirit alone, was good/holy/sacrosanct. If Jesus was the Christ, He could NEVER therefore have possessed a physical body. He had only appeared to.
Obviously, then, the birth, crucifixion, and death of Christ...were fictitious, or badly misconstrued by the orthodox Church...and its teachings. They also opined that the God of the Old Testament, was an inferior, whimsical, vengeful and evil deity. completely undeserving of worship. Marcion, their founder, revamped the Scriptures, leaving out the Old Testament completely, and portions of the New Testament...such as the Pauline pastoral letters, and sections that alluded to the humanity of Jesus Christ. They were ascetics and consequently, neither married nor bore offspring. They believed in reincarnation.and strangely enough, partook of the Lord's Supper, though they substituted water in place of the customary emblem of wine. This practice of water for wine...came to be known as Aquarianism. They permitted women to preside in positions of leadership, which was quite contrary to the orthodox churches rules/regulations. They were antagonistic toward the Jews ( some opine that it was because they…Jews...were the chosen people of the Demiurge or evil, inferior God.. while others cite as reason, the rebellious tendency of the Jews toward the Romans, which brought with it deadly reprisals and deportations).

The word Christology, means quite simply. what is known about Christ.
The Marcionites had what is termed, a Docetic Christology. This may explain why they endorsed asceticism. If Christ had no physical body...then pleasuring the fleshly appetites...would most probably have been deemed 'utter vanity'. When, Marcion was excommunicated from the Church in 144A.D. neither the Church leaders at the time...nor Marcion himself, probably ever imagined what a great rival body had just been spawned. Marcion's church and followers rivaled the Great Church until the 5th century.

That one iota does sometimes matter? Let me explain. There was a popular preacher in Alexandria, in the early 4th century A.D. named Arius.. who taught that Jesus Christ was NOT eternally God. Christ was, he believed, a creation of God the Father, who was Not derived of the same substance of the Father, but, as the first 6 highest of God's creations, became the instrument of ALL the rest of creation. The opposition and wholesale animosity this teaching aroused..Sinally resulted in Emperor Constantine both commanding & convening a Council of Church leaders at the royal palace at Nicea.
At the Emperor's expense, more than 200 Bishops gathered at Nicea. Some of them were legendary in the Church community, as victims/survivors of great persecutions enacted against the Church, by former Emperors. In fact, the story goes, that when Constantine beheld one of these Bishops in particular...he dispensed with the tradition of having the man kiss his signet ring..as was customary…and the Emperor himself, hastened to hug and kiss him, instead.

The feelings of upset, held by some of these clergymen, were so strong in relation to this teaching..that the real Santa Claus...St Nicholas.slapped Arius squarely across the face in disgust. No joke!! Two words were highlighted and debated on at this forum.
1. Homoousios and 2. Homoiousios. Only an iota.. which is the oth letter in the Greek alphabet…equivalent to letter I in English...differed in their spellings, but their meanings were significantly divergent. Homoousios - the word the Nicean Council voted and agreed on as doctrinally sound - meant Christ was begotten... NOT made...of the same substance/essence as the Father. Homoiousios - the word with the extra iota in it... which meant that Christ was Not made of the same substance/essence - was declared to be heretical...or false doctrine.

That all of the Apostles of Jesus Christ, except for the Apostle John... were martyred? Yes, they all were. According to tradition, James was killed by the sword in 45 A.D. Peter was crucified ( tradition has it... upside down in 64 A.D. ). Thomas was burned alive in 70 A.D. Even the Apostle Paul was beheaded in 69 A.D. John... the beloved Apostle... was the only one to die a natural death. How dearly did these stalwarts of sanctity, pay for their faith in Jesus Christ. Would you and I die for the sake of Jesus and His Gospel? These men answered, "Yes... undeniably!"

That Jesus Christ came from an entirely different tribe, than did all the priests of the Old Testament? The priestly class of the Old Testament, came from the tribe of Levi. Christ (Our GREAT HIGH PRIEST), came instead from the line of Judah. This ended a period of more than one thousand years of the Levitical priesthood's reign in matters sacerdotal... and ushered in the eternal High Priesthood, of our LORD, Jesus the Christ.