Theology: James, Hebrews and Peter James, Hebrews and Peter: Theology

The issue of persecution is quite prevalent in the books of Hebrews, James and 1 & 2 Peter. The writers center their teachings on the idea that Christians should be ready to endure persecution, just as Christ their savior did. This text examines how the issue of persecution is handled by the three writers, and what Peter says about false teachers and building healthy churches.

Persecution in Hebrews, James and 1 Peter

Persecution comes out as a core concern for Christ and his believers in both the Old and the New Testament. The books of James, Hebrews, and 1 Peter center on the theme of suffering and persecution, with the central message being that just like Christ suffered, Christians must face suffering in their daily living (Heb 11: 4; 1 Peter 2: 21) (Jobes, 2011). They must be willing to bear the same, entrusting themselves to He who judges righteously, the shepherd and guardian of their souls. Just like God delivered Christ via resurrection, He will deliver those who stay faithful to Him from the hands of their persecutors. So, why exactly where Christians in the early church facing persecution? How did they react to it? What advice do the authors of James, Hebrews, and Peter offer to the suffering believers? These are some of the questions that will be explored in this section.

Attitudes of the Hostile Society towards the Church: all the three books depict situations where Christian converts, who had converted to Christianity from Judaism, and had affirmed their belief that Christ indeed was the Messiah, were being persecuted by their kinsmen and fellow tribesmen for betraying their faith (Jobes, 2011). The beliefs and principles of the Christian faith went contrary to those of Judaism and the heathen Roman government. The hostile community hated Christians for refusing to honor other gods --Christians were accused of treason and being atheists because of their denial of other gods (Ellingworth, 1993). They were accused of secret, immoral worship practices, including incest and cannibalism. They were charged as being haters of humanity and irrational in their principles and beliefs. Most provincial governors regarded them as social radicals for refusing emperor worship -- to the Christians, however, accommodating such practices into their faith amounted to lying to God and His son, Jesus Christ, whom He sent to die on the cross (Jobes, 2011). The Roman Empire demanded absolute obedience to Caesar. The church, however, could not offer this because it believed that obedience of soul, body, and spirit was due to God alone. It is this disconnect that spurred the antagonism between Christians and the hostile community, with persecution being used to prevent the growth of the church (Ellingworth, 1993).

Forms of Persecution used by the Hostile Community: the hostile community took a number of actions to prevent Jews from converting to Christianity. Persecution was geared at deterring Jews from converting to Christianity, getting those who had already converted to deny the Christian faith, and preventing converted Christians from openly declaring their faith. The specific strategies used for persecution against Christina converts included:

i) Having men revile and accuse them falsely

ii) Forcibly separating them from the community, and expelling them from the synagogues and places of worship (Hebrews 3: 1-6)

iii) Forcibly taking their possessions. Hebrews 10: 34 acknowledges this, thanking Christian believers for readily accepting the seizure of their property, and promising them a better and lasting possession in heaven.

iv) Imprisoning and stoning them. Hebrews 13 advises Christian believers to pray for their colleagues who are in prison for their faith. Stephen is a perfect example of an individual who died as a result of stoning.

v) Forcing them to walk around in goatskins and sheepskin (Hebrews 11: 36-38)

vi) Forcing them to deny Christ and pledge allegiance to Judaism (Hebrews 10: 29)

The pressures of persecution spurred a series of responses from believers, including:

i) Apostasy -- leaving the faith. In Hebrews 10: 29, the writer acknowledges that some Jewish Christians, discouraged and persecuted, had been tempted to fall back to Judaism. Before being accepted back, they had been forced to publicly declare that Jesus was not the Son of Man, that His miracles were done through Satanic powers, and that His blood was shed just like that of a common malefactor (Heb 10: 29). The author, however,...

James 1: 12-18 affirms that some Christian believers were indeed denying the Christian faith under torture; however the writer offers an assurance that these could be forgiven if they came back to seek God because salvation is not about what one does, but what Christ has done. Moreover, when one is born again, he is declared righteous forever by God's decree. Peter, the apostle, offers a perfect example of an individual who denied Christ under pressure, but later affirmed his faith in Him.
iii) Martyrdom -- holding on to the faith, and accepting to die for one's belief in Christ. Stephen offers a perfect example in Acts, accepting to be stoned to death for his belief in Christ. A second example is that of Polycarp -- who was arrested and forced to revile Christ as a way of securing his release. Polycarp, however, answered, that he could never blaspheme the King, whom he had served for eighty-six years and who had never done Him wrong. He was burnt to death as a result in 156 A. D. In Hebrews 13: 7, the writer reminds Christian believers to remember those such as Stephen and Polycarp, who had died in martyrdom, and to imitate their conduct and faith in their daily living.

The Writers' Advice about Persecution: The core message about persecution and Christianity in the three books is that just as Christ suffered, Christians should also be willing to suffer for, and defend their faith (Heb 11: 4; 1 Peter 2: 21). In 1 Peter 4: 13, Christians are advised to rejoice when they are persecuted because suffering allows them to share the trials and tribulations of Christ, and by enduring it, they accord themselves an opportunity to also share and rejoice in the revelation of His glory (Elliot, 2008). The writer further encourages Christians to persevere in the face of persecution because anyone who suffers in the name of the Lord is blessed (1 Peter 4: 15; Heb 10: 32-34). Christians are cautioned against allowing themselves to suffer for things unrelated to Christ (verse 14); however, they should readily bear persecution for the sake of Christ because then, they will receive God's blessings. Moreover, they are cautioned against reverting to Judaism and their old ways owing to the persecution they face. Hebrews 6: 6 warns that apostasy amounts to returning Christ on the cross, and it is sin for which there is n forgiveness. Thirdly, Christians are taught to endure suffering and persecution for the sake of Christ because such suffering allows them to identify with Jesus in His own suffering (verse 16). The fact that they are hated by the world signifies that, like Christ, they do not belong to the world (1 Peter 2: 21-25), and being enemies of the world makes them friends of God. Christians are to persevere and keep on being faithful to God because just as God delivered Christ, He will also deliver them from their suffering and will speak punishment upon their persecutors (Heb 10: 26-27; James 5: 13) (Elliot, 2008).

Part Two

1. Write a description of Peter's concept of the church and important features of church life as seen in 1 Peter

Peter teaches that people are the core components of the church. They are special because they belong to, and have been selected by God (1 Peter 2: 9-10). A healthy church is, therefore, determined by the nature of relations among people (Clark Jr., 2010). Peter acknowledges that individually, people are like individual pieces of stone, which are of very little use when they sit all on their own. However, when several stones come together, they can give support to each other, and create something more meaningful and stronger -- a house. In the same way, when people come together as the church, each one performing their own individual roles, they are able to build something strong and meaningful.

Peter provides a framework that could enable people to come together to build a healthy church. First, the elders must shepherd the flock in the right way (5: 1-4). Elders in this context are the rulers of the church -- pastors, priests, bishops and so on. Peter teaches that church elders need to have a close personal relationship with Christ (5: 1). Peter puts this into perspective using his own relationship with Christ -- he followed Christ, lived according to his teachings, was a witness to Chris's suffering, and a partaker of the glory that was to be revealed.…