Historically, persecutions are part of the Christians' journey. Many godly individuals stood in their faith until their last breath. However, some recanted. Now "the deaths of the previous emperors who persecuted the Christians ultimately strengthened the people's belief that God intervenes in history to ensure that the Christian church shall prosper" (Barnes 1981, 162.).  As of the moment, persecutions are now gone. The remnant Christians are free to read the Bible, to worship every Sunday, to build churches and to take roles in the society (Schaff 1914, 31.). All these happened during the reign of the Emperor Constantine the Great.

The conversion of Constantine to Christianity probably happened in the year 312 (Jones, 1962, 73.).  He played a role as he looked after the needs of every Christian. "After his victory over Maxentius, which left him master of the entire west, Constantine met Licinius, his surviving colleague in the east, and won him over to a policy of toleration. It was because of the Edict of Milan as approved by Constantine and Licinius that the Christians were given complete freedom of worship and exemption from all pagan ceremonies in all the Roman Empire. This decree was subsequently dishonored by Licinius, but it was reaffirmed in 323 when Constantine became sole emperor" (Cary 1965, 768.). How glad the Christians were when their freedom was fully expressed.

Two years later, a major theological issue occurred that made the Christian church split into a number of groups, each holding different views. The issue was created by Arius of Alexandria with regard to the nature of Jesus Christ. He strongly believed that Jesus Christ was not fully divine and therefore a created being only. The question is, was Jesus really God or was He the son of God? What was really the stand of the church at that time? Because of the confusion Arius made to the entire empire, Constantine needed to settle it. So, he convened all the bishops in the empire to meet at Nicaea. About 300 of them attended the Council and Constantine paid their living expenses during its entire duration (Barnes, 1981, 214.).

Though Constantine had limited knowledge concerning Christian issues, he presided over the Nicaean Council. He actively involved himself in the discussions until the final creed was made (http://www.essortment.com/constantine-great-nicaean-council-21913.html, October 25, 2012). It was then finally affirmed that Jesus' nature is both fully divine and fully human. As a result, the teaching known as Arianism was condemned as heresy and Arius was later on  exiled by Constantine (http://www.answers.com/topic/first-council-of-nicaea, October 25, 2012).

Finally, the Council of Nicaea produced a written creed in order to have a unified tenet for all Christians. It served as a standard of faith against heresies. Indeed, God was and will always be at work in the preservation of the truth. He used Emperor Constantine and the Bishops to somehow put an end to the wrong teachings that some heretics created. Until now, this creed is still widely used by most evangelical churches (like my church) as a foundation of their belief in the triune God. The creed was later called as the Nicene Creed.

"We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen" (http://traditionalchristianity.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/the-nicene-creed-origins-and-development/, October 25, 2012).

Questions for Discussion:

1. What do you think will happen if the bishops did not stand for the deity of Jesus Christ during the council at Nicaea? How will it affect our evangelism and discipleship today?

2. Many daughter churches were produced not as a result of the growing ministry of the church but due to unsettled issues. Some members of the church were somehow forced to leave because the church leaders did not try to solve it. What can you say about this matter?

SOURCES:
Barnes, Timothy D. Constantine & Eusebius. USA: Harvard University Press, 1981.                                                                                                                                               Cary, M. A History of Rome. NY: St. Martin’s Press, Inc., 1965. 
 Jones, A.H.M. Constantine & the Conversion of Europe. NY: Collier Books, 1962.

Schaff, Phillip. History of the Christian Church. NY: Charles Scribers’ Sons, 1914. 

http://traditionalchristianity.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/the-nicene-creed-origins-and-development/, October 25, 2012.
http://www.essortment.com/constantine-great-nicaean-council-21913.html, October 25, 2012.
http://www.answers.com/topic/first-council-of-nicaea, October 25, 2012.
Images: 

http://orthodoxword.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/sinod-niceea.jpg, October 25, 2012.

http://www.zazzle.ca/portrait_of_constantine_the_great_poster-228135704671231808, October 25, 2012.  

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om5SA6El3yA, October 25, 2012.