Arius,
a Christian leader in Alexandra, wrote a letter which launched Christendom into
chaos. In this letter, Arius made
heretical comments about the identity of Jesus.
The pain and division in the church which followed led to the First
Ecumenical Council. where church leaders assembled, debated, and created a
statement, this statement was the basis for the Nicene Creed. Although the heresies of Arius were
devastating, the conflict which followed was good for Christianity. Unfortunately, history is repeating itself
through a resurgence of modern-day Arianism.
In
319 AD, Alexander, the Bishop of Alexandria preached a sermon about the similarities
between the Son and the Father. Arius
thought the bishop was condoning the heresy of modalism and denying monotheism. Arius
responded with a letter to the Bishop. The intent of his letter was to bring truth
and clarity to questions on the identity of Jesus, but in his letter Arius made
his own heretical statements about Christ.
There were three major heresies in Arius’ letter: first, he referred to
Christ as a creature created by God; secondly, his statements denied Christ’s
divinity; third, he claimed that humans, not Christ, are responsible for the
action of their salvation. All three of
these heresies were not just simply wrong, but each was in direct opposition
with scripture. Arius influenced many to follow his position. The Bible gives a harsh warning about those
who lead others in the wrong direction. "What sorrow awaits the world, because it
tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the
person who does the tempting" (Matthew 18:7 NLT), the Bible also
gives warning that those who take the role of leadership will have a more severe
judgment. "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers
in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly" (James
3:1 NLT). Arius may have written the
letter with good intentions, but his outcome was devastating.
In Arius’ letter to the Bishop of
Alexandria he called Christ a “Creature of God”. Arius wrote that Christ was the first
creature that God created; before His creation, He did not exist. Arius’ theology on Christ was wrapped up in
his understanding of the word “begotten”.
There are five passages in the Bible where the word “begotten” is used
in description of Christ: John 1:1-3, John 3:16, John 1:14, John 1:18, and John
14:9. In all of these passages, in which
the word begotten is used, it is in the context of “Christ being born” (gennetos)
not “Christ being created” (genetos).
John 1:1-3 gives us assurance that the Son who has been born in the
flesh is God the Creator manifest.
However, when Arius referenced the word "begotten" he considered
the Greek words "gennetos" and "genetos" to be synonyms;
therefore, Arius believed the word "begotten" meant that Christ was created.
Those who followed Arius adopted the
motto: “There was when He was not”. Arius
did not accept that Christ has eternally existed as one third of the Trinity; this
denial logically led to the question of Christ’s divinity.
Arius
was a follower of Origen. One of
Origen’s teachings was that God the Father was the Head of the Trinity, and
Christ was His subordinate. Arius took
the teachings of Origen to the next natural step; he claimed that Christ was
not God at all. In his letter to the
Bishop of Alexandria, Arius described God as being alone everlasting and alone
unbegotten, but when he wrote about Christ he said that Christ “is not everlasting or unbegotten with the
Father”. Arius said that Christ “is not true God, even if He is declared God,
he is not true God”. According to Arius, Christ was more than
human, but He was short of being fully God. Arius believed that any divinity that
Christ had was given to Him by His Creator.
Just
like Arius’ view on Jesus being created, there is no scriptural validity to
support that Christ was inferior to God.
Jesus was in the presence of men calling His God; instead of rebuking
them for being idolaters, He affirms their claims. In John 20:28 Thomas says, “my Lord and my God”, making a clear
claim to the divinity of Christ. In
Matthew 16:16 Jesus asks Peter, "Who
do you say that I am"? Peter
responds, "You are the Messiah the Son of the living God." After being called equal to God, Jesus tells
Peter that this truth was revealed to him by the Father.
Jesus is often quoted in Scripture as making claims of being
equal to God. He speaks of Himself using the name “I Am” which was a term
designated only for true God. A clear
example is in In John 18:5 which reads, "Jesus of Nazareth," they replied.
"I am he," Jesus said.
In John 8 He calls Himself “I Am” three separate times. In John 10:30, Jesus says, “I and the Father are one”; the response
of His audience shows exactly how serious His claim was. “Again
his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him” (John 10:31).
In
the writings of the New Testament men made connections between Christ and
references to God in the Old Testament. When Paul wrote “If you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord” in Romans 10:13, he was
referencing Joel 2:32 which says, “Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In other parts of the New Testament writers
make more direct claims to His divinity.
In Matthew 1:23 the word “Immanuel” is used (which means God with us)
this points to the divinity of Christ. Philippians
2:10-11 states that all will worship Christ, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth
and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.”
Christ is equal to God, and He is God. Arius was wrong about the identity of
Christ. Through the words of Christ and
the words of the New Testament writers. it is clear that Jesus is more than
Arius believed. Arius’ view that Christ
was created and that He was not God naturally led to his third heresy.
In Arius’s view, salvation is not something Jesus handles
for us. Arius believed that we are
responsible for our own salvation, and Jesus was the first creation who worked
out His salvation. In Arius’ letter to the
Bishop of Alexandria, he writes that, “the Son is God by grace and in name
only, just as we are.” In this statement
Arius was once again denying Christ’s eternity and deity; he also is claiming
that we are to work for God’s grace. If Arius is right and Christ was a creature
and not God, then He lacks the credentials to save us.
From Scripture, it is clear that the believer has some role
in salvation, but it is Christ who does the major portion of the work. It is Christ who achieves our salvation. Ephesians
2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can
boast”. It is not our work, as Arius
claims, to connect us to God. Christ came
down to us and gave us the gift of salvation.
We are not equipped to save ourselves. We are justified through the death of Christ
(Romans 5:6-11), and He alone has the credentials to reconcile us to God (II
Corinthians 5:13-21).
The initial outcome of Arius’ heresies were
turmoil and division. Those who followed
Arius’ teachings were led contrary to Scripture; fighting, condemnations, and
excommunications resulted. All of the
effects of the heresies were not negative. The conflict that Arius raised had a
tremendously positive influence on Christendom, and in hindsight strengthened
the Christian faith. Arius’ false
teachings were a catalyst for the arrival of future heroes of the faith. The debate on the identity of Christ forced
people to a healthy reevaluation of their beliefs. The heresies led to the gathering first
Ecumenical council, which had an enormous impact on the Christian faith.
Arian heresies
were good for Christianity because they forced people of that time to revaluate
what they believed about the identity of Christ. The Christian world was struggling through an
understanding of the Trinity. They were
fighting through Modalism, monotheism, and monarchianism; however, Arius
accelerated and magnified the issue. Many
people were convinced by the logic of Arius.
Others followed those against him, but all Christians were forced to
work through what they believed. I
Thessalonians 5:21-22 says, “test all
things". Hold on to what is good.
Stay away from every kind of evil”, and Philippians 2:12-13 says, “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have
always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue
to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in
you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose”. The heresies of Arius led to an open debate,
and forced people of faith to work towards a better understanding of their
beleifs. Some people got it wrong, but
most Christians had to revaluate their understanding of God. It was nearly impossible to not be passionate
about understanding the identity of Christ.
This created the need for new passionate leaders of Christianity.
The second benefit of the Arian
Conflict was that Athanasius become a hero of the Christian faith. When the conflict was at its inception
Athanasius was a deacon in Alexandria.
He was twenty-seven years old when he accompanied the Bishop of Alexandria
to the First Ecumenical council in Nicaea: Athanasius replaced the Bishop of Alexandria
after his death three years later. The
writings of Athanasius were instrumental in bringing salvation to St Augustine
of Hippo. Athanasius was the first to
canonize the New Testament in the form that we know today; but he is known for
his life-long ambition to fight the Arians.
Athanasius passionately fought for people to have a better understanding
of Christ, and many give him the credit for the modern rejection of Arianism in
the mainstream church.
Another reason Arius was good for
Christendom is that his heresies caused a need for the Frist Ecumenical Council. This council answered some questions, but
revealed that other councils were needed.
These councils who fought for a better understanding of God, crafted the
Nicaean Creed, which continues to be a pillar of the Christian faith. Many churches recite the creed as a reminder
of the identity of God and His relationship to us. Most Orthodox Churches who have a statement
of faith use the Nicaean Creed as a guideline.
The Nicene Creed, although not divinely inspired, is a document of truth
about the nature of the Trinity. It is a
wonderful starting point for future Christians and newly converted Christians
to get a better understanding of God. It
is also a powerful tool for mature dedicated Christians to use to stay focused
on the truth of God. The Nicaean Creed
is helpful in keeping Christians grounded rather than letting them allow human
reason to trump Scripture on God identity.
Arius was instrumental in the Creed being created; therefore, God has
used Arius and the confusion he created through his heresies to bring clarity
about the identify of God.
Modern day Christendom is going through a
repeat of the same heresies, pains, and revolutions of the time surrounding
Arius and the First Ecumenical Council. Some
“so called” Christian speakers, writers, and preachers are modern day Arianist
who offer the same confusion on the identity of Christ as Arius did. The ancient questions of whether Christ is
created, whether He is God, and whether He can save us have become modern
issues.
Arius’ idea that God created Christ is still prevalent in
modern times. The Jehovah’s Witnesses
are the main group who believe this.
They, like Arius, believe that Christ was the first creature God created,
and that there was a time when God was alone in the Universe.
The scripture the Jehovah's Witnesses use to show that Jesus
came into existence through a creative act of God is Colossians 1:15 which
states, “The Son is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn over all creation”. Some see this verse as evidence that Christ
was the first creature created by God, but According to The Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament the word, “Firstborn”
(prōtotokia) emphasizes the pre-existence and uniqueness of Christ as well as
His superiority over creation. The word does not mean that Christ was
created.
Another verse used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses is Revelation
3:14. In the King James version it
reads, “These things says the Amen, the
Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God.” In this verse Jesus uses three names when
talking about Himself: The Faithful, the true witness, and the beginning of the
creation of God. It is the word
“beginning” which people use as evidence to show that Christ was created. The Greek translation of the word beginning
(archē) means to be the ruler over, the authority, and the power. Jesus is not the first part of the
creation. He is the ruler, the
authority, and the power of creation. He
is God.
Arius’ heresy that Christ is not God is widespread. This heresy is not just believed by the
uneducated. Theologians, Biblical scholars, and Christian
leaders are boldly denying Christ’s divinity.
In 2006 Dr. Marcus Borg (the Co-director of Center for
Spiritual Development at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Portland) said, “I see the pre-Easter Jesus as a Jewish
mystic who knew God, and who, as a result, became a healer, wisdom teacher and
prophet of the kingdom of God. The latter led to his being killed by the
authorities who ruled his world. But I do not think he proclaimed or taught an
extraordinary status for himself. The message of the pre-Easter Jesus was about
God and the kingdom of God, and not about himself”. Dr. Borg gives Christ credit for knowing God
and gaining power because He knows God.
The Doctor acknowledged no power beyond that.
In 2009 during a speaking engagement the Presiding Bishop of
the Episcopal church, Katharine Jefferts Schori, said comments which deny
Christ’s deity. She said, "If you begin to explore the literary context
of the first century and the couple of hundred years on either side, the way
that someone told a story about a great figure was to say ‘this one was born of
the gods.' That is what we're saying. This carpenter from Nazareth or
Bethlehem-and there are different stories about where he came from-shows us what
a godly human being looks like, shows us God coming among us." The Presiding Bishop is claiming that Jesus
was a human who was called the Son of God because culturally that’s what good
men were called. According to Schori He
was a good, Godly, honorable man but not divine.
If God created Christ, then Christ cannot be God. If Christ is not God, then Christ cannot save
man. According to Isaiah 43:11, Isaiah
45:21, and Hosea 13:4, God is the only one who can save.
Jeffery Schoti, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
church, has separated Christ from salvation.
She says, “If salvation is
understood only as ‘getting right with God’ without considering ‘getting right
with our neighbors,’ then we've got a heresy on our hands”. Salvation is not connected to anything we
do. We are saved not because we get
right with God, but because He makes us right.
Rob Bell, a well-known Christian writer, says that, “salvation is realizing you’re already saved.
We are all forgiven. We are all loved, equally and fully by God who has made
peace with everyone”. Bell doesn’t
make the mistake of saying that we have to work to earn our salvation. He instead says we all get salvation, no
matter what we believe. According to
other quotes by Rob Bell even those who have no connection with Christ are
saved, “If I am a Christian do I have to
consign all Buddhists to hell?”
Jesus is the power behind salvation, and without Him there
is no salvation. We do not have to do
anything more than believe, but it has to go through Him. No other religion has a solution.
“For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but
having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their
own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off
into myths" (2 Timothy 4:3-4). The
heresies of Arius had a major influence on the early church, and the effects of
his thinking are still being felt today.
He was wrong on his teaching of the identity of Christ Although Arius taught the contrary; Jesus is the
same as Jehovah. He was never created. He
has been in existence since eternity-past.
Christ is the one true way to the Father, and through belief in Him
people can be saved. God used Arius’
heresies to urge people to work through their faith in an open and honest
manner, and He raised up faithful men who stood up and fought for a correct
understanding of God. This controversy
was painful, and it was not an easy process; but it was the launching pad for
the creation of the Nicene Creed, which is still helping Christ-followers to
grasp the identity of God. In modern
times new heretics are repeating Arius’ heresies. God is once again raising new leaders who may
revolutionize what it means to have a correct understanding of God.
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