THE ROOT OF CONFUSION
Constantine the Great born A.D. 275 was the first emperor of Rome to become
a pretend Christian. He was a pretend Christian because he claimed to be one even
if he was'nt even baptized in Jesus name according to the Apostles' teaching
for the remission of his sins.
Constantine died in A.D. 337 after being baptized (not by immersion) on his deathbed. at the age of 62.
But, the baptizm was not proper and obviously disobeyed the scriptures.
Here is the account of what happened:
During his reign, Christians gained freedom of worship, and the Christian
church was recognized as a legal body.
But, here is Constantine's plan uncovered. In A.D. 325, Constantine at the age of 50, presided over the first
great ecumenical (general) council of the Christian church. The council
met in Nicaea. To deal with disputes among the Christians caused by the Arian view of the Trinity.
The disputes was all about the Trinity. Arianism believed the Son is not of the same essence as the Father,
but of similar substance. The Nicene Creed later declared that the Father and the Son as are of one substance.
Can you recall the council in Acts 4:15 to 18?
Let me rewind it for you.....
"But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they
conferred (talked it over) among themselves, Saying "What shall we do to
these men? for that indeed a notable (an amazing) miracle hath been done by them
is manifest (clear) to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it.
But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly (sternly)
threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name (Jesus name).
And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
Now, that all the Apostles were dead and gone, they drew up a statement
of essential beliefs, called the Nicene Creed (Nicene Council).
Belief in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was first defined by the earliest
general council of churches. This was the First Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325.
The Nicene Councils were two councils of the Christian church held in Nicaea (Nice),
in what is now northwest Turkey.
The Nicene Creed then declared that the Son is of the same substance as the Father.
The East and West branches of the church later disagreed as to how the Holy Spirit
proceeds from the other divine Persons.
I don't want to go any further on this dispute, but what we have seen is a cover up and
a 'red tape' to abolish the name of Jesus. Such an effort to stop people from being
saved in a proper manner. Peter in Acts 4:12 as a defence against being arrested for teaching
and preaching the name of Jesus said this.....
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under
heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." - Acts 4:12
Obviously, the subject 'of by what name' (Acts 4:7, 4:10 to 12, 4:18) is
Jesus.
Other notorious campaigners to confuse Matthew 28:19 even more are:
Tertulian -the son of a Roman Centurion.
He profoundly influenced the later church fathers, especially Saint Cyprian -
and through them, all Christian theologians of the West. He was the first writer
in Latin to formulate Christian theological concepts, such as the nature of the
Trinity. Having no models to follow, he developed a terminology derived from
many sources, chiefly Greek and the legal vocabulary of Rome.
Arius - a priest of Alexandria, Egypt.
About A.D. 318, Arius rejected the doctrine that the three Persons of the Trinity were equal.
Arius denied that Jesus Christ was completely divine.
The meeting in Nicaea is to make the Trinity doctrine uniform throughout the empire.
By A.D. 392 (55 years after) Christianity had become the official religion
of the Roman empire. The church then grew more involved in worldly affairs.
The second council was called in A.D. 787 (after 450 years)
by the Empress Irene and her son Constantine. The Emperor Leo, Irene's husband,
had forbidden the use of images for any purpose. The council was called because
of opposition to the decree. The Empress revoked the decree after the council
had laid down principles governing the veneration of images. (sources: The World Book Encyclopedia)
