Lesson 31

Conveniently forgetting the role the Romans played in the death of Jesus, Constantine put the blame on the Jews. He laid his feelings bare when he said that it was the duty of every Christian not to be influenced by any Jewish belief or tradition. Being a new convert to Christianity and having all the power of the Roman state at his command, Constantine was zealous at defending his Christian brothers and faith from any Jewish persecution. After instituting Sunday as the Christian day of worship and decreeing Sunday to be kept as the day Jesus was resurrected on, Constantine commanded that anyone who Jewdaised their Christian beliefs were heretics and could have their property confiscated by the state and even be put to death. 

For good or bad, Constantine changed the Christian traditions to suit his personal beliefs. Wanting to free Christians from the Jewish days of worship found in the Bible, he borrowed from the traditions of the world to create new Christian days of worship. Whether he fully understood the grace of God and how the dying words of Jesus freed Christians from keeping the Mosaic laws can be debated. No matter how much Constantine understood his new faith, his actions took Christianity down a path away from understanding the plans of God. Using the Bible as your source of Godly knowledge like a Biblist, and eagerly searching its scriptures to find what is true as the Bereans did, will help you better understand God and his plans. Jesus told us the word of God is truth. He prayed we would stay in the truth of God for our own sakes, as well as for those we tell about him. How committed are you to understanding the truth of God as found in the Bible?

John 19:28-30 Easy-to-Read Version
28 Later, Jesus knew that everything had been done. To make the Scriptures come true he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 There was a jar full of sour wine there, so the soldiers soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on a branch of a hyssop plant and lifted it to Jesus’ mouth. 30 When he tasted the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.

Matthew 27:48-51 King James Version
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. 50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

John 17:17-20 Modern English Version
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, so I sent them into the world. 19 For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. 20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word,