It seems increasingly rare that we find people willing to die for their convictions. Scripture is full of stories of people who suffer, and often die, because of what they believe in about God and what is right. In the New Testament, before we even get to the death of Jesus on the cross, we find his cousin, John the Baptist, murdered for daring to speak out against immorality. We read of the story in Mark’s Gospel:
17 For Herod himself had sent men and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”… 26 And although the king was very sorry, because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her. 27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. (Mark 6:17-18, 26-28, NASB)
After the death of Jesus, we read of the first Christian martyr, Stephen, in the book of Acts. After giving a passionate defense of the gospel and a frank call for repentance, Stephen is met with open hostility that culminates in his murder:
58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 They went on stoning Stephen as he called on the Lord and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them!” Having said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:58-60, NASB)
As we continue reading in Acts, we find Herod persists in his persecution of the church, which leads to the death of one of Jesus’ apostles, “And he had James the brother of John executed with a sword.” (Acts 12:2, NASB)
The book of Revelation reveals that the condition does not improve, and that persecution continues to be a reality for those early Christians. Martyrdom itself is described as the fifth seal.
9 When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been killed because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; 10 and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who live on the earth?” 11 And a white robe was given to each of them; and they were told that they were to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also. (Revelation 6:9-10)
In the 2nd century churches found in Lyons and Vienne, located in what was then known as Gaul, wrote to their brothers and sisters in Phrygia and Asia Minor. What they described was a persecution that seemed to come suddenly and grow rapidly in intensity. Many Christians initially recanted to spare themselves. Justo Gonzalez shares the following:
“A certain Sanctus, when tortured, simply answered, “I am a Christian.” The more he was tortured, the more he persisted in saying nothing but these words. Moved by this and many other signs of courage, some who had earlier denied their faith returned to confess it and die as martyrs. We are not told how many died, but the letter does say that the place where Christians were being held was so full that some died of suffocation before the executioners could get to them.”[i]
One of the last great persecutions before the legalization of Christianity happened under the emperor Septimius Severus. It was the emperor’s desire to unify the empire under the worship of the Sun. Other gods would be tolerated, so long as the Sun was acknowledged to be supreme. This grand plan for unification was vigorously opposed by two religious groups in particular, Jews and Christians. Gonzalez writes, “Septimius Severus then decided to stop the spread of those two religions, and thus outlawed, under penalty of death, all conversions to Christianity or to Judaism- for at that point both religions were gaining numerous converts.”[ii]
Martyrdom has been a reality for Christians since Peter preached at Pentecost. While many of us enjoy the blessing of religious freedom in places like the United States, many of our brothers and sisters in Christ continues to face persecution and even death for their beliefs. The organization Open Doors estimates that 1 in 7 Christians worldwide are persecuted. The proportion increases to 1 in 5 in Africa, and 2 in 5 in Asia. Almost 5,000 Christians were killed last year for reasons related to their faith. And yet, a place like China, which is 19th on Open Doors list of places most dangerous for Christians, is seeing an ever-growing number of Christians. Open Door estimates that there are over 96 million Christians in China now.[iii] Intense persecution, rather than stifling faith, tends to do the opposite. This is why eventually Roman emperors adapted their policy. The emperor Decius adopted the policy of making apostates rather than martyrs. Gonzalez writes:
“Almost fifty years earlier, Tertullian had declared that the blood of the martyrs was a seed, for the more it was spilled the greater the number of Christians. The exemplary deaths of Christians in those early years had moved many who had witnessed them, and therefore persecution seemed to encourage the spread of Christianity. If, instead of suffering martyrdom, Christians were forced to recant, this would deprive Christianity of the heroic witness of the martyrs, and would be a victory for Decius’s goal of restoring paganism.”[iv]
The goal, in other words, became not to kill Christians, but to pressure them to deny their faith in Christ.
I fear that we mistake the wonderful religious freedoms we enjoy in the United States for the lack of trial and testing. Make no mistake, the lack of persecution does not equate to the lack of opposition. The persecution faced by the earliest Christians, and which continues to plague many of our brothers and sisters today, is an overt testing of one’s faith. The challenge is unmistakable, and the consequences are clear. Cling to faith at great cost, perhaps even the price of one’s life, or surrender faith for security. For those in such circumstances, there is no riding the fence. Many of us in the global West face a different type of threat. It is at once more subtle and implicit, but also more deadly in spiritual terms. Satan understands the same thing about Christians that the Roman emperors did, killing them only produces more. Many Christians, if the demand were placed on them to deny their faith in Jesus, would stand firm again all threats and aggression. We know this from the annals of history. However, when Christians are allowed to keep their faith in Jesus, with the subtle suggestion that it might be de-prioritized, there exists the worst possible damage to the Christian’s soul and to the cause of Christ. Martyrs are still being made, to be sure, but what Satan longs for even more are apostates. Even better than killing a Christian is killing their influence.
As we stand on the precipice of a new year, might I ask you a simple question. How have you lived for your faith in Jesus Christ this past year? Furthermore, how will you live for him in 2025? In many ways the world seems increasingly dark. Christians all around the world are faced with the threats of intimidation, persecution, and even death. When faced with the news of Christians suffering around the world, we might be led to ask ourselves the question, “would I be willing to die for Christ?” The stark reality is that before we are willing to die for something, we must first be willing to live for it. We might never find ourselves in a position where we will be killed for being a Christian, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the decision to die for Him every day. May the words of the Apostle Paul be our watchword as we enter another year of service to our Lord, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NASB) My prayer is that I joyfully give myself up each day, for the one who gave Himself up for me.
[i] Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: Volume I, The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. Harper Collins; New York, NY, 2010. 57.
[ii] Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, 98.
[iii] World Watch List 2024 · Serving Persecuted Christians Worldwide
[iv] Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity, 101.
-Justin Simmons is the preacher for the Glenmora Church of Christ in Glenmora, LA