11th July 2022
The two gospels
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 (NIV)
Some time ago archaeologists found, among the ruins of Ephesus, a Roman inscription dated to approximately 4BC, which reads, ‘He is the God made manifest…the universal saviour of human life.’ This refers to Emperor Caesar Augustus, and this was the Roman gospel, the good news that Caesar would bring peace and prosperity to the world – only he didn’t. He died, as all other men do, on 19 August 14AD, at the age of 75. In fairness, Britannica states the following on his achievements: ‘With unlimited patience, skill, and efficiency, he overhauled every aspect of Roman life and brought durable peace and prosperity to the Greco-Roman world.’
Caesar Augustus is also mentioned in Luke 2:1: ‘And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.’ (KJV). He was the emperor when Christ was born. It is strange to think that during Christ’s early life there were in fact two gospels on the earth – the Roman and the Christian.
The bringer of the Roman gospel died despite the venerable inscription found in Ephesus. To quote the Book of Common Prayer, Caesar Augustus went the way of all men: ‘dust to dust, ashes to ashes’. He was no longer the universal saviour of human life – he never had been.
Jesus Christ, on the other hand, lives still and is actively working to save humanity from itself. His very words in John 10:10 were, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (NIV). We know that Christians were martyred because they refused to accept the deity of emperors – and we know they were right, none of them were gods.
Paul, when writing to Timothy, put it succinctly, ‘For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…’ (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV). Our Saviour did die, but did not become dust. Instead, He rose from the dead to give us eternal life. Let us thank God for this wonderfully true gospel.
Prayer
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you really are the way, the truth and the life. We are so thankful to be your children and pray for the Holy Spirit to aid us to become more like you, and our heavenly Father. Amen.
Study by Irene Wilson
About the writer:
Irene Wilson is a Deaconess in the Watford congregation of Grace Communion International, and also serves on the Pastoral Council.
Local congregation:
Gracecom Watford
St. Peter’s Church
61 Westfield Avenue
Watford, Herts.
WD24 7HF
Meeting time:
Saturday 11am
Local congregational contact:
George Henderson
Email: watford@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church