Direct Answer
The transcript does not give a direct test for motives, but the two stories show the difference. One person wants the brother restored. The other wants to win and see the man condemned.
Support from the Message
- A local council asked Origen to come and help, and he went to win his brother. - He approached Heraclides in love, sat down with him, and little by little helped him see where he was wrong. By the end, the matter was settled. - The bishops at Nicaea came with a judgmental, vindictive spirit, wanting to condemn Arius instead of helping him see his error. - When Arius agreed with their wording, they grew frustrated because they could not trap him. - David Bercot compares that spirit to the scribes and Pharisees, and says church history would probably be different if the bishops had come as Origen did.
Discussion Follow-up
Think of the last time you corrected someone. Would you have been glad or disappointed if that person had agreed with you?