Transformed Mind

Ignatius: Love, of the Greatest Degree Many heresies were competing for followers during this time (1 st -2 nd century A.D.) in the Roman Empire and thus the true form of Christianity was being etched away, causing strife and arguments within the church.   Ignatius of Antioch took these problems to heart and rose to the occasion. He began his push to unify the church and prove his devotion to God through letters and a climatic death that sealed his name in eternity. Ignatius’ greatest opponent was Gnosticism, which took Jesus as an apparition and not of the flesh.   The Gnostics intellectual elitist tendencies and belief in holding secret knowledge piqued many people’s interest.   Ignatius knew he needed to quell the rise of this heretical group and rally his church and faith to the truth.   His aim was to contain the true apostolic teachings and ensure the continuity of the teachings by advocating the monepiscopacy, [1] that is, a bishop ran church structure . This was the an

New Testament Persecution: The Stage is Set As seen in the cross of Christ, God uses the example of suffering again and again through His Son, the martyrs, and various persecutions of His children to show and point to the Way and to strengthen the body of his church.   Since both Jesus and his followers were of the Jewish faith, “Jewish religious authorities considered the new group (Christianity) to be their responsibility, and the Roman authorities generally agreed.” [1]   Because of this situation, the persecution of Christians from the time of Jesus’ death to the fire in Rome in 64 A.D. came primarily from the Jewish population. [2]   It was in a sense their problem and priority to crush this heretical blasphemous sect so that the Jews could continue to live in relative peace.   Fortunately for Christianity, persecution was a badge of honor and a necessary obstacle to overcome. As George Whitefield remarks, those “that live godly in Christ Jesus, must expect to suffer and enc