The good man that turned bad out of necessity

[Matthias]

@Riven take a minute to look at the Tertullian quote with me again.

“The oftener we are mowed down by you …”

Who is the “you” whom Tertullian was addressing?

The Roman Emperor -> Septimus Severus.

What is the significance of that? Romans 13:4.

Septimus Severus - > “minister of God”.

Septimus Severus -> persecutor of Christians / Jesus’ family.

Septimus Severus -> enemy of God / enemy of Messiah / enemy of Christians.

 

[Matthias]

@Riven what do you see?

That’s not a drawing depicting the defeat of Christians. That’s a drawing depicting the victory of Christians. God is glorified by the obedience of his sons and daughters.

Killing their enemy wouldn’t have brought glory to God. Overcoming their enemy by not killing their enemy brought glory to God. The mission was a success, not a failure. The church grew. More disciples for Jesus were made. That’s the Great Commission.

 

[Matthias]

@Riven another book recommendation for you.


Remember, Bible first and foremost. However, also reading about Christian martyrs would be enormously beneficial to you.

 

[Matthias]

“You aren’t following Jesus if you aren’t armed, ready to kill.”

@Riven this teaching doesn’t come to us from Jesus and the apostles. You won’t find it taught at any church you’ve ever heard of. It comes to us from the evil one.

Do you see how the false teaching is incompatible with and harmful to carrying out the Great Commission?

It’s an antiMessiah teaching.

 

[Matthias]

Proposition: Killing our enemies guts the heart of the gospel.

AI Overview -

“That statement aligns directly with the core ethical teachings of Jesus Christ, who explicitly commanded his followers to love and pray for their enemies rather than destroy them. The central message of the New Testament centers on grace, reconciliation, and God offering mercy to humanity while they were still considered spiritual enemies. …”

That response may not be persuasive for others but It resonates with my spirit. It’s an accurate expression of my primitive Christian faith and ethic.

Goodnight.