The argument that Christianity is just a borrowed religion (that is, it is simply a re-mix of older religious beliefs, from Judaism and paganism) is as old as Christianity itself.  We certainly weren’t the first generation to face that accusation, and we won’t be the last.

No hesitation, no pause from Justin.  Straight forward, head held high, heart blazing with the Truth.  Gotta’ love it!

Chapter XXIII.-The Argument.

What we hope to show you is that the words taught by Christ are true, and conform to prophesies given through the ages, confirming them and completing them.  We hope you can acknowledge our right to have faith in Him, not just because there are similarities between His teachings and the stories of the gods, but because there is truth in His words.

We hope that you will come to see that Jesus is who He claimed to be, the one and only Son of God; that He descended from a heavenly realm and took on flesh in order to rescue the human race from the fallen state of this world.  We are aware that before Jesus took on flesh and became a man, some poets and writers wrote stories that seemed to be the same story we tell of Jesus, only distorted.  We believe those writers were influenced by demonic forces that had some knowledge about what Jesus would accomplish, prompting these stories that seem to be so similar to the truth we tell about Jesus.  Some say it undermines our story, supposing we are simply telling a variant version of someone else’s religion.  We insist, there is no proof that we’ve done such a thing, nor is there anyone who can corroborate such a theory of conspiracy.  We hope to prove just the opposite, that what Jesus has taught is Truth.

Chapter XXIV.-Varieties of Heathen Worship.

First of all, we believe doctrines that are very similar to what the Greeks have believed all along, but because we follow the teachings of Christ and are Christians, you hate us.  Even though we live law-abiding lives, you arrest us and put us to death like common criminals.

As we observe the Empire, we can see a huge variety of religions and a wide assortment of venerated gods.  Some people worship trees, rivers, crocodiles, cats, mice, all kinds of dumb animals.  Not everyone worships the same animals.  To one person, the cat is a god.  Another person bows down to the mouse.  The cat guy thinks the mouse guy is nuts, and the mouse guy calls the cat guy a heretic, but Rome allows for these differences.

The only accusation you bring against us is that we don’t worship the same gods as you do.  We don’t pour wine on the statues of our ancestors, burn candles at the altars of the gods, put wreath-crowns on the heads of the statues or kill animals to get the favor of the gods.  So what if we don’t?  What about all the other differences between all the religions that Rome tolerates?  One man worships a mouse which another man kills in a trap.  The Empire allows for those differences, why not ours?

—

Once again, we see the sharp contrast between our Western world and the world Justin lived (and argued) in.  He was presenting a worldview that was moving opposite the currents of mainstream orthodoxy.  His writings still translate to us though, because we walk counter to a new orthodoxy…one of Western invention.  Our orthodoxy maintains that there is no more mystery, no more wilderness for the mind.  There is a scientific orthodoxy, that states without reservation the age of the world and the origin of the species.  Real science (not this new religion we see today) allows for possibilities and seeks to probe for answers.  Not any more.  Have you listened to the debates about teaching “intelligent design” in the classroom?  Those opposed do everything but put on robes and cry “heretic!”.  (by the way…I have no vested interest in that debate…parents have the responsibilty to offer their faith to their children….it’s not the school’s responsibility, IMHO….I’m just intrigued with the debate itself, in what it reveals about our culture’s mindset)

Justin squared off against the false gods of his day….we do the same.  There are no “new” gods….just new names.

Chapter XXI.-Analogies to the History of Christ.

It is our claim that Jesus Christ is God’s word to us, that He was born into this world by a virgin, that He taught us about God, was arrested, crucified, and buried; that He rose back to life from the grave and now has ascended back up to heaven.  Yet this claim is not any more far fetched than the claims you make concerning the sons of Jupiter in your religion.  You know well the stories that have been accepted and written for posterity; you know how many sons Jupiter is supposed to have had.  Mercury, the one who teaches and interprets all things; Aesculapius, who was the great physician, but was struck by lightening and ascended into heaven; Bacchus is said to have ascended too, though only after he had been torn apart, limb from limb; Hercules escaped his struggles here on earth by throwing himself into a fire and ascending.

 There are the sons of Leda, and Dioscuri, and Persus, son of Danae, and Bellerophon, all of whom were mortals but ascended to heaven riding on the horse Pegasus.  What about Ariadne and those like her who are said to have ascended and live among the stars in the sky?

There are also the emperors who upon death are said to ascend to a deified state when their bodies are burned on a pyre.  Some swear they’ve seen the deified spirit of Caesar rise in the flames and ascend.

You recount the stories of the sons of Jupiter; you even write their deeds down to inspire our youth to live in a way that imitates the gods.  Yet when we look at those deeds, are they really what we want our young people to copy?  Jupiter, the one who supposedly governs all things he created is said to have killed his parents in overthrowing them, as his father before him had done.  He’s described as being consumed by his lust, violating Ganymede and other women at will, just as his sons did also.  Such noble gods our young are taught to imitate.

As we’ve stated already, we believe dark spiritual forces are behind the perpetuation of these stories and the imitation of their actions.

We believe that there will be those who ascend, who will be made like God; but only those who have followed Him in this life, seeking to live in harmony with His goodness and virtue.  Those who live for themselves, who only serve their own will, face the eternal punishment of forever-fire.

Chapter XXII.  Analogies to the History of Christ.

We call Jesus “the Son of God”.  Even if He was a mere mortal who was a wise teacher, you’d still have to allow us the right to call Him “Son of God”, because it is the view of all accepted writers that God is the father of all men.

When we say that He is the Word of God to mankind, and was born amidst supernatural circumstances, it shouldn’t be strange to you who call Mercury the “word of god”. His death by crucifixion perplexes you, but it shouldn’t.  It puts Him on par with those you call the sons of Jupiter who also suffered and died on this earth (as we mentioned above).  They are said to have all suffered in different ways, and died by various means.  Our declaration of Christ dying on a cross doesn’t make His death shameful.  On the contrary, as we said in the beginning of this discourse, we hope to show that His death as a sacrifice makes it far superior to the sufferings of the sons of Jupiter.  If we proclaim that Jesus was born to a woman who had never known sexual intercourse, you can accept this same way you accept the stories of Perseus who is said to have been born in a similar way. When we tell how Christ made sick people well, restoring limbs and giving sight to those who were born blind; our proclamation is similar to the stories of Aesculpius, your god of healing.

— 

A few issues back, Wired Magazine ran a cover story about all the stuff we don’t know.  It was fascinating.  It reminds me that Justin’s argument about the resurrection still stands up, even in our modern age.  How do we really know what can or can’t happen?  Just because we haven’t witnessed it personally, is that enough evidence to reject a concept?  The Orthodox Religion of Modern Science would say yes.  How dare you believe in something without first offering sacrifices to the spirit of empirical evidence?  To defy their conclusions is to deny their god, thus banishing all people of faith the realm of “hackery”. 

I’m with Justin, ” …who’s to say we really understand all of God’s natural order yet?”

Chapter XIX.-The Resurrection Possible.

If you didn’t know anything about how human life starts, and someone were to show you a picture of a sperm fertilizing an egg and a picture of a fully formed man, with skeletal structure and intricate muscles and nerves woven under his perfect flesh; if you were told that that large and complicated human form would result from those simple, microscopic shapes, you’d say the person proposing that is nuts.  You’d demand more proof, you’d say you need to observe that in process before you’d believe it.  Yet, though we haven’t observed it happening, no sane man would deny that human life starts that way.

In the same way, you call our belief system incredible simply because you’ve never seen a dead man rise from the dead.  It’s no more incredible to believe that God will cause our dead bodies to come back to life somehow, someday, than it is to say that complex, intelligent, human forms come from microscopic sperm.  Just like seeds are planted in the earth and dissolve, only to grow again in a new form, so we believe that our bodies, though buried, will come back again brand new.

People will argue that there is a natural order of life and death and planting and harvest, and not even God interferes with that.  But who’s to say we really understand all of God’s natural order yet?  Even what we do observe is not fully understood; how simple organisms become complex life forms.  We don’t understand how that works, but we believe it does.  Yet, even if it is impossible with the natural order, we’d rather believe in this possibility than to live so hopelessly like the whole world around us who doesn’t.  Our Master, Jesus Christ said, “All kinds of things are impossible for the natural man, but with God, all things become possible.”  He also said, “Don’t be afraid of those who can only kill your body, and nothing else.  Instead, respect and be loyal to the One who you’ll face after you die, who can throw both your body and your spirit on the garbage heap.”

That garbage heap He referred to, we believe to be a place where those who followed their own will instead of God’s will as He revealed it, will be punished.

Chapter XX.-Heathen Analogies to Christian Doctrine.

Consider how Sibyl and Hystapes said that one day, God would wipe out all material things.  The philosophy of Stoicism proposes that even God Himself will one day burn up into nothing, and a new world will appear in the wake of this cosmic revolution.  We differ from their belief in that we believe that though God created all material things, He’s not susceptible to change or wear.  In quick overview, there are some things we teach that are right in line with what the philosophers and poets teach, and you honor them (though we don’t agree on all things; we believe we have a more fully realized concept of life given to us by divine inspiration).  Though we share much in common with current philosophical schools, and we are ready and waiting to give a full explanation about why we believe what we believe, we have been isolated and illegally targeted for punishment.  Can you give an explanation for this?

When we say that there is a God who created all that we know, and set the world in it’s order, we are saying the same thing Plato did.  When we say that one day the world as we know it will be destroyed, consumed by fire, we’re saying the same thing the Stoics say.  When we say that those who lived to satisfy their own lusts and desires will face an eternal punishment, and those who have been made righteous will escape punishment in the hereafter, we’re saying the same things the poets and philosophers preach.  When we say that it’s folly to worship something that’s been crafted by mere man, we speak the same things as the comic playwright Menander and others like him, who coined the phrase, “The one who creates is greater than the creation.”

—

Christians and civics…it’s always been a tough balancing act, all through the history of the church.  We belong to an invisible kingdom, and swear loyalty to an invisible King…yet we acknowledge the rulers of the world we live in, obeying and respecting them.  Often times, these two kingdoms collide and we are required to make choices…do I obey one over another?  Only as it touches eternal things.  When it comes to money or rights or freedom…the attitude of the early church as well as the NT is one of peaceful submission.  But when it touches eternal issues of fidelity to God, or morality…no choice can be made except to follow God.

It’s interesting that this tension traces all the way back to the beginning.

Chapter XVII.-Christ Taught Civil Obedience.

While other people use whatever loophole they can find, we Christians have been taught by Christ to pay all the taxes you determined we owe; both routine taxes and any special toll you deem appropriate.  We believe this because once someone asked Jesus if it was right to pay taxes to Caesar, and He answered, “Whose image has been stamped on the coins we use to pay taxes?”

They answered, “Caesar’s image.”  So He said to them, “Then this money belongs to Caesar, let him have it back.  You bear God’s image, so see to it you give to God what belongs to Him.”

That’s why we strive to worship God alone with our lives, but we’re happy to give you back your money, whatever you say you want.  We acknowledge that you are the kings and rulers of this Empire, and we pray for you, that you will rule us with wisdom and judge our case fairly.  I realize that our prayers for you and our pleading with you still may not persuade you to judge our case on the facts.  That won’t altar our course or change our confessions.   We believe that you too will owe something to God one day; you too will be called to give account, and your decision here will determine your fate in that day.  Forever-fire awaits those who reject God’s grace.  You’ve been granted power over men on this earth, and God will require an account of how you used that power.  As He said, “Those who had a lot given to them in this life will have a lot to answer for in the end.”

Chapter XVIII.-Evidence of Immortality and the Resurrection.

Everyone dies.  Even kings die the way everyone else does.  All through history, kings live and then die naturally (unless they are brought an untimely death by immoral men who grasp for power).  Either way, everyone dies.  Then what?  We have five senses while we live, and how we use those senses, whether ruled by them or submitting them to God, determine our state after this life is through. Don’t be quick to roll your eyes or shrug your shoulders at the thought of what comes after this life.  You must admit that deep down you believe there is something more, beyond.

Listen to the necromancers, the magicians, the fortune tellers who forecast through unborn children, the psychics, mediums, spiritualists, warlocks, druids and all of those who are trained and attuned to spiritual matters.  All of them with one voice attest to some kind of existence after this life.  There is the evidence that some are seized and controlled by some other force; some say spirits of the dead, some say demons, but all consider them controlled by something.  There are the reports of an afterlife from those you call oracles; Amphilochus, Dodana, Pytho, and many others.  There are the opinions of an afterlife that come from famous authors such as Empedocles, Pythagoras, Plato and Socrates.  There’s the tale of Ulysses and the Pit of Homer; there are actually so many stories that contain affirmations of the afterlife that we can’t list them all here.

You grant so many leniencies to all these various perspectives on spirituality and life after death; this same leniency is all we ask for since we are far more passionate about our conviction concerning God and judgment than any of those listed. Because we believe God is so big, it’s not impossible for us to think that after we die He could raise us from the dead, even though we are long buried and forgotten.

—

Doctrine…

It almost comes off like a dirty word lately…but it shouldn’t.  Doctrine simply means the “teaching” of a particular view.  Justin spends all this time trying to give an overview of Jesus’ doctrine (what He taught)…but then tags it with an intense expectation that doctrine should influence living.  I’m not sure I would be as comfortable making the ipso facto statements about people’s salvation that Justin makes in this chapter, but it certainly gives us an insight as to the values and expectations of the church just a hundred years removed from Christ.

How much does the doctrine of Christ influence our lifestyle?  Do we follow Him with our lives as well as our minds?  If Justin were to time-travel and see the church today…how would he assess us, I wonder?

Chapter XVI.-Concerning Patience and Swearing.

Concerning how we‘re to bear up under hard times, how we are to serve others, and how we need to control our anger, he said this: “If someone hits you on one side of your face, present the other side as well.  If someone steals your coat, don’t chase him down to get it back.  If you live your life all bitter and angry at others you’ll end up being consumed by that inner fire.  If you get forced into doing some work you didn’t sign up for, do that work, and any extra there is.  You want to live in a way that shows off what God has done in your heart.  Let everyone see it, because that’s how they’ll see the invisible Father!”

Our goal is to live in peace with our fellow man; we aren’t trying to force our views on anyone.  He warned us not to follow the lead of those who push people around, but rather through patient humility, show people a different way to live.  Many people who once believed as you do, who violently opposed our faith, found themselves being drawn into our convictions as they witnessed how those they attacked and cheated didn’t respond in kind.  What they saw as we lived out our faith, changed their minds and hearts, and they’ve joined us on our journey.

The reason we don’t swear oaths every time we make a promise is because He told us: “Don’t swear an oath to verify your word.  When you say yes or no, make sure you stick to that.  If you have to swear an oath in order to keep your promise, its proof that your enemy still has a hold of your tongue.”

His words are the reason we feel so strongly that we can’t do anything that participates in worshiping other gods.  He said, “The most important commandment God has given is that we only should worship and serve, with all our desires and strength, the one, true God.

Once, when someone was questioning Him, He was addressed as “Good Master”.  Jesus answered by saying “There is no one deserving of the title ‘good’ except God who made everything.”

You will find that there are some who call themselves Christian who don’t live by these teachings I’ve listed.  Please understand they are not Christians in our view.  We believe Christ came to give us a different life, not just a new rhetoric. 

Jesus said it this way: “Just because a person repeatedly professes that he follows Me, it doesn’t mean he’s really part of the Kingdom of Heaven.  It’s not just a good talk that matters, but a change of purpose; to follow God’s will instead of self-will.  If you hear Me, I mean really hear Me, you’ll set out to put my teachings into practice, and you’ll prove you’ve heard the One who sent Me.  When the story comes to an end, a lot of people will try to crash My party, saying ‘Lord, we were all busy doing your work, we celebrated Your name, we even did some miracles using Your name!’

“I’ll tell them to get out, they aren’t on the guest list, they were just doing their own thing but calling it Mine. There’ll be a howl of anguish coming up on the day when those who’ve been made righteous shine like stars, and those who did their own will are set on fire, forever.

“Many are going to come along claiming to speak for Me, but they‘re just wolves wearing sheepskins as a disguise.  You’ll be able to spot them by how they live their lives.  These will be like diseased fruit trees that can’t give anything good to eat; they’ll be chopped down for firewood, that’s all that’s left for them.”

We can’t defend those who only say they are Christians, whose lives don’t show any evidence of the values of Christ.  You’ll have to do with them whatever you please.

—

Y’know what’s missing from Justin’s discourse?  It dawned on my just this morning as I was re-reading the chapter I’m posting.  There’s no hint of the “self-help gospel” that is so prevalent today.  Justin, just a little over one hundred years from Jesus, quotes Jesus’ teachings with nary a self-oriented spin at all.  He doesn’t defend the faith by saying “If we do this, we get that”, but there is an overriding emphasis on others in his defense.  How we as Christians live differently by loving others, looking after them instead of putting ourselves first. 

I don’t know…the tonal quality of Justin’s gospel is different to me than the tune I presently hear.  It stirs me.

Chapter XV.-What Christ Himself Taught.

Here are some of the things that Jesus taught us concerning how we should live: “If you look at someone wishing you could have sex with him or her, you’ve already committed a sexual sin in God’s sight.”  And, “If you can’t control what you look at, you’d be better off putting out your best eye if that’s what it takes.  It’s better to be one-eyed in heaven than have both eyes in hell.” 

 “Whoever divorces their spouse just so they can marry someone else is really committing legalized adultery.”

He also said, “There are some people who have stayed single because circumstances or other people have forced them into that situation.  Some stay single because they are naturally suited to that lifestyle.  Still others will take up a single and celibate lifestyle in order to devote their whole life to the Kingdom of Heaven.  There won’t be many of these people; it takes a special person to commit like that.”

Because of the things Jesus taught, we believe it’s wrong for a man to have two wives, even if the law permits it, since it violates God’s original intention for marriage.  His teachings are also our motive for having pure thoughts and not dwelling on sexuality, since God is able to know our thoughts, not just our actions.  There are some among us who, in desiring to remain solely committed to Christ, have never been married.  Both men and women of various ethnic backgrounds who have remained celibate their whole lives; some of which are advanced to their sixties and seventies, who have remained single in their devotion to God.

They are the exception.  The rest, untold numbers of us, are people like you who have had our lives reformed by the teachings of Christ.  Don’t get the mistaken idea that God only wants the “good” people, or the people who have everything together.  Not at all.  God goes out of His way to look for the godless, promiscuous, wastes.  His own words were, “I didn’t come to try and rescue people who think their good enough already, but to rescue those who know they’re bad.”  God’s priority is not to punish people, but to help them, to rescue them.  Those of us who follow Him learn to love the same way He does.

He said, “Anyone can love people who love them first, that’s easy.  Even really bad people are able to muster that up.  I want you to pray for your enemies; when people hate you, repay them by loving them.  If they cuss you out, praise something good about them.  If they cheat you, pray for them, don’t try to get even.”

He taught us to help the poor, but not as a way to show off; not as a way to make people think we’re generous.  He taught us to be generous.  He said “Give what you can to those who ask for help.  If someone needs help to make ends meet, don’t turn away from them.  If you only help those who can pay interest on a loan, or make timely payments, how are you any different from all the loan sharks out there?  Don’t hoard money or become stingy on this earth.  All the stuff of this earth either gets lost, stolen or rots over time, it has no eternal value.  Money shouldn’t be a motivating issue for you, you’re real treasure is found in spiritual things, in heaven!  You could win the lottery and have all the money in the world, but if you don’t have your soul bound for heaven, what good can money do you?  What would you pay for the knowledge that your soul won’t end up in hell?  Money is a trap; invest in heavenly things, forever things that don’t get stolen or fade over time.”

“Think good thoughts and do good things for people who sometimes treat you badly, just like your Father up in heaven does for you!  He isn’t kind just to those who deserve it, but a sunny day warms a good man and a bad man just the same.”  “Don’t worry about what you’re going to eat or what you’re going to wear.  You’re much more important to God than the birds and wild animals, and yet He makes sure they have food and warm feathers and fur.  Don’t worry about food or clothing, your Dad knows you have needs; He’ll take care of you.  Instead, put all your energy into following the way of the Kingdom of Heaven, into the journey home.  As you concentrate on that, all the stuff the earthlings stress about will be provided for you, and you won’t have to worry at all. We become obsessed with the stuff we place our highest value on.  Let that be heaven.”

“Religion is dangerous territory.  If you start practicing my teachings just to look like really spiritual people to others, you’ll be wasting your time; your Father won’t fall for it.  Live for Him, not for people’s approval of you.”

—

Our Western worldview is one of the few (maybe the only one?) worldviews that completely rejects the idea of a supernatural realm.  Empirical evidence is our mandate.  If it can’t be measured, touched, dissected…it doesn’t exist. 

I love that Justin can be so free in his culture to identify where the struggles of this life originate.  He makes no qualms about assigning the opposition to Christianity to demons and dark, spiritual forces.  That’s a given, in his world.  In our culture, I think we struggle with believing in the devil as much, or more, than we struggle to believe in God.  It seems to me that we are prone to extremes when it comes to spiritual warfare.  We either obsess over it, seeing demons behind and influencing everything (I even knew a guy who believed farts were signs of demonic activity…not his own, of course, he didn’t think his stank)…OR, we dismiss or ignore the reality of a spiritual force in opposition to the kingdom of God.

The ease in which Justin identifies the problem, and moves on is something I admire.  I’d like to have that kind of aplomb in that realm.

Chapter XIII.-Christians Serve God Rationally.

It’s plain to see that we are not, in fact, atheists.  We are worshippers of the God who made the universe, and we worship Him the way He taught us to.  Not with rivers of blood from sacrificed animals, not with rites of drunkenness or with intoxicating incense.  God wants us to worship Him with our lives.  We worship Him by talking to Him about everything, by singing songs and expressing our gratitude to Him for making all things and providing everything we have need of.  Since God made all things, we don’t need to offer those things back to Him.  We ourselves use the things He created for us, to provide for our own needs and for the needs of those who are poorer than us.  We live a life of gratitude to God for our health, our food, this planet and the seasons and the beauty around us; as well as a life that extends beyond this present one by our faith in Him.

We have learned to worship this way from the teachings of Jesus the Christ.  He was born into the world for this purpose, to show us the way to God.  He was crucified under the command of Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea at that time (this was back during the reign of Tiberius Caesar).  We worship Him based on our belief that He is the Son of the one, true God.  This has been made known to us by those who were with Him, and through prophecies which have been given by the Spirit of God.  It is His teaching which we want to make clear to you.  We’ve been accused of being insane because it’s said we worship and esteem as God an ordinary man who was crucified.  They are stating this from a place of ignorance about our beliefs.  I’m sure it looks very mysterious to those observing us, but we can make our faith plain to you and clear up these misconceptions.  My hope is that you’ll pay close attention and hear our position. 

Chapter XIV.-The Demons Misrepresent Christian Doctrine.

Since we believe there is a spiritual battle raging here, it’s quite possible that you’ll find yourself distracted from reading our whole appeal, or listening to our entire defense.  Please don’t let that happen.  There are dark forces at work that have a powerful influence in this world, holding so many people hostage to their will.  Sometimes they influence through dreams, sometimes they speak through the mouths of the priests or magicians, but their whole purpose is to beguile weak willed souls and keep them from finding salvation.

This is the main reason we keep away from magical arts and the various ways in which deceiving spirits can manipulate people.  We follow Jesus Christ alone, not demons anymore.  Once we followed them.  Once we lived terrible lives of abandon to all kinds of bad behavior.  Now, where we used to find our identity in sexual conquests, we find ourselves in Christ, enjoying a life free of the consequences of promiscuity.  We used to practice magic arts, but now we’ve put that aside and spend our time praying to the true God.  Where once we spent all our time and energy trying to make more money and buy more stuff, we now make sure everyone around us is taken care of, we give our excess to the poor.  We used to live off our hatred for others and fear of people different from us, but now, in Christ, there is no one we won’t embrace and call friend.  We love our enemies, and those who are prejudiced against us and hate us for no reason, we seek all the more to show them the truth so that they may have the same hope we have in Christ.

In case we seem to be using a tactic of confusing rhetoric to bog you down and tangle you up in endless rabbit chases, I want provide some specific examples of what Jesus Christ taught.  This way you can see for yourself what kind of doctrine we follow, and what kind of lives we live because of Him.  He taught very simple concepts, easy to understand for the common man, yet powerful as the very word from God.

—

What is our message as the church?  Is it church growth?  Is it to convince people that we’re right and they are wrong? Is it social issues such as anti-war or support of political parties?  Is it to end hunger?  Is it to stop terrorism and spread democracy?

In Justin’s time, the message was about “the Kingdom”.  His definition of the kingdom mirror’s Jesus’…but does it mirror ours?  Do we live like we belong to another kingdom…like Someone bigger than us is watching?  Just wondering.

Chapter XI.-What Kingdom Christians Look for.

All our talk about looking for a kingdom has some people worried, but if you would have just asked us, we could have explained everything clearly.  When we talk about a kingdom, we aren’t threatening Rome, and we certainly aren’t thinking of ourselves as insurgents who will overthrow the Roman government.  Please listen to us; we are not talking about a kingdom on this earth, a human kingdom.  We are talking about God’s realm, a kingdom in heaven.  That’s why those who confess to being Christians (even when it means their life) can be so brave, because we believe we will go to that kingdom when we leave this earth.  If we deny Christ to keep from being killed, we run the risk of not getting into the kingdom we’ve been looking for all this time.  We aren’t so concerned with our present life because we are all going to die someday.  For that reason, we place a greater emphisis on what happens after death. 

Chapter XII.-Christians Live as Under God’s Eye.

We are on your side when it comes to being peaceful citizens obeying the law (probably more than any other people group).  Our belief that God is watching everything we do and will hold us accountable if we are stealing or working against lawful authorities.  That becomes our motive for right living because we want our lives to match up with the salvation we hope to receive.  If people only knew what was coming when this life is over, they would restrain themselves and follow God’s way of living.  If they knew what judgment awaits the wicked, they’d bail on the way they’ve been living without a second thought.

Laws and punishments don’t really stop people from committing crimes anyway.  They are only obstacles to sneak by for those who are intent on breaking the law.  Criminals know that laws are enforced by finite people; they know they can get away with crimes because you can’t be everywhere and you can’t see everything.  But if those who commit crimes only knew the truth, that God sees everything, not only the stuff that is actually carried out but the crimes committed in the mind and heart as well, they’d be the best citizens you have in the Empire.  You have to admit, the fear of God’s judgment is a powerful inhibiter when it comes to crime.

Yet knowing this, you still arrest us.  It’s as though you’re worried you’ll be out of a job if everyone starts obeying the laws of the land.  I could see bounty hunters being concerned about a drop in the crime rate, but not good civil servants such as you.  It only serves to confirm our conviction that this present hatred is being stirred up by evil, spiritual forces behind the scenes, the same kind of forces that demand homage and sacrifices from the gullible masses.  You, however, are known for pursuit of the truth, so I assume you won’t go along with this unreasonable hatred just because the crowds are.

If you still are more persuaded by tradition than the facts, I fear you undermine your royal estate.  Those who make rulings to appease popular opinion as a means of maintaining their power base have more in common with mobsters than royalty.

God’s Word to us, Jesus, has promised us that no matter what you do, you will not succeed in destroying us.  That’s why we serve Him, because we consider Him to be the best King of all. No sensible person would follow their father’s footsteps if they knew that the way he lived leads to certain poverty.  That’s why we refuse the way of life we used to live, and now we live for the Good King.  Everything that is happening to us now, He told us would happen.  He could see it coming because He the Son of God, the Messenger of God who is Ruler over all things.  He is Jesus, the Christ and we follow Him (which is why you call us Christians)!  Since this prejudice against us has come to pass, just as He told us it would, we are all the more convinced that everything else He told us is true.  Surely you can understand our conviction in light of His accurate forecast of our future.

I could end my defense here, since I believe I’ve supplied enough of an argument that we only want to be heard, and afforded our lawful rights.  That should be enough to convince you that this issue needs far more consideration than is presently being given.  Yet I also know that it’s not easy to change someone’s mind once they are convinced of something.  So for those who are interested in really knowing the truth about us, I will continue this letter and add more evidence to my case, hoping that an illumination of the facts will bring this time of ignorance to an end.

—

Justin’s sarcasm will come through pretty strongly in chapter 9 as he describes the origins of Roman idols.  His argument against materialism in worship is as sound today as it was two thousand years ago.  We still seem to wrestle with the concept that God wants our lives, not the stuff we can do for Him or the stuff we can give to Him (as though He needs anything anyway).  As Eugene Peterson paraphrases Psalm 50:

” But why should I want your blue-ribbon bull,
      or more and more goats from your herds?
   Every creature in the forest is mine,
      the wild animals on all the mountains.
   I know every mountain bird by name;
      the scampering field mice are my friends.
   If I get hungry, do you think I’d tell you?
      All creation and its bounty are mine. …
  “Spread for me a banquet of praise,
      serve High God a feast of kept promises, …”

Chapter IX.-Folly of Idol Worship.

It’s true; you won’t see us laying garlands of flowers on, or bringing offerings to the shrines of your gods.  We just don’t believe they are representing any form of God. They’re just statues to us, lifeless works of art.   We don’t believe God is in the form of the things men have carved with their hands.  As we said, we believe there are spiritual powers behind those things, but demonic entities, not gods.

The origin of these images isn’t some big mystery.  You know where they come from, you see artists carving them in the marketplace.  You know exactly what kind of tools they use, hammers, chisels, metal-working molds. You also know they can take a piece of scrap metal, a discarded end-piece of wood or a chipped stone, and rework it to be in the shape of what you end up calling a god.  That’s nonsense to us.  Doesn’t it seem like a true God would be insulted by using scrap materials to represent him, when he is ineffable in his beauty?  Seriously, think about it; God is resplendent in his glory, and yet you worship bits of stone that constantly have to have pigeon poop washed off them, or pieces glued back on.  Doesn’t that seem wrong?

Not only that, but look at the lifestyle of the artists who craft these images!  You know very well that the artist communities have a reputation for their promiscuous lifestyles.  The girls that work for them are no different, all of them given over to lust.  How does that make any sense?  People who can’t even control their own lives are able to create gods that you submit your lives to. Doesn’t that seem odd?  You even set these sex crazed people up as guardians of your temples (not to mention the ludicrous notion that mere men need to be guardians of the gods).

Chapter X.-How God is to Be Served.

What we’ve learned is that God is the one who made all things, who provides all things to us; He doesn’t want or need the offerings of material things you offer to your gods.  What we’ve been taught has thoroughly convinced us that the offering God wants from us is our life; that we live in a way that is harmonious with His nature of self control, justice, care for others and all the other good qualities that belong to the invisible God.  Our belief is that God is the one who created everything material out of nothing, including mankind.  What God is doing is restoring us to our original purpose, to be in relationship with Him, and to be delivered from the corruption of this broken world.  We have the choice to follow Him or not, to fellowship with Him or not.  If we choose to follow Him, we believe we are given a never ending life with Him.

We didn’t bring ourselves into the world, and we had no capacity to save ourselves from the corruption this world has fallen into.  All we could do is say ‘yes’ to God’s offer of salvation, and from there, He is the one who leads and molds us as we continue believing in Him.  We do believe in Him, and have such confidence in Him that we want everyone to know about Him like we do.

What human laws and regulations could never achieve through forcing good behavior, God by His Word, has produced in us by changing us from the inside out.  We think everyone would see the truth of this, if it weren’t for the dark and powerful forces at work to stop us from getting the word out.  There is a war on, and people who are following their own will are unwittingly being used by our spiritual enemy to spread lies and rumors about us that are far from reality.

—-

There’s no doubt about it, the early church firmly believed in a day of judgment.  I’m finding that premise sprinkled all through Justin’s writings.  But it wasn’t just the early church.  Justin will point to Plato’s theology, and his views on a day of judgment in the afterlife.  While I certainly don’t side with those who are saying that the preaching of hell is the most effective way to reach the lost…I definitely can’t embrace the new wave of universalism that’s sweeping the emerging church (‘sweeping’ may be a bit strong of a term…I should say ‘the latest fascination’).

There is no way around the fact that the early church, and I would say even the ancient world, believed in a day of judgment.  What does that say to us today?

Chapter VI.-Charge of Atheism Refuted.

When it comes to the Roman gods, we’ll admit it, we are atheists.  We don’t believe they are gods at all.  But we’re not atheists concerning the one true God, who is the Father of everything that’s right and true and good.  We’ve been taught to believe in Him through the Son who was sent from Him, and through the messengers who follow Him and are being made like Him.  These things have been taught to us by the Spirit, through oracles and illuminated teachings.  We are worshipers of this God, whom we believe to be the origin of all truth.  We have nothing to hide in this; we’ll share this knowledge with anyone who wants to hear it!

Chapter VII.-Each Christian Must Be Tried by His Own Life.

Now, we’ve heard  this scenario proposed:  “We’ve arrested some who claim to be Christians who turned out, as we investigated their lives, to be involved in criminal activity.  If Christians are such good folks why are we finding criminals in their midst?”

Listen, we have said again and again, investigate our lives.  If you find individuals among the large number of people you’ve been arresting that are guilty of criminal activity, put them in jail!  We aren’t asking that they be set free.  They’re criminals; they should be convicted as criminals.  But that’s the point, isn’t it?  As we’ve said, just because a person is labeled “philosopher” it doesn’t mean he really is one, or at least a good one.  There are those who may claim the title ‘Christian’ whose lives don’t match the teaching of our faith.  That’s why we are demanding that you investigate our lives, judge us on the basis of how we conduct ourselves, not on the mere basis of a name.  If a person is guilty of committing crimes, let him be punished for that, not for having the name Christian.  Being called a Christian is breaking no law that I’m aware of.

As for any counter demands of asking for punishment for those who have falsely accused us, we will require no such action.  It’s our belief that a hopeless, rotten life outside the knowledge of God is punishment enough.

Chapter VIII.-Christians Confess Their Faith in God.

This unwarranted prejudice has compelled me to write to you and set the record straight.  We have the option to deny that we are Christians in order to save our skins, but if you knew anything about our faith, you’d know that we strive to live in honesty.  In fact, our whole goal in life is to live in a way that characterizes the goodness and righteousness of God. We do this because we love Him.  That is the motive and the ethic that guides us.  This is what Christ instructed us to do in His teachings.

Plato taught that Rhadamanthus and Minos would judge those who lived selfishly and without concern for what’s right.  We believe the same thing; it’s just that we believe the true judge of all mankind will be Christ.  In fact, we believe the consequences of rejecting God’s way will be eternal ones, unlike Plato who thought a thousand years would be the limit of suffering for those judged as wicked.  We do believe there is a judgment day coming.You may pass this off as nonsense, that’s your right.  It’s what we believe. If it’s not hurting anyone else, how is it any of your business what we believe in?