If the Gnostics were unsound as to the true Manhood of our Lord, others were unsound as to His Deity. There were many heresies as to the Person of our Lord in the early centuries of the Church's history—Arianism, Apollinarianism, Ebionitism, Nestorianism, Sabellianism, Docetism, Monophysitism, and many others, like a crop of evil weeds-the human mind exercising itself over the unfathomable mystery of the Person of our Lord. To comment on all these would take up too much room and time, so we will content ourselves with describing Arianism, which above all heresies rent the early Church.
This heresy came to light in the fourth century, and took its name from Arius, a presbyter of Alexandria, who first propounded it. We read:- "In his view the Son of God is a creature, out of nothing but the will of 'Gods, the Father a, Divine being, created before the worlds, but still a creature. As, a father must exist before his son, the Son of God is not co-eternal with the Father; there was a time when he was not. It was 'through him that God made the worlds, yet he is not in his own proper person, incapable of sin, though by the exertions of his own will he was preserved." (A History of the Early Church, Cheetham, p. 256.) Arius made a great mistake in reasoning from human nature and experience, that as a father must exist before his son, so therefore, as he falsely reasoned, the Father must have existed before the Son of God existed. We must get our thoughts as to this profound Subject from the Scriptures. There is no other source of information.
We would have thought that the following well-known Scripture would have settled 'the matter once and for all:- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was WITH God [a distinct Person in the unity of the God head], and the Word WAS God [as, such existent from all eternity]. The Same was IN THE BEGINNING with God [the Word was distinct eternally].... The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth" (John 1:1, 2, 141In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. (John 1:1‑2)
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)). According to these Scriptures there ever was God, the Father. There ever was God, the Son, uncreated, self-sustained, ever One in thought, purpose and will with the Father and the Holy Spirit in the Unity of the Godhead -Father, Son, Spirit, One God.
An old writer put the relation between very tersely:—"LIFE: The Father from all eternity giveth it, the Son from all eternity receiveth it." This dreadful Arian heresy rent Christendom again and again over a long number of years. Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria, strongly opposed Arius. He was followed by a still more powerful champion of the truth, the famous Athanasius, who subsequently became Bishop of Alexandria; and who for half a century strenuously opposed this heresy, and was driven into exile four or five times during that period. The Christian world to this day owes a very great debt to this great servant of Christ. At one time he was told that all the world was against him. His noble, unflinching reply was, "Then Athanasius is against the world." The humble individual, who stands up for the truth of God against all the forces of evil, relying only upon God, is ever in the majority.
The conflict raged round two words, which differed only in one letter, yet their meanings when applied to this matter were as far apart as the poles. In that single letter the whole of Christianity was at stake.
The Greek word, homoousian, meaning identity or sameness of substance, applying the term to the truth of the Persons of the Father and the Son, was the word Athanasius stood for, that the Son was in full and complete equality with the Father in the Unity of the Godhead.
The Greek word, homoiousian, meaning similar in substance; applying the term to the truth of the Persons of the Father and Son as set forth by Arius and his sympathizers, is destructive of the truth of our Lord's adorable Person as the eternal Son of God.
Not similar in substance, but wholly one in substance, is the truth of Scripture, and around this raged the stormiest controversy Christendom has ever known.
In A.D. 325 the Emperor Constantine convened a great general council to consider the attitude of the. Christian world to this teaching. Some three hundred bishops and presbyters from all parts of Christendom assembled at Nicea in Bithynia, Asia. That such a council was deemed necessary shows how widespread was the heresy and how strong were its roots.
At the same time we observe in the history of the Church of God upon this earth, that God all the time raises up a testimony to the truth, which, if paid heed to, would preserve it for succeeding generations. We shall find revivals making a great mark for the time being, and perhaps never quite losing their influence. Generally speaking we find a downgrade movement in things committed by God to men, though in His mercy there comes a check ever and anon.
In the goodness of God, the Nicene council stood for the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father, condemned Arianism, and composed the Nicene creed, embodying the decisions arrived at.
The evil, however, was not wholly eradicated. A powerful minority still pressed the views of Arius. It may surprise the reader to know there are those in this country, who hold these heretical views to-day, notably Millennial Dawnists, or Jehovah's Witnesses.
Thus far we have seen how Rationalism asserted itself in the early Church. Now we shall see how that twin evil, ritualism, asserted itself at the same time.