Who has had the biggest impact on Christianity as we know it today Paul, Constantine, Augustus or Luther?

Question

Explanations would be nice

Meant Augustine

Answer 1

Hi there.

I appreciate the loyalty of the believers here who have answered by giving the Lord's name, but He wasn't actually included in your question.

Of the four people that you mentioned, undoubtedly the one who had the "biggest impact on Christianity as we know it today" was the Lord's apostle, Paul. Of course, the term "Christianity" has become somewhat devalued over the centuries, due to the various worldly practices & false doctrines propagated by Christendom, in particular (but by no means exclusively) Roman Catholicism. A genuine, Biblical form of Christianity can only be one which is comprised of God - chosen, spiritually regenerate, Bible - believing followers of Jesus Christ, who by the grace of God seek to be clear & powerful witnesses of the truth in speech & in deed. The central mission of such Christianity should be the declaration of God's forgiveness and salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus, His death & resurrection. Although the "social gospel" should not be ignored by the church of God, it is, in my view, a secondary matter.

So, to your question. Any true, seasoned Christian who has read the apostle Paul's letters can be in no doubt as to the tremendous impact that this servant of God had in shaping Christianity as we know it today. The epistle to the Romans in particular, is a theological bedrock for discerning believers. In this work, Paul covers the topics of man's sinful condition before God, man's inability to keep God's Law, justification of sinners by grace through faith in Christ, Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit, God's sovereignty in the predestination, calling, salvation & glorification of believers, the previously unrevealed mystery of the oneness of Jew & Gentile in Christ, God's end - time purposes for national Israel & the practical outworking of the Christian life. Wow! Was there anything that Paul didn't cover ? Romans is truly a mighty work by a mightily used man of God. Possibly my favourite book in the NT, along with Hebrews (maybe).

No other servant of God in the first century church or since then has done more to clarify and promote one of the central Christian doctrines - that of God's grace in freely justifying the sinner who trusts in Jesus. I don't know about you, but many times, due to sin & failure, I've felt discouraged and even condemned. I also know that Paul's Spirit - inspired writings have reasurred & strengthened me in (and for) such situations, especially Ephesians 2:8 & 9.

We should all be thankful for this fruitful servant of the Lord, the "chief of sinners" (1 Timothy 1:15), who, by the grace of God was used mightily to form the theology of the Christian church today.

May God bless you.

Answer 2

Constantine. The explanation is a little complicated, but you can do a web search on the Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicene in the third or fourth century, and read all about how he decided what would be included in the canonized bible, and what would not, and what his motives were for making the choices he made.

Answer 3

Paul who explained doctrine in 2/3rds of the New testament and Martin Luther for rescuing Christianity from man made traditions.

Answer 4

Paul, he wrote much of the new testament and made up most of Christian theology.
Strange that some people here say Luther, this is something that Catholics would certainly not agree with as Luther was a heretic for them.

Answer 5

Luther

Answer 6

no one particularly invented Christianity. Christianity, as you nicely understand, replaced into brought to us through Our Lord. yet now to the extra direct and abbreviated answer on your question. Constantine, during the Edict of Milan 313 A.D., made it lawful for Christians to worship without worry of retribution from the Roman empire. It did no longer, as some have faith, make Christianity the respected State faith yet particularly granted freedow of worship. Paul, on the different hand, replaced into arguably between the main instrumental missionaries in the Church. besides the actuality that no longer between the unique twelve apostles he delivered the notice of Our Lord to Turkey, Asia Minor and different factors of that area. wish this helps!

Answer 7

Out of the four you mention I would say by far Paul is the clear winner.

From Pauls letters the other men interpreted by some degree, their own forms/versions of Christianity.

Answer 8

Positively - Paul
Negatively - Constantine
Paul has the influence but Luther (reformers) needed to get us away from Catholicism (Constantine), for us to be able to get back to the Bible and the teachings of Paul.
I guess they all work together.

Answer 9

I would vote for Luther. He really made an effort to bring things back to what Jesus talked about, with a personal decision based on personal faith.

Answer 10

well Paul developed the modern theology for Christianity.

Though I would have to say Constantine because without him Christianity might have never reached any level of power.

Though without Paul Christianity would have effectively died off by Constantine time.

so its hard to say. Without either Christianity would not be much if anything at all.