May 16, 2010

Romans 12:14-21; Ephesians 2:11-22

We are continuing our sermon series on “following Jesus in a culture of fear and violence.”

During this series we have been looking at our “biblical basis for peacemaking.” We wanted to see how we came to our current understandings and what it might look like today.

The first two Sundays we looked at peace in the OT and God’s vision of shalom for the world. I said God’s healing strategy was to extend mercy and grace to all people.

Last Sunday we looked specifically at Jesus’ teachings about peacemaking and how Jesus is our peace. I said Jesus fulfills the OT vision of shalom and teaches his followers “to overcome evil by doing good things out of love.”

Now, this morning, I want to look at the early church’s responses and attitudes toward peacemaking for the first 300 years.

One of the assumptions most Christians have today regarding military service is that if the government asks you to fight for your country – it is your responsibility to do it.

Throughout church history most Christians have assumed it is their duty to fight for their country and that they do it with God’s blessing. Most Christians have never been taught any other way.

What most Christians do not realize is that for the first three centuries – Christians were opposed to war and were forbidden to serve in the army because of Jesus’ teachings on “love of enemy”.

This part of church history has simply not been taught to most Christians. So this morning I want to look briefly at this history.

I want to begin by looking at some of the NT epistles to see what the Apostles taught and how they understood Jesus’ teachings. Then I want to look at some of the writings of church leaders from the first three centuries.

In looking at the writings of the Apostles there are three main things they often emphasized about Christ’s way of peace.

1. First, the early church simply continued Jesus’ teaching on nonviolent peacemaking.

In our scripture reading from Romans 12:14-21 – Paul restates Jesus’ teaching on “love of enemy” and on “overcoming evil with good”.

Verse 17 says – “Do not repay anyone evil for evil”.

Verse 19 reads – “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God. If your enemies are hungry – feed them; if they are thirsty – give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Or in First Peter 3:9 the Apostle Peter writes this – “Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called – that you might inherit a blessing.”

Or take First Thessalonians 5:15. In a list of exhortations to Christians it says – “see that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seeks to do good to one another and to all.”

In each one of these scriptures, along with others in the Epistles, the emphasis is on a positive action. Christians are called to initiate love for our enemies and to overcome evil by doing good deeds.

Our Christian calling is not to be passive in the face of evil or violence – but we are to be active peacemakers who work to settle disputes and who overcome evil by surprising deeds of love and kindness.

So the early Christians and Apostles understood Jesus to be nonviolent and they continued to teach this in all the NT churches.

1. Secondly, the early church imitated the nonviolent life of Jesus. His life became an example to follow

In First Peter 2:31 we see how the early Christians lived. “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. Jesus committed no sins, and no deceit was found in his mouth.

When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. Jesus himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”

This account here in First Peter is really a paraphrase of Isaiah 53. Peter expects the church to imitate the life of Jesus by being a people who are willing to suffer nonviolently to overcome evil.

We also see this imitation of Christ in Philippians 1:29. Paul writes – “For God has graciously granted you the privilege, not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him, as well.”

In the book of Acts we have recorded the story of the first Christian martyr. In Acts 7 Stephen is stoned to death for his faith. As he was dying this is what he prayed.

He said – “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And then he cried out in a loud voice – “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

As Stephen was dying he prayed for his enemies and asked God not to hold their sin against them.

This prayer is so different from today when people seek revenge and pray that evil will befall those who have harmed them.

Again, all of these scriptures make it clear that Christians are to follow Jesus in his expression of suffering love in the face of evil. Suffering for your faith was a common experience among the early church.

In the NT we learn that many Christians suffered imprisonment, torture, loss of goods and houses, and all sorts of harassment.

They did all of this as a result of their desire to imitate Christ in a life of nonviolent love.

So the early church not only taught peacemaking, but they also imitated the nonviolent life of Jesus.

1. And then thirdly, the early church was a community of reconciled enemies.

The three deepest divisions in the NT were between – Greeks and Jews, slaves and free persons, and between males and females.

There was deep hostility between each one of these groups of people.

But in the early church “baptism into Christ” changed the way these people related to one another.

In Galatians 3:27 we have an early baptismal confession of faith. It says – “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

The early church certainly had its share of conflict – but it believed that in Christ the barriers that separated people were being destroyed and that former enemies were being reconciled.

In Ephesians 2 Paul says that Christ reconciles enemy people into a new community. Verse 13 says – “But, now, in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

For Jesus is our peace; In his flesh he has made both groups (Jews and Greeks) into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”

Now, for Paul there are two main symbols for this reconciliation that Jesus initiated on the cross.

1. One symbol is the tearing of the temple curtain.

In the Jewish temple there was a curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies. It was off limits to everyone else.

At Jesus’ death, that curtain was torn from top to bottom. The tearing of that curtain symbolized that now, through Christ, all people had access to God’s grace – not just the high priest.

All human beings could enter the Holy of Holies and be in God’s presence and have a relationship with God. Because of what Jesus did on the cross we can experience reconciliation with God. God forgives us of our sins.

1. The other significant NT symbol of reconciliation, though, was the tearing down of the temple wall that separated Jews from Greeks.

In the temple there was also a wall that separated Jews from Gentiles and women from men.

On the wall that separated Jews from Gentiles was this inscription: “no man of another nation may enter the fence and enclosure of this temple, and if he is caught, he has only himself to blame if his death ensures.”

For Paul and the early church they saw the cross of Christ as breaking down this wall between Jews and Greeks, slave and free, and male and female.

Not only are we reconciled with God through the cross, but also with each other – even our worst enemies.

The early church saw itself as a community of reconciled enemies.

So, from the biblical texts we see that the early church taught the nonviolence of Jesus, they lived the nonviolence of Jesus through acts of suffering love, and they formed a new community of reconciled enemies.

Now the question is – how long did this way of life last?

From all of the historical records we have the practice of nonviolence and active peacemaking was a very integral part of the church and its witness for about 300 years.

All of the early church leaders who wrote about war and military service during this time were opposed to war and military service for Christians.

Even many scholars today, who argue for a “Just War” understanding and feel Christians can join the military – all agree that the early church denounced war and military service for the first three centuries.

I want you to hear what some of the leading church leaders said about peace during the first three centuries.

1. Justin, a Christian martyr in 165 wrote this.

“We refrain from making war on our enemies…for Caesar’s soldiers possess nothing which they can lose more precious than their life; while our love goes out to that eternal life, which God will give us by his might. We prefer to die acknowledging Christ.”

1. Clement of Alexandria, in about 200, said –

“Christ with his sword and with his blood gathers an army that sheds no blood. We are the race given over to peace.” He also said – “we Christians are a peaceful race…for it is not in war, but in peace, that we are trained.”

1. Origen, who lived between 185-254 wrote:

“We Christians no longer take up sword against nation, nor do we learn to make war anymore, having become children of peace for the sake of Jesus who is our leader.”

1. Tertullian, who lived from 160-220 wrote about those who became Christian while serving in the military. He said -

“When faith has been accepted and sealed, either the service must be left at once, as has been done by many, or all sorts of quibbling will have to be resorted to in order to avoid offending God.”

Tertullian also said – “That Christ, in disarming Peter on the night Jesus was crucified, unbelted every soldier.”

1. Ignatius of Antioch wrote in about 110 AD –

“Nothing is more precious than peace, by which all war, both in heaven and earth, is brought to an end.”

1. Lactantius wrote at the beginning of the 4^th century.

He said – “it will not be lawful for a just man to serve as a soldier, for justice itself is his military service. No exception at all ought to be made to the rule that it is always wrong to kill a man whom God had wished to be regarded as a sacrosanct creature.”

Well, I could give you many more examples of what these early church leaders said regarding war and military service. As I said, all who wrote on this subject spoke out against Christians participating in warfare.

What is also interesting is that many of these same writings also spoke out boldly against capital punishment, euthanasia, infanticide, and abortion.

The early Christians had a deep respect for all human life. They saw the image of God in every person.

And the main basis for their arguments for life was that Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to return good for evil.

Now this doesn’t mean there were no Christians in the army during the first three centuries. We know that while the church did teach against joining the military – by the year 170 AD there were a few soldiers who had converted to Christianity and remained in the military.

Many, though, got out because of their faith or refused to join in the first place.

So, up until 300 AD there were very few Christians in the army.

In the year 303 – Emperor Diocletian forbade any member of the Roman army to be a Christian. The few who were in the army were pushed out.

Then, when Constantine became Emperor he changed this whole of thinking.

In 312, during one of his battles, Constantine attributed his military victory to the sign of the cross he claimed to have seen in the sky.

After that time, Constantine ended persecution against Christians and began to even give them some privileges.

In 313, Constantine decreed religious freedom, returned church property that had been confiscated, and he offered monetary grants to the clergy.

Constantine even presided over some church councils of the time – even though he was not baptized until just before his death in 337.

Constantine is credited with marrying church and state although it wasn’t until 380 AD that Christianity was made the official state religion.

I said earlier that in the year 303 if you were a Christian you were forbidden from serving in the military.

By the year 416 – to be in the military – one had to be a Christian. As you can see, with Constantine’s endorsement of Christianity – a radical shift took place in less than a hundred years.

A gospel of military might replaced Jesus’ gospel of suffering love and peacemaking.

Augustine, a church leader who lived during this time (354-430), developed the theory of a “just war” which allowed Christians to fight in some circumstances.

His “Just war theory” was an attempt to limit war because the church had so fully come to embrace it.

Now, today, whenever there is a war our leaders always try to make it sound “just” to justify their actions.

So, while Augustine’s attempt was to limit wars – his “just war theory” is now often used to justify war.

We are constantly told today that Christ’s way of peace is not realistic in our violent world.

Yet for three centuries, under very violent rulers and prolonged persecution, Christians lived nonviolently.

For these early Christians – the death and resurrection of Jesus gave them the assurance that God was at work in the world to transform evil by doing good.

It seems to me that the attitudes, responses, and beliefs of these early Christians can be a source of strength and encouragement to us today as we seek to follow Jesus in a fearful and violent world.

Now, in closing I want to make two applications for us today.

1. First of all, these early Christians saw themselves in a spiritual battle against evil.

They were not just fighting against flesh and blood. In Ephesians 6 Paul says our struggle is against spiritual forces – rulers, principalities and powers. These early Christians learned that peace came about by putting on God’s armor of truth, faith, righteousness, the helmet of salvation, and the shoes of peace.

If we are going to prevail in this battle it won’t happen only by writing letters to government or marching in protest – as important at these things may be – but it will take committed prayer to overcome these forces of evil in our world.

We are up against forces that are beyond human control and we need God’s Spirit working through us and beyond us to bring about God’s peace on earth.

So we must put on God’s armor in this battle an a deepening prayer life is central to bringing about peace.

1. And then lastly this morning I want to suggest that what we can learn from the first three centuries of Christian experience is the need for us to keep teaching Christ’s way of peace.

Each generation of young people will have to make a choice to renew their commitment to Christ and Christ’s way of peace in the world.

If we adults don’t practice it and teach it – the next generation can quickly be allured by the false teaching that Christians must defend their country in war.

The sophisticated military recruitment campaigns and all of the statues and plaques commemorating those who have died in wars – are all meant to encourage support for our nation’s war efforts.

So, this morning, I want to encourage our youth and all of our children to take Jesus’ call to be peacemakers seriously and to renounce violence as Jesus and the early Christians did.

Christ’s way of peace affects every area of our life but in particular, this morning, I want our youth to consider alternative forms of service – rather than preparing to threaten, intimidate, and kill other human beings in war.

We don’t currently have a draft in this country – so no one is forced to serve in the military. In the past, when there was a draft young people had to make a choice.

You either had to serve in the military or declare that you were a conscientious objector. If you were a conscientious objector, then you could serve for two years in an alternative service assignment.

So even though we don’t have a draft right now it is important for you to think about what you believe about Jesus, about peacemaking and about war and to write down your convictions.

Study what Jesus said. Read the writings of these early Christian leaders. Figure out what you believe and the kind of life Jesus might be calling you to live.

Now, as Christians, our whole life is to be a life of service. We are always working for the betterment of our communities and world. And service certainly isn’t only for young people. We don’t stop serving as we get older. Older folks can do voluntary service too.

And yet so much learning takes place as young people give a specific time of their life to voluntary service.

Usually today our first thought after high school is college somewhere. And that may be the best choice for you. At the same time, I want to encourage you to think about doing several years of voluntary service – either before or after college.

Service teaches us to embody the love of Christ in daily life in ways that promote the well-being of the entire community.

Instead of turning our backs on our communities and our nation – we as Christian peacemakers, whether young or old, can be catalysts for changed lives and transformed communities.

Like the Christians who gone before us we can also carry Christ’s light of peace into the world.

God is at work making all things new. Let us, then, not only be lovers of peace, but peacemakers in the tradition of the early church. Amen.