Love or Fear?

Appendix 2 - Love or Fear?


At the risk of being repetitive, I feel compelled to highlight a particularly important aspect of the transition from Old to New Testament. It is the element of fear to which I would like to dedicate some paragraphs.

All throughout the Old Testament there are references about the need to fear God. There are differing views on that meaning of fear and some see it as a healthy form of respect, rather than actual fear.  Furthermore not all fear is bad and some of it plays a necessary role in our lives, like being afraid of fire, or water, if we don’t know how to swim. Equally, fear can also become debilitating and prevent us from many good things, like learning how to cook on fire or swim in water. The fear of God can likewise be either helpful or debilitating.

In the Old Testament the “fear of God” was a necessary virtue, a restraining one that kept from trouble because it was essentially a fear of consequences, burning or drowning. To better understand, consider these verses from the Proverbs of Solomon: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” – “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death" [1].

In the New Testament, instead, there is a different approach and what prevails over fear is an invitation to respond to a God of love with love. Here's an example: “We have come to know and believe in the love that God has for us. God is love, and the person who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him… There is no fear where love exists. Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us… This is how we have come to know love: Christ gave his life for us"[2].

Law and fear
So there is a distinct difference that is rooted in the very reason of that change from Old to New Testament. As we’ve seen, in the Old God led his people through symbols, rituals and illustrations of spiritual realities not yet manifested. At the same time he edged them about with a strict law that had dire consequences for breaking it, like the death penalty, which was a powerful deterrent. Since man only knew God indirectly, he couldn’t really love him yet in spirit and truth [3]. The Holy Spirit, that token of God’s presence which humans can actually experience, had not been given yet (a sort of anointing of God’s Spirit was available in the OT, but only for a few selected people, such as kings and prophets). Without that direct intervention of the Holy Spirit, the fear of God, which was nothing more that fear of consequences, was the only instrument available to keep people from hurting themselves. It was a way of managing a people that only had a distant relationship with God.

Love and freedom
With the coming of Christ all that changed and the Holy Spirit was freely given to all who received him and were thus spiritually reborn. Their relationship with God took a whole new meaning and became equated to a marriage. Both collectively and individually, believers became “the bride of Christ” and entered a direct, intimate relationship with God. They were no longer strangers, but family: "I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father"[4] " ... the marriage of the lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready "[5]. So, in The New Testament, Jesus invites us to have a new relationship with him, that of friends, brothers and spouses.

But that relationship was not always within reach because there was the historical infancy of the Old Testament. Individually, said infancy, is still a natural phase of life. A child thinks as a child and cannot relate to adult’s reasoning, therefore he needs rules and guidance until he will also grow to become an adult. Finally he will also be able to marry and have his independence. "I passed by you and looked on you, and, behold, your time was the time of love… And I swore to you and entered into a covenant with you, says the Lord God, and you became Mine” [6]. So God waits for humanity, and individuals, to pass through their childhood and mature, until they can finally reciprocate in a full-grown relationship, where it will no longer be as before. Paul explained:  “That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great secret, but I am talking about Christ and the church” [7]. "As long as an heir is a child, he is no better off than a slave, even though he owns everything. Instead, he is placed under the control of guardians and trustees until the time set by the father. It was the same way with us. While we were children, we were slaves … but when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption” [8].

For those who haven’t yet come into that New Testament relationship, the Old hasn’t actually passed. Being still under the tutorship of guardians, they are not yet under the freedom that Jesus offers: "where the Lord's Spirit is, there is freedom" [9]. But even for those who have come into it, it is not always easy to handle such freedom responsibly. There were, there are and there will continue to be abuses of the liberty which we have in Christ. It may even appear as if none really deserves to have it, that it is too lofty an ideal with little practical chance. However, as problematic as its application might be, it is God’s idea and what Christians have struggled to learn for a long time. The apostle Paul, faced with the same dilemma, instructed: "For you, brothers, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another" [10]. The question remains as to why would God free Christians from the old rules, and especially from the restraining fears they generated, if he knew that they would act immature and abuse their liberty. The answer is simple - God frees them because he’s seeking a deeper relationship with them, which only comes from love, and love can only be such in freedom, never in fear.

Religious because of fear?
Then why so much fear in religion? Because fear makes us religious. Fear makes us superstitious and leads us to think that through some deed we may buy God’s help, and ward off bad luck.  Fear leads us to seek God, but mostly for selfish reasons, not love. Fear, in fact, makes us incapable of love and causes us to implode in ourselves, to become self-centered. Fear is not of God, and though it appears that in time past He did require some form of it, now He invites us to replace it with faith and love.

The power of fear
Unfortunately, apart from its natural phase, there is also a sinister side to fear motivated by religion. Fear can sometimes be a powerful tool to prevail upon others, and there are many throughout history who have used it as such. Then there is also that range of mental disorders caused by religious teachings that enhance fear, feelings of guilt, and anxiety. Sadly, many still preach the Old Testament instead of the New, fear of hell and God’s judgments, instead of his love and desire for us. Knowingly or not, some use the fear that such teachings generate, to keep their followers subservient to them, instead of freeing them into their own adult relationship with God. In extreme cases some even exploit fear related to physical illness, mental weakness or other critical condition to attract a following and create dependence. Similarly, some have played on fear and guilt to extort money. Fear, however, is employed even more extensively in large religious institutions, where it serves as a leverage to keep followers from “straying” into other churches. The fuel of that fear is the monopoly which some Christian institutions claim to have on God. Through an elaborate mix of tradition and theology, a fear of losing the only chance of salvation is induced on the devotees, who are made to believe they are privileged to be part of the only “true” Christianity. Though some would want us to believe that such tactics are the exclusive domain of modern cults and sects, it is in fact a very ancient method used by major religions and powers throughout history. Unfortunately it does work and grants great power to those who use it, therefore it is not easily nor willingly surrendered.

The love, respect and gentleness of Jesus’ invitation
These were just some examples of how fear is used in religion for selfish human interest and against the spirit of Christ. Jesus ran totally opposite to such methods and never used fear to obtain, much less retain followers. His was always and only a loving invitation “If anyone wants to follow me..." [11] "Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him” [12]. There is no coercion with Jesus. He does not scare us into following him. He’s a real gentleman who taught: "Come to me, all of you who are weary and loaded down with burdens, and I will give you rest. Place my yoke on you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light "[13].

Jesus’ yoke is not an oppressing one of fear, guilt and anxiety, but he gave us freedom from such through his loving sacrifice on the cross. Let us then enter into his joy and freedom and let us not allow anyone, not even our own selves, to ever deprive us of it again.

Faith and fear are opposites that cannot abide in one’s heart at the same time. But fear is also a form of faith, because it despairs and anticipates the worse, thus manifesting faith in darkness. Faith instead has hope because it trusts in the light of God, which is Love.

1. Proverbs 1: 7,  9: 10 and 14: 27
2. 1st John 4: 16 to 19 and 1st John 3: 16
3. John 4: 21 to 24
4. John 15: 15
5. Revelation 19: 7
6. Ezekiel 16: 8
7. Ephesians 5: 31, 32
8. Galatians 4: 1 to 5
9. 2nd Corinthians 3: 17
10. Galatians 5: 13
11. Mark 8: 34
12. Revelation 3: 20
13. Matthew 11: 28 to 30

Part IV - John

God is Love


John was the last apostle who wrote a Gospel and some epistles. What he wrote is remarkable, deserving careful study and consideration. Amongst the apostles, John stands out for a number of reasons – he was referred to as "the one whom Jesus loved" [1] - he was the youngest - the only apostle present at the crucifixion and the one to whom Jesus entrusted his mother’s care.

John had been very close to Jesus and an eyewitness of the events surrounding his earthly life, but in his Gospel he didn’t just tell the story of what had happened, as the others had done. He told it differently, and added many profound realizations which had matured with him in time. He omitted many of the events already recounted in the other Gospels, and added others. There is the impression, when reading John’s gospel, that he wrote to complete, to add what others had omitted and to explain what they hadn’t yet understood.

Often referred to as the theologian par excellence, John lived a few decades longer than his fellow apostles. With time he matured that understanding of the Word made flesh, of the nature and origin of Jesus and became the personification of what the master had spoken: "I still have many things to tell you, but are not within your reach for now, but when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth "[2]. As already noted, the disciples didn’t fully understand Jesus while he was with them. Many things they only understood after his death and resurrection, and others still later. It seems as if John, by virtue of his longer life, was able to mature an even deeper and fuller understanding of the nature and mission of Jesus.

With the passing away of the apostles and other eye-witnesses, some strange "new gospels" had also begun to surface. Untrue or simply distorted, we now call these accounts or collections of sayings as apocryphal. John dedicated part of its first epistle to refuting one such fallacy. An idea had begun to circulate that Jesus had not "come in the flesh" [3], that he had not become human but had remained essentially spirit, like a ghost in some sort of visible form, but not like human flesh. As with this one, John also had the task of rejecting some of the first Christian forgeries.

His most important work, however, was to confirm, deepen and complete what Jesus had described as a progressive revelation of himself. He did this beautifully and in his writings he gave us more truth about the nature of Jesus and God than anyone else before him. Simply think of these words: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. You must be born again. Born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting. God is love "[4].

John’s writings went beyond recounting simple historical events; they led to the very origins of time, to the One who planned it all, "before Abraham was, I am '[5]. In the words of Jesus, which he quoted more than anyone else, he gave us an unparalleled view into the mind and heart of God.

God is Love 
In his first epistle, John tells us what no one else had yet understood so clearly, that God is essentially love – that He loved us so much that He gave his son for us, to bear our sins and make us justified by faith. This priceless gift of God’s grace was already spoken of by Paul, but John revealed it to its greater extent. In simple but unmistakable words John said:" Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loves is born of God, and knows God. He that loves not knows not God, because God is love. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him" [6].

Already implied in the Old Testament, this law of Love was later emphasized by Jesus: "Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said unto him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” [7]. The “law” was the books of Moses containing the commandments and the “prophets” were the prophetic books. In practice Jesus was saying that the entire Bible known until then, could be summed up in two simple rules, love God and love others. Paul also devoted an entire section of his first epistle to the Corinthians to this very theme, and it is in chapter 13. In the previous chapters he had spoken of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the corresponding roles that these imparted to believers. Then he concluded in that 13th chapter saying that all skills and charismas imparted by the Holy Spirit, were nothing if there was no love.

1 Corinthians 13
If I speak in the tongues of humans and angels but have no love, I have become a reverberating gong or a clashing cymbal.  If I have the gift of prophecy and can understand all secrets and every form of knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains but have no love, I am nothing. Even if I give away all that I have and surrender my body so that I may boast * but have no love, I get nothing out of it. Love is always patient, Love is always kind, Love is never envious or vaunted up with pride.  Nor is she conceited, and never is she rude, never does she think of self or ever get annoyed. She never is resentful, is never glad with sin, but always glad to side with truth, whenever the truth should win. She bears up under everything, believes the best in all, there is no limit to her hope, and never will she fall. Love never fails. Now if there are prophecies, they will be done away with. If there are tongues, they will cease. If there is knowledge, it will be done away with. For what we know is incomplete and what we prophesy is incomplete. But when what is complete comes, then what is incomplete will be done away with. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. Now we see only a blurred reflection in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now what I know is incomplete, but then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. Right now three things remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I lack space and time to list all other scriptures pointing to a God of love and to a new covenant in which the new law is "love", but I’ll quote one of my favorites, "Love does no wrong to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law (commandments) [8].

The apostle Paul explained how the Old Testament and Mosaic Law had fulfilled the role of a "guardian" [9]. Its rules, prohibitions and consequences for wrongdoing had been for the purpose of keeping people from hurting each other and to enforce acceptable standards of behavior. He explained how the law had been added because of transgression [10], because of a lack of love in mankind, but how it hadn’t been the original intent of God, let alone the final one. It was simply a passage, as a guardian is for a child, until in Christ, man comes to maturity. About this Paul wrote more specifically: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things" [11]. The childish things he was speaking of were these exterior more visible aspects of religion, be they commandments, rituals or showy charismatic gifts, and concluded with what he felt were the real solid elements denoting maturity: "three things last: faith, hope, love, but the greatest of these is love" [12]. And so, that which was merely implied and almost cryptic in the Old Testament Law, was later revealed by Jesus, further expounded on by Paul and finally completed by John. Gradually, and with increasing clarity, the Holy Spirit revealed through these that love is the intent, substance and final goal of the relationship between man and God. As Christians, that’s what we should aim for, and it’s what denotes the passing of our spiritual childhood, the transition from external piety to a genuine spiritual maturity.

Growing in love
It is not within us, however, to constantly aim towards growth and maturity, which we cannot produce by our own efforts anyway. So we often settle for the more childish and visible aspects of our faith journey and do not reach for more, for what God actually give us. Instead we accept being tied to the past, to a religion that is still made of illustrative objects and symbolic ceremonies, and do not take hold of enduring spiritual realities. Finding some sense of the sacred in religion, with its buildings, rituals and customs, we settle for it and do not attempt to go past it, to discover a living relationship with God, without the crutches of religion. When a Samaritan woman, of a different faith, asked Jesus which was the right place and way to worship God, he told her " Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father… but the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" [13]. By these words Jesus indicated that neither Jerusalem, a local sanctuary nor any other external religious function, could affect true spiritual communion with God.

So simple, deep and clear and yet, for a lack of desire for this type of relationship with God, we are prone to substitutes, exteriorities, counterfeits and toys that look like the real thing. Instead of God we choose the sacred, instead of loving God and others, we hide behind religion, in the illusion of spirituality that it creates for us. Nonetheless, God is a God of love, actually, He is love itself, and as such is not angry with those of us who are still children and play at religion. God loves us so much that He accepts us at all stages of our lives, knowing that we are destined to mature, and guides us through those life experiences that will help us to move forward.

The apostle Paul explained: "for now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" [14]. So even if we were to always make forward progress in our relationship with God, it is only when we shall see Him face to face that it will all be clear. In the meantime, as creatures that need to live, grow and mature, we are each destined to walk at our own pace and to see whatever each stage of our growth affords us to see.

The Great Criteria
God does not judge us by some theological criteria, knowledge, ability, or anything of the kind, but by the love we give, and that’s why he said that “This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another - the last shall be first - whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted” [15]. Love is humility and true humility is love. They are one and the same and we cannot love without humility, nor be truly humble without love. If we really wish to grow in our faith journey, to be more in tune with Him, then we must grow in love and humility. We must strive for this, clothe ourselves in it, embrace it and refuse to other way… the judging and pointing of the finger. We need to let God be God and not try to take His place, instead, we must look at ourselves and judge all that we do by the standpoint of love. This is our part and the way of the New Testament. We will never fully succeed, for we are human and fallible beings, but our failings will keep us humble and merciful with others, helping us to avoid the pride that comes from religious effort. But love is the way to walk. Love is all the religion that’s needed. It’s our purpose because it is where we came from and where we are heading. Love is the nature and light of God.

The light of God
Love, however, must not be confused with moral relativism and ethical subjectivism. Being nonjudgmental, tolerant and accepting of differences doesn’t annul the fact that absolute truths do exist, which implies judgment. Just as love is the light of God, the absence of it equals darkness and all its manifestations. It says, in fact: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness" [16]. We cannot, however, fight darkness with darkness. Darkness is only defeated by light because darkness is merely an absence of it. This is why Jesus, hanging on the cross, did not breathe out vengeance and resentment against those who unjustly judged him, but said instead: "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" [17]. That’s why he had also taught "Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who insult you. If someone strikes you on the cheek, offer him the other one as well, and if someone takes your coat, don't keep back your shirt, either. Keep on giving to everyone who asks you for something, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not insist on getting it back. Whatever you want people to do for you, do the same for them. “If you love those who love you, what thanks do you deserve? Why, even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners do that. If you lend to those from whom you expect to get something back, what thanks do you deserve? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back what they lend. Rather, love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, for he is kind to ungrateful and evil people. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you, a large quantity, pressed together, shaken down, and running over will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use, you will be measured” [18].

This was the light that Jesus lit and it is what lights the way of every Christian. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love for one another" [19]. The God that Jesus and the apostles showed us is Love. May the God of love then give us strength to represent Him to men as He is and not to our limited image. A God who judges, vindictive and austere is much easier to emulate. A tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye is to most of us an instinctively natural response. Even the disciples reacted this way when Jesus "sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village … and they did not receive him… and when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?  But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them” [20]. Thankfully God’s love is not like ours, but is unconditional: "But God demonstrates his love for us by the fact that Christ died for us while we were still sinners" [21].

May the light of God's love then shine in our hearts and free us from the chains of pride and human religiosity, what we often call light, but is not. May His light shine until the perfect day, when we will be in perfect communion with Him and one another.

This ends our study of the origins and purpose of Christianity. The first epistle of John it is a fitting conclusion for it and I invite you to read it fully and meditate upon it. Our study of the Bible, however, does not end here. We haven’t yet approached the Old Testament, with the story of creation, the fall of man and God’s plan of redemption, which are necessary elements for reaching a fuller understanding of God’s intents. The Gospels, however, will always remain central for each of us who have chosen to be Christians, so I wish you a profitable studying of the first epistle of John, and a continued review of the Gospels.

1. John 13: 23  20: 2  21: 7,20
2. John 16: 12,13
3. 1st John 4: 2
4. John 1,2,3 – 1st John 4: 8,16
5. John 8, 58
6. 1st John 4: 7,8,16
7. Matthew 22: 35 to 40
8. Romans 13: 10
9.  Galatians 3: 24,25
10. Galatians 3: 19
11. 1st Corinthians 13: 11
12. 1st Corinthians 13: 13
13. John 4: 21 to 24
14. 1st Corinthians 13: 12
15. John 13: 35 Matthew 23: 12
16. Isaiah 5: 20
17. Luke 23: 34
18. Luke 6: 27 to 38
19. John 13: 35
20. Luke 9: 52 to 56
21. Romans 5: 8

Part II - The First Christians

At this point, having read the Gospels, we should have a fairly accurate picture of Jesus. Let us now hold it firmly before our eyes and use it to measure what we will read next, which naturally, will be the story of the very first Christians, as told by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. It is pleasant reading, but I do wish to make a premise; although the first Christianity was the one started by Jesus himself, the original which we should refer to, it is not always, nor in every way, the best model, and we'll see why.

The book of Acts, or Acts of the Apostles, defined by some critics as a romanticized account, has been proven to be historically accurate and the most reliable for that early period of Christianity. There is much to be learned from this book, where we see the role of the Holy Spirit energizing the first disciples to bear witness and practice Jesus’ teachings - we see God working great miracles to spread his message and protect his young church - we see the courage of the first Christians and their spirit of love, unity and sacrifice - but we also see some problems arising in their midst, a disagreement, the cause of which already existed in Jesus' days, and that ran so deep that it eventually broke into the first Christian schism. Paul’s Epistles, which we will study after Acts, deal extensively with the reasons of this rift. To prepare for their later study, we must then seek to understand the background and dynamics of this event, as told by Luke in the book of Acts (and later by Paul in Galatians). Another reason for seeking understanding of this event is that it is not relegated to the past, but lives on to this very day, howbeit in different forms.

The importance of what is not written
When reading the book of Acts it is also crucial to note what is not written. For example if we see that a particular aspect of our Christianity is not mentioned as part of early Christianity, then it would behoove us  to put it aside, for the time being, and return to the original simplicity. I'm not implying that there are no other valid aspects of our faith, which were revealed or understood later, but I am simply recommending that we proceed by stages, like in the building of a house, the foundations first, then the walls, etc...

On the other hand we will also note that certain practices of the early Christians are no longer part of modern Christianity. They were mainly part of an Israelite cultural heritage, with no particular relation to Christianity and were thus abandoned over time. A closer look at the socio-cultural environment of that period might help us understand better.

The historical socio-cultural context
The Israelites were the “chosen people” to whom God, through Moses, had given his laws, the so-called commandments. To get an idea of how these laws affected society in those days, one could perhaps look at a present day country in which the Islamic Law, or Sharia, is the constituted legal system. I am not using this example because the two things are identical, but simply because it gives an idea of a society where religious commandments do not determine only ethics and morality, but are also the official legal system. In the Israel of the early Christians, the Mosaic Law was the actual law as well as the religion. There was no distinction between the two and it regulated the social order, as well as expressed the will of God to the people. Unfortunately, under this provision, abuses of the law were often committed in the name of God, and those who exercised power did so legally, as well as spiritually, oppressing others in the name of God. Jesus came into this state of things and clashed with it brutally - especially with the religious leaders, those who interpreted and applied the law, who soon had him crucified. It wasn’t any different for his followers, who soon met the same wrath from the same hierarchy.

The beginning of a new era
Despite being ostracized by the authorities, and thanks to the many miracles and powerful manifestations of the Holy Spirit, the early Christians multiplied rapidly. These, including the apostles, all derived from that same Israelite culture which we just described. Though painfully aware of its shortcomings, they were nevertheless still influenced by it. One aspect of such cultural conditioning was that, by virtue of Abrahamic descent, they all felt part of a privileged elite, God’s chosen people and his representatives on earth. Their upbringing brought them to see all non-Jews condescendingly, as gentiles, pagans, infidels, and not worthy of equal respect and dignity. With these “inferior races” they even avoided contact, lest they became contaminated by it.

Many early Christians were also part of those crowds who initially rejected Jesus and voted in favor of his crucifixion. The reason was that he did not match their idea of a Messiah but, rather, that of an impostor. He had not liberated them from the Romans, nor restored the throne of David or made them powerful, as they though the Messiah would do. Later, as they heard of Jesus’ resurrection, saw further miracles by his disciples, many of them changed and came to recognized in Jesus some great one sent by God. It was not yet a complete change, nor enough to give them a new culture and a change of attitudes, and they continued to be Israelites in religion, laws, culture and outlook towards the outside world. For a few decades, Jerusalem’s Christians still lived in the Old Testament, with Jesus as a new supplement to it. Christianity thus belonged to the “chosen people” and, if it wasn’t for God’s intervention to bring about more substantial changes, it would have remained a sect within Judaism.

How did God change things? In the book of Acts we notice some key elements and the first is in chapter ten. There, Peter received a revelation from God instructing him not to consider the gentiles (non-Jews) as unclean, since in his eyes there was no difference between Israelites and gentiles. The enormity of the problem was expressed by Peter when, in obedience to that vision from God, entered the house of a Roman and said, “You know that it is an unlawful thing for a man, a Jew to keep company with or to come near to one of another nation. But God has shown me not to call any man common or unclean” [1]. Nothing could be clearer than that, but it wasn’t enough to bring about a significant change. Instead, the event through which God took hold of the helm of Christianity and changed its route, was the transformation of Saul into the Apostle Paul, as told in Acts chapter nine.

Saul, an educated Pharisee, zealous of the Jewish faith and tradition, had initially fought against the “heresy” of the new Christian sect. God intervened by blinding him, then opening his eyes again and, finally, Saul saw things as they were and became Paul. He then recognized Jesus as the true Messiah, the author of a brand New Covenant, and everything changed. Paul became the apostle par excellence, who then lead Christianity in its transformation from Jewish sect, into universal church.

Being unwelcomed in Jerusalem, Paul went to other nations and population centers of the Roman Empire. There he preached the good news (gospel) of Jesus to the Gentiles, without the heavy burden of old Jewish mores and laws, which he now saw as superseded in Christ. His success was enormous and, with the Spirit of God sustaining him, his new model of Christianity spread rapidly among non-Jewish populations. Eventually this developed into a deep rift with the mother church in Jerusalem, who did not accept Paul, nor his new Christians. If it weren’t for his successes, they would have chosen to ignore him, but because of the numbers who followed his “new” theology, they had to eventually come to terms with him.

The root of the problem
At the root of the problem was the fact that the Jerusalem church did not believe Paul’s doctrine to be correct. To them Paul was a new young upstart who did not really understand original orthodoxy. To be a Christian, they said, it was necessary to first keep the required prescriptions of the Mosaic Law. For them, in fact, Christianity was a supplement to the one true religion, namely that of the Old Testament. Paul, instead, claimed that Christ had begun a brand new era, a New Testament, and that the Old One was no longer binding for Christians.

The clash between these two ways of understanding Christianity was so severe that it never ended. It even resulted in an open confrontation between Peter and Paul [2] and was the cause of the first council of Jerusalem [3], which was resolved by a compromise, but did not end the disagreement.

An epic change and its effects
Paul remained on the outer reaches of the official church and his ideas were poorly received, if not openly opposed, by his colleagues in Jerusalem. This state of things remained fairly unchanged until a catastrophic event occurred. Although prophesied in detail, its fulfillment is not described in the book of Acts, and we must search other historical sources to learn about it. That event was the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and it was then that that original brand of Christianity, who still followed the old Jewish religion, lost its central role. The Jewish Christians of the so-called Concision (because circumcised) migrated elsewhere, mainly towards Arabia and, supposedly, it was from their descendants that Muhammad learned about Jesus. This could explains why the Quran reflects an opinion similar to that of some factions of early Jewish Christianity, who saw Jesus as a great one, but not as God incarnate, nor as the founder of a New Testament.

At a heavy cost, with the destruction of Jerusalem, the Diaspora of the Jews and of the Church of the Concision, Christianity finally matured and cut his umbilical cord to the Old Testament. Paul, from being the odd one out, became instead the leading Apostle. His vision for a universal Christianity became finally recognized and others followed him to proclaim it to the whole world. His writings, and those of his disciple Luke, became widely accepted and eventually formed the majority of the New Testament.

With this I leave you to the reading of the Acts of the Apostles, which I'm sure you will find fascinating.

1. Acts of the Apostles 10, 28
2. Epistle of Paul to the Galatians 2
3. Acts of the Apostles15