Christianity began years ago and is built on the reverence of a Supreme Being. The growth of this religion and the teachings that the believers receive are mainly based on scripture. God’s wisdom and will are the guiding factors to the rules that Christians follow. This is an unwritten highest law and is also believed to be eternal. This means that the teachings delivered thousands of years ago, are still similar to what is being taught in the moder day world. Essentially, the scripture, which is the book of all according to Christianity, is an influential guiding factor to the believers, as it establishes what they are allowed to do, what honors God, and what they should refrain from.
Like in the modern-day books of Law, commonly known as the constitution, the Bible was meant to bring order to the believers, as they would not be expected to stray from what they have learned. Eternal Law is similar to that of both believers and non-believers. For the stoics, the eternal cosmic Law is identical to eternal reasoning. This makes it clear that regardless of the belief that one holds on to, the eternal Law determines people’s actions. The eternal Law also explains the natural order of things. Aspects such as creation, the existence of a Deity, and his command for maintenance are all explained in the eternal laws (Chroust, 1944). The eternal order is the primary determinant of the moral value attached to man’s actions. Given that it distinguishes right from wrong, the Bible is an influential tool for what is considered moral in human actions.
Being a Christian is about forgoing worldly pleasures so one can follow the instructions and the will that God has for them. It requires one to commit to the eternal truths, as the scripture explains. The Bible provides a chronology of events as different powerful rulers revered God and dedicated their lives to his will. Abraham is one of the founding fathers of Christian belief (Augustine, 1954). After praying for years that God would bless them with a child, they finally conceived one in their old age. However, in a turn of events, God asked him to sacrifice him. This was extremely difficult for Abraham to do, considering how much they had prayed that they would have a son.
However, he did not dispute and did what God required of him. When he reached the venue where the sacrifice would be done, God had prepared a lamb for him, and revelaued that it was a test of his faith. God then made promises to Abraham, assuring him that he would be a father of many nations and that he would receive the land he overlooked from the mountain. This is a perfect example of God’s blessings in store for us if we dedicate our lives to believing and trusting in him.
Christianity had faced attacks from ages ago when they began being accused of being responsible for the fall of Rome. At the time, people believed that worshipping other gods would have saved the city (Augustine, 1954). The City of God is a reflection of pagan belief that one must believe in the old gods so they can attain material advantage. However, the scripture presents several people who dedicated their lives to God and received all the material possessions they could imagine. Abraham’s case is a perfect example since he received all the promises God made him years after he underwent the test. The blessings were enjoyed by generations that came in the future, as he had also been promised to be a father of many nations.
The promises of God are deeply rooted in having faith and trust in him. David’s story is a perfect example of how the blessings of God find people even in the most unexpected states. He was the last of his father’s children and still made King (Augustine, 1954). Apart from being the last child, he also came from the weakest Israelite communities. In this case, it was unexpected that a king would come from this community. It is interesting to learn how the lord’s prophet found him in the fields, talked to his father, and anointed him as king from a young age.
That aside, Solomon also reflects God’s power as he got wealth and wisdom, just as he had asked from God (Augustine, 1954). The manifestation of this promise was grounded on the faith that he had in God. Such examples prove that Christian faith is based on trust and belief in God. Most of the promises that manifested in the lives of the people they were made to resulted from their faith. It is also important to note that in the scripture, bad things still happen to people, even when they trust in God. The pagan belief that trusting in the God of Israel was the reason for the misfortunes that befell them is unreasonable since misfortune still befell them even when they trusted the old gods.
In all the cases of early Christianity, the beneficiaries of God’s promises still suffered challenges. The difference in the outcome is that they placed their faith in God, believing he would carry them through whatever challenges they faced. Eternal Law explains that things happen based on how God willed them to. Believing in Christianity is not an assurance that bad things will not happen to people. Different believers across the scripture dedicated their lives to God, but a series of calamities still befall them.
Additionally, even the old gods could not prevent bad things from happening to those who believed in them. Instead, Christian belief is assurance that God’s grace will still carry his people through their challenges. It is assurance that they will receive divine comfort and peace as they go through the challenges and that they will eventually become victorious.
Reflection 1
I agree that the eternal Law expects us to comply to natural order and not cause any disturbance to it. God’s wisdom and will cannot be changed and are predetermined by what happens on earth. In this case, it is extremely impossible for the human generation to run away from the will of God and can only comply with it (Chroust, 1944). Essentially, the eternal order was established for the good of the human generation. It creates order, as it ties humanity to a set of instructions that they are expected to follow as has been established in scripture.
This read confirms that everything happening on earth is a reflection of the divine order and the will that God had for it. Nothing happens under the sun and is not predetermined by God. Consequently, the read also explains that the lex aeterna is the foundation of good morals (Chroust, 1944). Without instructions from God, human beings may not have the wisdom to differentiate between right and wrong. By believing in God and reading the scripture, one understands good and bad and implements the same teachings in one’s life. By adhering to the teachings, humans are said to be morally upright since they are committed to doing good.
The Philosophy of St Augustine also provides an explanation of how human beings rationally adhere to the moral teachings explained in Lex Aeterna. This is defined as lex naturalis. Humans are granted the spirit of discernment, which explains the rational respect and adherence for the teachings written in scripture. By reading this book, one is able to understand how concepts such as justice spring forth, as they are an establishment of the moral compass. Given that scripture acts as a book of Law, there are expected consequences for failing to adhere to these teachings, hence the occurrence of the justice system.
Reflection 2
Reading this book has been insightful of the persecution and resistance that Christianity has continually received over the years. As Christians, we believe that only one true God holds power over everything on earth. It is quite normal for people to have conflicting opinions on the same, as has been explained in “The City of God”. The fall of Rome was mostly blamed on Christians as they had shifted from believing in the old gods.
However, I believe that good and bad things occur in equal measure, so there can be a balance. Bad things may also occur so one can strengthen the relationship they have with God and ultimately have more faith in him. Believing in the one true God is an assurance that He will carry us through the bad situations that we encounter during our time on earth. This book is a reflection of how rewarding it is for one to trust in God. It refutes the claims that one can only get material possessions from believing in pagan gods (Augustine, 1954). The wealthiest man according to scripture got his material possessions from God, and did not have to shift his focus to the pagan gods. This book is also a representation of God as a master planner. From the creation stories, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the prophets, the New Testament and the spread of Christianity, this book has created a platform for one to understand natural order. It is clear that everything that happens on earth is based on the will of God. For instance, there was intentionality in how Christ died for our sins, and God later sent the Holy Spirit as a helper. This is proof that God did not intend for human beings to go through life alone, as they would always have a support system. In a nutshell, this read has been extremely insightful on natural order, as it gives a chronological explanation for how the world existed.
References
Augustine, S. (1954). The city of god, books xvii-xxii. Catholic University of America Press. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/reader.action?docID=3134882&ppg=10
Chroust, A.-H. (1944). The Philosophy of Law of St. Augustine. The Philosophical Review, 53(2), 195–202. https://doi.org/10.2307/2182025
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