Yesterday's AM lesson was entitled "Love Unmasked" from Romans 12:9. Paul says "Let love be without hypocrisy." I showed pictures on the video presentation of actual masks used by Greek actors. I emphasized that hypocrisy is hiding our real self and motives. We can do it through a number of ways that are intentional and unintentional. We need to love (act on behalf of each other) without hidden agendas. It is the only way we can trust each other and function as God's community. I focused on how God loves us and how his love serves as an example for our loving each other sincerely.
Sunday evening I continued my "Attacks on the Bible's Integrity" series with a look at The Da Vinci Code and its attack on the claim that Jesus is divine. The book has a character claim that Jesus' divinity was decided upon at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD by the emperor Constantine in an effort to solidify his political power and the growing power of the Vatican. The character in the book claims that Jesus' followers considered Jesus a mortal man until that moment in history. I showed that the New Testament decidedly claims Jesus as divine by looking at John 1:1-3, John 20:28, and Matthew 2:2,11; 14:33; 28:17. These passages (plus there are numerous others) present Jesus as divine. Then I showed some quotes from three early church fathers (Ignatius 117 AD, Justin Martyr 150 AD, Irenaeus 160 AD), in which they claim Jesus as divine. Regardless of whether one accepts the Bible as true or not, at least the evidence I presented shows that what was accepted as Scripture and what most of the church believed was that Jesus was indeed divine and in some way equal to the Father. Plus some of the passages have people worshipping Jesus and one of the quotes from the church fathers said we should worship him.
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