“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.”
Romans 5:1-2a
Most accounts say Athanasius was small in stature, but his tenacity for God’s Word was big. He was a deacon in the church of Alexandria, and he was known for being a distinguished student of Scripture. The more he read the Bible, the more enamored he was with the deity of Christ. In fact, he saw it everywhere!
So, when the Arian controversy blew up, he recognized it as an attack on the entire Christian faith. He believed that if Jesus was not God, then there was no salvation for humanity. He said, “What else could [God] possibly do, being God, but renew His image in mankind, so that through it men might once more come to know Him? And how could this be done, save by the coming of the very Image Himself, our savior Jesus Christ?”
For nearly 50 years after the first Nicaean council took place, Athanasius stood “against the world,” proclaiming the true gospel and opposing those who still held to the Arian heresy.
Everything from atonement of sin to reconciliation with God rests on Christ’s full divinity and full humanity.
So, when the Arian controversy blew up, he recognized it as an attack on the entire Christian faith. He believed that if Jesus was not God, then there was no salvation for humanity. He said, “What else could [God] possibly do, being God, but renew His image in mankind, so that through it men might once more come to know Him? And how could this be done, save by the coming of the very Image Himself, our savior Jesus Christ?”
For nearly 50 years after the first Nicaean council took place, Athanasius stood “against the world,” proclaiming the true gospel and opposing those who still held to the Arian heresy.
Everything from atonement of sin to reconciliation with God rests on Christ’s full divinity and full humanity.
Scripture Focus
Colossians 1:15-20
Insight
By the time Athanasius died in AD 373, Arianism was completely eliminated in Egypt. May we all stand up for the truths of the Bible as he did!
Bible In A Year
- 1 Chronicles 2-3
- Proverbs 25
- Revelation 3-5
