Their mighty chorus has continued to swell through the ages. Saints of every generation have lifted the song of adoration to Jesus. Let the believers of our day join the celebration. Worship Jesus. Praise Jesus.
The best way to honor the Father is to honor the Son. Some 300 years after Christ ascended, a church leader named Arius began to teach Jesus was divine, but created and secondary, less than God the Father. Arianism, like a cancer, weaved its way into the thoughts and minds of countless believers.
Many, including a bishop named Amphilochus, vigorously fought the heresy, and were dismayed at the lenient spirit Emperor Theodosius showed toward Arianism. His lackadaisical attitude encouraged those who were undermining the full Deity of Christ. On the day Theodosius elevated his son Arcadius to serve as co-emperor, Amphilochus was among the throng of well wishers. The crowd processed by, congratulating the two rulers. The bishop spoke only to Theodosius and completely ignored his son. The angry father snapped at Amphilochus, “Do you take no notice of my son?”
At this, the bishop said to Arcadius, “The Lord bless thee, my son.” This did not satisfy Theodosius. “Is this all the respect you pay to a prince I have made of equal dignity with me?” Amphilochus curtly replied, “Sire, do you highly resent my neglecting your son by not giving him equal honor with you? What must God think of you, who has let His co-equal and co-eternal Son be degraded in His proper Deity in every part of your empire?”
The reproof achieved its desired result. God help us never to indulge a creed holding Jesus to be anything less than God of true God. Jesus is Lord.
Our greatest champion in this early struggle was Athanasius, the first person to list the 27 books as we have them in the New Testament today. His list, done in 367 AD, was confirmed at the Synod in Carthage in 397 AD.
This was not his main claim to fame. He is most famous for the crime that exiled him five times. He served as Bishop of Alexandria for 45 years; 17 of these in exile due to Roman opposition. His crime was; an unrelenting battle against the heresy that God the Son was less God than God the Father.
Athanasius often stood alone, thus giving us the Latin phrase for which he is famous, “Athanasius contra mundum” (Athanasius against the world). Emperors feared him as powerful, but could not kill him due to the love of his people. In his 17 years of exile, they never acknowledged anyone else as their bishop. He was humble, and single minded in his love to Christ. He refused to embrace anything less than the full deity of Jesus, and he carried the Christian world with Him. Thank You, Lord.
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