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Matthew 7: 13-14: The Definition Of Early Christian Life

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In society today, we seem to focus on one thought when it comes to religion. “What can I do to get into heaven?” We want to know what the minimal effort it takes, so that we can do things that are more important to us. Yet, there is never a straight answer in the Bible that tells us the amount of work we must do in order to live eternity with Our Father. Therefore, we go through life putting in effort here or there to insure a constant Christian appearance without inconveniencing ourselves. There are many verses that deal with what a Christian must face in order to reach heaven. Matthew 7:13-14 expresses that Christian life is not easy but filled with hardship. This verse eventually evolves into the name and definition of Early Christians which …show more content…
Being a Christian wasn’t easy. You were persecuted and punished for believing in one God, and an all-powerful God at that. The persecutions didn’t start for a while. Roman Emperor Tiberius actually moved to make Christ a Roman God, but instead the Senate made Christianity an “illegal superstition” (Constitutional Rights Foundation). Yet, Emperor Tiberius held off persecutions because he was hoping that the new sect would weaken the Jewish community, and therefore making them easier to rule. The next ruler, Nero, wasn’t so nice to the Christians. When the Fire of Rome occurred in 64 C.E., the people began to blame it on Nero. Thus, Nero looked to the Christians as a scapegoat. The Roman citizens, looking for someone to blame, were quick to turn in the illegal Christians for persecution. This persecution was often brutal for the Christians and a party for the Romans in attendance. Tacitus described the way Christians were persecuted which involved crucifixion or being pulled apart by dogs. (CRF) Then Emperor Trajan tried to make peace between the Romans and the Christians, but were unable to because the Christians were a small minority and the Romans believed it would be easy to kill what little population they had. The Emperor Diocletian instituted the last Christian persecution in the Roman

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