Living by Faith In Jesus Christ

The Covid-19 pandemic which has been raging for two years has disrupted every part of our lives. The disruption has been unsettling. We try to find ways to live with the situation though it hasn't been easy. Every day, for two years, we struggle to cope. 

Countries around the world have turned to medical science to control the virus. Though there have been some progress, the fight through science is far from over.  There is still so much to learn from the virus which continues to mutate.

Meanwhile, man-made laws are being introduced with the goal of controlling the virus. But the new laws not only tried to control the spread of the virus but controlled basic human rights like movement and choices. We are seeing emerging clashes of viewpoints on this.

Ideas on how to fight the virus continue to surface everywhere especially in social media. Even wild and fake news about the virus add to the confusion. It seems like we're on a boat tossed around by wild waves with the possibility of sinking.

A boat continuously tossed around by big waves for so long will certainly sink. To remain afloat, it will need to find a safe cove, drop anchor and wait it out until the big waves subside. In these trying times, we need to live by faith. I'm referring to Christian faith. 

We need that faith to serve as our haven amid this pandemic. In that light, let us draw inspiration from the early Christian communities especially in Rome, who had gone through so much and yet kept the faith.

When Paul wrote his letter to the Christian communities in Rome, he was clear that redemption and salvation from sin is through Jesus Christ alone. He wrote it eloquently in detail in Romans 6: 1-14. He tied that idea with the death and resurrection of Jesus. His letter surely strengthened the early Christians in Rome with Jesus Christ as the source of hope.

The first Christian communities in Rome were said to have been established by Jews living in Rome who probably travelled to Jerusalem for pilgrimage. They were, perhaps, the Jews who had witnessed the Holy Spirit coming down upon the apostles during the Pentecost. 

These Jews were probably merchants, which means they travel a lot and were perhaps ministered by the apostles while they were in Jerusalem. They probably brought their new-found faith back with them in Rome. Later, Gentile (Non-Jews) have also joined the Christian communities in Rome. There was a sizable Christian community already thriving in ancient Rome. 

The young Christian communities faced its own big threatening waves, so to speak. The communities suffered persecution especially from the Roman emperors.  Both Christians and Jews believed in one God. The Romans believed in many gods including treating the Roman emperor as a god. These opposing beliefs clashed resulting in persecutions. Christians refused to honor the many gods including the emperor. So many Christians were martyred because of their faith.

There also arose disagreements between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles because of  the Jewish faith imposing its beliefs on Gentile Christians in order to be saved. Paul wrote them to resolve those differences and exhorted them to accept each other with utmost tolerance. Paul always cited Jesus Christ as the example of endurance and tolerance from his earthly life, through the scriptures and Paul's viewpoint.

So much had happened from the time of the early Christian communities in Rome two-thousand years ago. The Christian faith had been preached and has reached every corner of the globe. Today, part of the City of Rome itself is the seat of the Catholic faith which ministers to millions of Catholics around the world. That was possible when the faithful throughout the ages lived by faith in Jesus Christ. In the same light, it is through faith in Him we shall prevail amid this pandemic.