The Ancient Way

Christianity is an ancient faith, far older than most people realize. Holy Scripture traces its origins back to prehistory, a time before written language when people “called on the name of the Lord.”

This is the Ancient Way to call on the name of the Lord. 

For simplicity, we will call it, “The Way.”

The Way continued in the Middle East during the early Bronze Age. Christian scripture says God appeared to a man named Abraham of Ur, who lived sometime during the second millennium B.C.E. in a land to the east called Haran.

God spoke to Abraham and said, “Leave your home, your family, and your father’s household for the land I will show you. I will make you a great nation and will bless you. I will make your name respected, and you will be a blessing.” Abraham obeyed God’s voice and departed his father’s house. So, he walked the path of the ancient way and was loyal to the Lord. His descendents Isaac, Jacob, and Moses, eventually became the nation of Israel, each devoted to The Way.

This is The Way, leaving your current life to follow the path the Lord God leads.

Centuries later, God spoke again through a prophet named Nathan.  His message was for David, king of Israel. God promised David, like Abraham, that a descendant would sit on his throne forever. And so, the ancient way progressed forward.

A thousand years later, God spoke again during the Caesars of Rome to a virgin teenage girl named Mary. She would give birth to a son, and he would become the fulfillment of the promise given to her ancestors.

She named him Jesus. He was the promised one, the Christ, the royal descendent of David, and the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. God loved the world and sent his son to restore it from the terrible plight of evil and fulfill his promises to his ancestors.

Jesus’ message was radical. He preached that God’s promises were now being fulfilled and God’s long-awaited Kingdom had finally arrived. He called people to renounce evil, align with him, and devote their allegiance and trust to him as the divine king. He taught his disciples “to love God and love your neighbor as yourself.” He even claimed he was “the way, the truth, and the life.” No one could access God the Father unless they were loyal to Jesus.

The religious, secular, and spiritual powers of darkness hated Jesus and the light he brought to the world. So they arrested him and put him to death through the humiliation of Roman crucifixion, a powerful symbol of humanity’s imperial dominance. After three days, God foiled their evil acts by raising Jesus from the dead, defeating sin, death, and evil.

After his resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples and more than five hundred witnesses who testified to his life. He commissioned and sent them to proclaim this good news. The Way was open to everyone who aligned with Jesus, the promised Christ.  He then ascended to heaven, where he now sits at the right hand of God, our Father, as the high king of heaven.

Jesus’ followers became the Apostles, literally “sent ones” who testified to his life, teachings, and ultimately his identity as the son of God.

The crucifixion secured victory over the ancient evil powers and forever changed humanity’s relationship with God. Anyone who declares Jesus is Lord and believes God raised him from the dead will inherit eternal life.

What was a humiliating symbol of death became a sign of life. 

The ancient path of Christ continues, calling everyone to realign their lives to him, obeying his teachings, and inviting everyone to walk the ancient way. One day, Christ promises to return, ending death and creating a new heaven and earth.

This is the ancient way, a path of devotion and allegiance to the Lord Jesus, the Christ.