A First Century Perspective

[330 words] The religious world looks at religion through 21st century glasses. Seldom does it really reach back to the first century. Yet, a first century perspective is exactly what is needed. If not, it is easy to make the Bible say things it never intended to say. Too, it causes individuals to use the Scriptures in an inappropriate manner. They will go to the Bible to prove their beliefs rather than going to the Bible to find their beliefs. In the first century, there was only one church, not hundreds. A person was either a Christian, a Jew, a Roman, or a Gentile. The Christians of the first century were called Christians. They were not called by a multitude of man-made names. In the first century, there were no creeds that demanded loyalty. The only book that guided the church was the Bible. The church was not guided and…