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HIPPOLYTUS OF ROME
LORD’S DAY, DECEMBER 13
Matthew 18:23-35

Ephesians 4:31-32

 

“…forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ’s sake

hath forgiven you.”

 

HIPPOLYTUS OF ROME
 
Hippolytus of Rome was one of the most important Christian theologians of the late second and early third centuries AD. Though elusive to historians, he is remembered as a brilliant bishop and gifted writer, and often regarded as a Church Father. His treatises addressed the heresies troubling the church in his day, especially those concerning the Trinity and the Person of Christ. Early Christians wrestled with how best to articulate the apostolic teaching that Jesus was both truely God and truely man, and Hippolytus sought to defend this truth with clarity.
 
He was particularly opposed to the heresy of Modalism (also called Sabellianism), which blurred the distinctions between Father, Son and Holy Spirit by claiming they were merely different “modes” of one divine person. Hippolytus urged Bishop Zephyrinus (AD 198-217) to condemn the modalists, but when Zephyrinus failed to act, Hippolytus grew frustrated. His opposition intensified under Callistus I (AD 217-222), whom he considered unworthy of office due to his past and his leniency toward pagan converts.
 
Some traditions suggest Hippolytus led a rival group in Rome, later labelled an antipope by Catholic historians. Yet, despite his conflicts, he was reconciled to the church before his death. He was martyred for Christ and eventually honoured as a saint.
 
Hippolytus’ life reminds us that zeal for orthodoxy must always be tempered by love. Doctrinal purity without grace can turn us into harsh judges rather than humble servants. We are all sinners saved by grace, and as forgiven people, we must also extend forgiveness. Orthodoxy is essential, but it must be lived out in the spirit of Christ’s love.
 
THOUGHT: Am I becoming pharisaical in how I view other believers, forgetting that I, too, am a sinner saved by grace?
PRAYER: Father, help me to hold fast to Thy truth with humility. Keep me faithful to Thy justice, yet overflowing with love for Thy children. Teach me to forgive as I have been forgiven, and to walk in both truth and grace.

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