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To: Wyrd bið ful aræd
Justin Martyr stated in First Apology, circa 150 AD, "We have been taught that Christ is the first-begotten of God, and we have declared him to be the Logos of which all mankind partakes [John 1:9]. Those, therefore, who lived according to reason [Greek, logos] were really Christians, even though they were thought to be atheists, such as, among the Greeks, Socrates, Heraclitus, and others like them. . . .

Jesus and the apostles would have had a field day with this nut-job...

Those who lived before Christ but did not live according to reason [logos] were wicked men, and enemies of Christ, and murderers of those who did live according to reason [logos], whereas those who lived then or who live now according to reason [logos] are Christians. Such as these can be confident and unafraid."

So Justin says the great philosophers, the great humanist thinkers were and are Christian...And after 2000 years of scripture, it is still ignored...

Col_2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

298 posted on 04/29/2014 8:14:49 AM PDT by Iscool (Ya mess with me, you mess with the WHOLE trailer park...)
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To: Iscool
>>>So Justin says the great philosophers, the great humanist thinkers were and are Christian...And after 2000 years of scripture, it is still ignored...<<<

Justin may have been thinking about the following passage when he made the statement found in "First Apoology:"

      "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)" (Rom 2:12-15 KJV)

Recall that Jesus and Paul said you fulfil all the law when you love your neighbour:

      "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets." (Mat 7:12 KJV)

      "For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Gal 5:14 KJV)

And James said:

      "If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well." (Jam 2:8 KJV)

And John said:

      "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." (1 Jn 4:7 KJV)

And we are left with this commandment:

      "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you." (John 15:12 KJV)

Philip

305 posted on 04/29/2014 9:45:55 AM PDT by PhilipFreneau
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To: Iscool
Obviously Justin Martyr did not literally think they were Christians, existing before Christ came to earth.

He is saying that they sought truth to the extent that is was revealed to them, considering Romans 2:15.

308 posted on 04/29/2014 3:41:30 PM PDT by Wyrd bið ful aræd (Pope Calvin the 1st, defacto Leader of the FR Calvinist Protestant Brigades)
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