Decisive Moments: Nicholas Punches Arius (?)

 By Wes Bredenhof 

Following the conversion of Constantine, the Church appeared to have peace, at least from external threats. However, there were still internal threats. One of the most serious was the presence of heresy – by which I mean weighty doctrinal errors endangering salvation.

One reason we have creeds and confessions in Reformed churches is to define and guard the important truths of God’s Word. Now imagine a time when there were no such doctrinal statements, or few. It was a theological Wild West in the early 300s.

Our story begins in Alexandria, Egypt. It was an important Christian centre. One of the key figures in Alexandria was Arius, a presbyter and theologian. Tall, lean, and charming, women were impressed with his manners. A powerful preacher, men were impressed with his great intellect. However, his name has been preserved in history because of his great heresy: the idea that the Son of God was the first and most important creature, but not God. Arianism remains today in the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, illustrating that Satan may have a lot of experience with our race, but he doesn’t have a lot of creativity.

The teaching of Arius developed a following in Alexandria and beyond. The Christian church was rocked by controversy and confusion. Disagreements about the doctrine of Christ even resulted in street fights in Alexandria. All over Christendom there was polarization, but many people were stuck in the middle wondering what exactly they should believe about the two natures of Jesus.

Continue here.