How not to fall out with God
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In 303 AD, Emperor Diocletian proclaimed an edict outlawing Christianity. Subsequently, Christians were fed to lions in amphitheaters all over the Roman Empire. The testimony is sound, to wit, Christians who found themselves, through no fault of theirs, in those amphitheaters went to their deaths prayerful, demonstrating the peace of God and the joy of the Holy Spirit.
The historical evidence for efficacy of the witness that was borne by said Christians? First, Constantine the Great’s mother would convert to Christianity, then next in 312 AD, Constantine the Great himself would convert to Christianity, resulting in an end to the persecution of Christians, because Christians could leave domains governed by Licinius, the other Roman Emperor, to live in the domains that already were governed by Constantine the Great. Prior to the institution of the Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine in 325 AD, Licinius would be defeated and executed, resulting in hegemony of Christianity as the official religion in each of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. The Eastern Roman Empire would, of course come to be known as the Christian Byzantine Empire, because unlike it’s cousin, the Western Empire, it’s civil laws were premised on Christian teachings and values. Whereas then, the Western Roman Empire would go into oblivion by 475 AD, the Christian Byzantine Empire would remain the only civilization in the then known world until 1453 AD. If the Christian Byzantine Empire had not, commencing in 1099 AD, engaged in rivalry with Muslims, it probably would have survived even longer.
The Evidence that God cannot be found in actions that are predicated on rivalry, equivalently contention?
And foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about law, stand away from — for they are unprofitable and vain (Titus 3:9, YLT).
And the wisdom from above, first, indeed, is pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily entreated, full of kindness and good fruits, uncontentious, and unhypocritical (James 3:17, YLT).
The historical evidence accords with God’s abhorrence of rivalry — outside of Western Europe and Scandinavia, the Crusades did nothing to…
