Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11
Those are the words that came from the lips of early Christians- “Jesus is Lord!” Those are also the words that caused many of them to die a martyr’s death. Why? Because in the Roman Empire, one was supposed to name Caesar as lord. It had become the practice that, as a matter of loyalty and submission, people in the Roman Empire would need to acknowledge that Caesar was lord. This began with Caesar Augustus and carried forward from that time. This concept carried through for centuries, in some form, even into the 18th century when the issue of the “Divine Right of Kings” finally tumbled to the idea of democratic government by the people.
The Romans were a very practical people. They had conquered large tracts of Europe and Asia Minor, and later even into England up to Hadrian’s Wall which separated England from the warrior Scots and Picts to the north. They tolerated many different religions and pagan practices, and assimilated those people into the Empire- as long as they would also recognize that Caesar was lord. This was a way to enforce submission and loyalty to a powerful empire.
Those troublesome Christians, however, would only recognize Jesus as the Lord of all. They would not recognize Caesar as lord- that was reserved for Jesus alone.
We see from the start that Christianity and Empire did not do well together. Only after 312 A.D. when Emperor Constantine declared that the Empire would move forward as a Christian Empire did the persecution of Christians stop. Unfortunately, when Christianity and Empire are aligned in power, each boosting the other, both lose their power.
So, my friends, we see that empire cannot enforce Christianity upon its people, and Christianity must stand as a moral mirror to the actions of Empire. Both government and Christianity can exist together, and even thrive, when each knows its limits and its mission.
Prayer: Lord, help us to see your plans as to how we can thrive in the world, Amen
