A Christian is a follower of Christ. Christianity is a religion based on the teachings of Christ and no other. The teachings of John, Luke, Matthew or Paul are all subordinate to the words of Jesus Christ. Should the teachings of the religious scribes differ from that of Christ, then Christ’s actual words should be given precedence. Christianity should also follow the teachings and spoken words of the Lord our God, the God of Abraham, Jacob, Isaac and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Any other word that also contradicts with that of our Heavenly Father should be questioned. The word of God and that of Jesus Christ is the truth.
sundayword BY PROSPER TINGINI
In a mission statement, Jesus Christ spoke: “Think not that I have come to abolish the laws and the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5: 17-20). If Paul comes along and teaches us to ignore the law, as quoted in some letters he wrote to numerous church entities, and if we adopt his teachings as we are now doing, are we still Christians in the proper meaning of the word? Are we not now following this religion which the religious scholars have termed Pauline Christology, which seems to supersede the very clear teachings and words of Christ, the Christian patriarch?
Most people failed to understand Jesus’ teachings, let alone his mission. He was crucified because of this. He spoke, yet people misunderstood him. They brought up their own meanings to some of his words. They failed to understand the truth. They were, as some of us still are, like lost sheep banished into the wilderness.
Very often we hear people proclaiming that Jesus erased all the laws of his Heavenly Father and replaced them with a single law, i.e “love one another” or “to love yourself as you love your neighbour” (John 15: 12). Yet just above that, in verse 10 it reads; “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father’s commandments and abide in his love”. For those with the knowledge of God’s laws, what Jesus really meant was that if you observed this one law, you would in effect be abiding by a host of most of the others of God’s laws, which hinged or depended on that one law.
Loving one another or loving your neighbour as you love yourself would automatically prevent us from breaching an array of other laws. He was merely singling this out as the most important of all the laws. This law was not “invented” by Jesus Christ. It was in fact an old law which was pronounced by the Heavenly Father to the people via Moses more than a thousand years earlier. In Leviticus 19: 18 the Lord our God had already commanded; “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself; I am the Lord”. If we read further, verses 33-34 say: “When a stranger lives with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who lives among you shall be to you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you were also strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord”. By proclaiming the words “I am the Lord” after each of these identical commands, God was actually putting his signature as the author of the command to love one another. Those who preach on the separation of the New Testament from the Old Testament teachings are responsible for misguiding people on this law.
After the death of Jesus Christ, and three centuries later, Christianity was highjacked by the Romans led by Emperor Constantine, the first Roman Emperor to be converted to Christianity. The Romans worshipped many pagan gods. By incorporating Christianity into the Roman Empire and waging the Christian Crusades to convert all other nations and people into the Christian religion, Constantine inadvertently introduced the concept of worship of multiple gods into Christianity itself. It was Constantine who first mutated the idea of the holy trinity in 325AD following unprecedented victories in his Christian Crusades. He sought to elevate Jesus Christ into a God, in recognition of his victories. Christian leaders of that time vehemently rejected this idea initially, but finally succumbed to that principle in 379AD, under a different Christian emperor, and incorporated Constantine’s original idea of the Holy Trinity as a doctrine into the Christian faith. This 3-in-1 God doctrine has its own flaws that fly in the face of the Almighty God’s commandment of the one God law, and the teachings of Jesus Christ himself. Whatever the arguments, let the truth be told.
It is a disputable fact that the “capture” of the original pure Christian religion by the Romans and its subsequent assimilation into the Roman Empire resulted in a contaminated Christian religion which now forms the backbone of today’s Christianity. Pagan elements were incorporated into the original Christian society. Some days of the weeks were named after Roman pagan gods which they worshipped. Sunday was named after their pagan god of the Sun. Monday after the god of the moon, Tuesday after Tiu (Twia) the one-handed god of dueling, Wednesday after the Roman god of commerce, travel, thievery, eloquence and science (associated with the planet Mercury). Thursday was named after Thor, the god of thunder (associated with the planet Jupiter). Friday was named after Freya, the Tentonic goddess of love and beauty (associated with the planet Venus). Saturday was named after the Roman pagan god Saturn (associated with Titan Cronus, father of Zeus and the patron of Olympians). We as Christians seem to have no choice but to recognise these names even if they are of unholy origin.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Even some of the names of the months were not spared either. January was named after Janus, the pagan god of beginnings. March after the god of Mars; April named after Averil, probably a Greek goddess of love, May was named after the Greek goddess of spring, Maia (Latin-Maius), June was named after the Greek goddess Juno (Latin-Junius). The list goes on. It is mind-boggling to think we are still indirectly honouring these pagan gods in our lives today.
Furthermore, some of the Christian holy days we cherish today have their origins rooted in pagan backgrounds. The Christmas day we celebrate today was first celebrated on December 25 336AD, during the time of Emperor Constantine. Originally, it was called Saturnalia, the pagan winter solstice festival. It was a time of feasting, generosity, exchange of gifts and the decoration of trees. A few years later and under the direction of the emperor, Pope Julius I officially declared that the birth of Christ would be celebrated on December 25 every year. Likewise, the Easter holiday derived its name from the Saxon goddess of the springs, Eastra, in whose honour some sacrifices were offered around the Passover period. By the 8th century, the name was officially adopted to designate the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Food for thought.
Prosper Tingini would like to invite interested individuals, well-wishers, church organisations, donors and people from all walks of life to assist or form partnerships in establishing training centres across the country for pastors and priests. These training centres would be interdenominational (non-aligned). Those interested can phone or whatsapp on 0771 260 195 or email: [email protected]
