The Da Vinci Code novel and movie is packed with lies that are presented
as fact. Each day, every false statement, heresy, or theological
misstatement in the novel or movie, will be demystified with
evidence. There are more than 108 lies in the Da Vinci Code that Brown
wants people to believe as fact in a fictional novel. My job will be to
expose the lies and present the truth. We will be looking at LIE # 1
today.
LIE #1:
In 325 A.D. at “a famous ecumenical gathering known as Council of Nicaea….many
aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon….the divinity of
Jesus. Until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers
as a mortal prophet…a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A
mortal….Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed
and voted on by the Council of Nicaea…a relative close vote at that.” (Da
Vinci Code paperback, pp. 252-253)
Let me demystify the lies from the truth:
The truth:
The Council of Nicaea did convene in 325 A.D.
The lies:
-
The Council of Nicaea voted to give Jesus divinity.
-
Jesus was viewed by his followers as a mortal prophet, a great
powerful man, but a man nonetheless before 325 A.D.
-
Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and
voted on by the Council of Nicaea
-
The vote was relatively close.
The Council of Nicaea did not have to vote to give Jesus divinity. Their
vote was more of an affirmation of what followers of Christ already
believed before the fourth century.
Followers of Christ believed in Jesus to be divine that they were
willing to be brutalized by gladiators to their death, torn up by lions,
stoned to death, and go through all sorts of persecutions rather than
denying who Jesus is and why they followed Him. All these Christians had
to do was renounce Jesus as God and King which would have spared their
lives. They did not because of their belief that Jesus was not a mortal
prophet but God Himself come in the flesh to save humanity. To them
Jesus was not ‘just a man nonetheless’ as Brown wants people to believe.
Majority of Jesus' disciples died terrible deaths for believing in Jesus
as their Lord and Personal Savior.
It is shocking that Brown wants people to believe that for four hundred
years, people just decided to go through torture and persecutions for
belief in a prophet. All the persecutions resulted because they knew
Jesus is divine and were not going to renounce Him for any reason. Jesus
died on the cross for the sins of humanity in 33 A.D. and came back to
life three days later. That is 292 years before the Council of Nicaea.
It was during that era the Christians suffered enormous persecution.
Yet, more Christians have died for their faith in the 20th century
compared to all the 19th centuries combined. They were willing to give
up their lives without renouncing the Truth.
Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was NOT officially proposed and
voted on by the Council of Nicaea. People before then already believed
Jesus to be ‘the Son of God’ and have the characteristics of divinity.
If anything, the issue came up again because of heretical teachings by
pastors who were spreading lies. One of them was Arius of Alexandria. To
squash those lies and heresy, the Council of Nicaea began the
development of a creed in 325 A.D. It was formally adopted at the
Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. and became known as the NICENE CREED.
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,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit
and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
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,
and the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son
is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in the one holy catholic
(Christian) 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
The vote to make Jesus divine was not the reason for the vote as stated
before. The vote was for the affirmation of the divinity of Jesus
Christ. It was NOT a relatively close vote as Dan Brown wants his
readers to believe. Rather, the divinity of Jesus Christ was affirmed
316 – 2. Any child that knows math can see that it was not even a close
vote.
Before the Council of Nicaea convened, we learn from many followers of
Christ that they believed in Jesus to be divine as early as 292 years
before the Council convened. Here are some of the names of those who
affirmed the divinity of Jesus before Brown’s deceptive claim.
Ignatius: “God Himself was manifested in human form.” (AD 105)
Clement: “It is fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God”
(A.D 150)
Justin Martyr: “Being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God”;
“Both God and Lord of hosts”; “The Father of the universe has a Son. And
He ….is even God” (AD 160)
(For more names, read page 90 of ‘Exploring the Da Vinci Code’ by Lee
Strobel and Garry Poole)
In the first century alone when the Gospels were written, they attested
to the divinity of Jesus Christ. Remember that was the same century that
Jesus walked the earth. When speaking to the disciples Jesus claims to
be the ‘I AM’. This is how God addressed Himself to Moses at the burning
bush. The Pharisees would have known about that. Now Jesus says to
others, “I AM” and describes His function as ‘I AM’
“I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate
the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes
down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread
that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the
world." (John 6:48-51, NIV)
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows
me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John
8:12, NIV)
"You are from below; I am from above. You are
of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in
your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you
will indeed die in your sins." (John 8:23-24, NIV)
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before
Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58, NIV)
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will
be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life,
and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-11, NIV)
“What about the one whom the Father set apart
as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of
blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?” (John 10:35-37, NIV)
“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and
the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and
whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
(John 11:25-26, NIV)
"You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly
so, for that is what I am.” (John 13:13, NIV)
“Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you
really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do
know him and have seen him." (John 14:6-7)
“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and
that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own.
Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe
me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at
least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.” (John
14:10-11, NIV)
“Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and
that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own.
Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.” (John
14:10, NIV)
"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man
remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you
can do nothing. (John 15:5, NIV)
Jesus’ divinity is attested in the Old Testament and New Testament
writings which were written 292 years before the Council of Nicaea.
Brown figured he could make people believe what he wrote because of his
half truths but they are coded in deceptive delusions.
If you still are having trouble believing in the divinity of Jesus
Christ, remember the Bible has stood the test of time. If you have read
the Da Vinci Code and believe a novel, I assure you if you take the time
to go through the Gospel of John and read it through, you will come to
know the real truth about Jesus and His claims to divinity. The other
Gospels will supplement that Truth!
The Gospel of John starts out proclaiming the divinity of Jesus Christ.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has
been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The
light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
(John 1:1-4, NIV)
“He came to that which was his own, but his own
did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed
in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born
not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but
born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We
have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:11-14, NIV)
As the movie DaVinci Code opened across the
theaters on May 19, 2006, which speaks against the church and most importantly
degrades the Name of Jesus Christ, we need to make ourselves available to
speak the truth to the falsity presented in the movie and the novel. If you
plan to watch the movie or have read the book and have questions or your
faith seems to be shaken, please email me or give me a call at 412-720-4579
so we can discuss the false claims in the book that are presented as fact
even though the book itself and the movie is presented as fiction. May the
Lord bless you and guide you!
If you need anyone to talk to, pray
with, or study the Bible with this Spring or Summer of 2006, you can email
me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.
Please do not hesitate. One-one Bible studies
can be so powerful to because the Holy Spirit is still in the
midst.
"This is my work and I can do it
only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians
1:29, TLB)
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