A WORD FOR TODAY, September 16, 2022
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, September 16, 2022
“Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God, and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences. For we are not commending ourselves to you again, but speak as giving you occasion of boasting on our behalf, that you may have something to answer those who boast in appearance, and not in heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died. He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:11-19, WEB
Today we remember St. Cyprian of Carthage. Cyprian lived in the third century, relatively early in the history of Christianity. The Romans were still in power, but it was a time when some of the emperors embraced Christianity and others tried to return Rome to the old ways. Cyprian was from Carthage; though far from Rome, Carthage was still under Roman dominion. It was a time of peace. The people were comfortable, happy and secure. Unfortunately, it is during peaceful times when we lose touch with our faith because we have no need to rely on God. We do not need deliverance. We do not need salvation. So, we forget all that He did and remember only our own accomplishments.
Cyprian was a late convert, not coming to faith until his forties, but as a learned man and a powerful speaker he quickly rose to the rank of Bishop in the Church. He was unhappy with the state of the Church; there was a lack of discipline. Many of the Christians, including the clergy, were living like the pagans, no longer living as God had called the people of faith to live, separate even while living in the world. There were instances of fraud and swindling. The clergy was so ignorant of the Word of God that they could not properly instruct the new Christians. The line between heresy and orthodox belief was so shady that many could not recognize the difference. When the persecution under the emperor Decian began, the Christians had no firm foundation on which to stand and many turned to the old pagan ways.
The scribes and Pharisees in Jesus’ day had not turned to the Roman gods but they were drawn away from God by a much less obvious god: themselves. They relied on their self-righteousness, their obedience to a set of laws, and their own interpretation of them. They called Jesus a sinner because He ate with sinners and tax collectors. They had forgotten that God is the God of mercy and grace, that He loves all who seek Him. They missed that Jesus was the one whom God had sent to bring His people home. They did not understand His preaching. As they understood righteousness, the people represented by the lost sheep and the lost coin like the sinners and tax collectors Jesus welcomed were lost by their own sin, so they did not deserve such incredible mercy.
During the life of Cyprian, many Christians were persecuted and martyred for their faith, but too many gave in to the societal pressures of Rome. When the emperor Decian decided to persecute the Christians, they willingly sacrificed to the Roman gods or renounced their faith in writing. In the end, many realized their mistake and repented. They sought reconciliation.
Some of the church leaders were unwilling to grant them forgiveness despite their repentance. Those leaders believed the guilty were apostate and did not deserve mercy. Cyprian disagreed and fought to offer forgiveness to those who had fallen. Cyprian recognized the need for compassion and argued for reinstatement in the Church under certain conditions. The penance was hard until there was a new threat of persecution. Cyprian called a council who offered forgiveness to those who had lapsed so that they could receive Communion for strength against the trial. In the end, many Christians who had survived the persecution of Decian were martyred under later emperors.
History repeats itself. We don’t always recognize the similarities because the issues are different, yet I cannot help but notice parallels with our modern age. We live in a time of relative peace, without threat of martyrdom to keep our zeal and passion for Christ. The line between heresy and orthodoxy has become so hazy that most Christians can’t recognize the difference. In all too many ways the Church has willingly followed the ways of the world rather than standing up for Christ. For many, the easiest way to get through the difficulty of persecution is to just give in to the world around them. In Cyprian’s time they willingly sacrificed to the idols to save their lives to avoid martyrdom.
Sadly, most Christians aren’t willing to stand up for Christ in their homes, workplaces, or even in their churches today. I have heard it said that the Church age is over, that we are living in post-Christian times. I am not sure what that means. While churches are shrinking, we are reminded that God has promised that there will always be a remnant until the day Jesus comes again. The Church may not be powerful and strong as it was in previous generations, but those moments eventually led to apostasy and heresy, and then it seems like the Church might die. Through it all, the Church has survived, not by her own will but by the promises of God. We are not alone. It has happened before, and God was faithful. We can rest in the knowledge that God will be faithful forever.
We may know people who have strayed from the faith by giving in to the world. But God’s grace is not limited. The day will come when those who have taken the easy path will find that they can no longer cross the line set by the world. They will see their foolishness. And then they will repent and seek forgiveness. God forgives, are we ready to do so, too? Cyprian understood that we have been called to the ministry of reconciliation, and he stands as an example for us to do the same, embracing those who repent with God’s grace so that they can face the difficulties of their time.
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