Persecution---the Necessary Prerequisite for Every Christian

                                                           

                                                                     I. Introduction

In this brief post, I wish to demonstrate that the life of every true Christian will entail some sort of persecution. Contrary to what many Americans have been taught, salvation does not begin and end with a one time prayer and confession of faith in Christ. For all Christian history before the Enlightenment, Christians in the Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox traditions understood that Christianity is not part of the life of a Christian, but is the very life of a Christian. 

                               II. The Early Church Understood that Christians will be Persecuted 

In the first four centuries of Christians, Christians universally received some sort of persecution. Many of them were crucified, raped, eaten by wild beasts in the Colosseums, sentenced to the swords of the Roman soldiers, etc. The majority of them were slaves and poor. Many of them expected to die for Christ as Rome gave generally gave them only two choices: (1) renounce Christ and live (2) or die professing Him. While some chose the former, many chose the latter. 

Numerous Early Christians were killed by Roman Emperors such as Nero and Diocletian. It was not the apostles along who died, but many Christians for centuries after Christ. 

According to Early Christian tradition, Peter the Apostle was crucified upside down. As he faced death, he professed, ''I am not worthy to die as you, Lord,'' in reference to how Jesus had died with His Head at the head of the cross. Peter, had chosen to be crucified upside down since he saw his martyrdom as inferior to that of Christ. 

As he was sentenced to death, the soon martyr, Ignatius of Antioch, a student of the Apostle John, spoke: ''Now I begin to be a disciple...Let fire and cross, flocks of beasts, broken bones, dismemberment...come upon me, so long as I attain Jesus Christ*1.''

Ignatius also taught that all true Christians will be martyrs. Indeed, the Early Church did not view a professing Christian who claims to love Christ as the simple definition one who will enter Heaven. While some of the Christians were not slain, many of them received some sort of great persecution. It's quite likely that John the Apostle, for instance, died in isolation on the isle of Patmos (though it is debated whether or not John the Apostle is the same as the John of Patmos mentioned at the beginning of the Book of Revelation). 

The Early Christians, however, did not believe that Christians will be persecuted simply because some church fathers said so. From passages such as 2 Timothy 3: 12 and 2 Peter 1: 10-11, they knew that such an understanding of the life of a believer, is grounded in the writings of the New Testament. 

                                  III. The Dangers of Claiming Eternal Security 

The early Christians knew the likelihood that many would apostate and not persevere until the end. Today, many Calvinists and semi-Calvinists, though, feel confident about their eternal election because of Ephesians 1. They claim that its is humbling how God would choose them for salvation while casting the rest of humanity into eternal damnation. 

The writers of the New Testament warned on many occasions that salvation can be lost. In addressing first century believers in 2 Peter 1, the prince of the apostles also warned that salvation can in fact, be lost. Let us take a look at verses 10-11 in particular. 

But before we examine verses 10-11 and whether or not they teach the possibility of a Christian losing justification (or right standing before God), context, along with every passage, means everything. 

At the beginning of 2 Peter, the apostle says the following: ''Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ (RSVCE, verses 1-2).''

Thus, the context of 2 Peter is a Christian letter of the New Testament addressed to those whom Peter claims have a right standing before God. The apostle is not addressing heathens or heretics or people who simply think that they are true Christians. +

Now that said, I wish I hope that the reader will read the entire letter. In this post, however, I wish to now focus on verses 10-11. In these two verses, Peter speaks of an election to faith and defines the prerequisites to keeping a state of righteousness before God. 

''Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall...(RSVCE, verse 10).'' 

In the verse above, Peter tells believers that their election is testified by their works, not because they simply claim that God chose them and that's it. Furthermore, at the end of verse 10, he warns believers that if they are zealous to confirm their calling, they will never fall (which implies that some will fall). 

But what type of fall is Peter describing? Surely, he is not speaking of a fall from salvation, but only of believers falling sin and judgement? 

Think again. 

When read together, verses 10-11 demonstrate that Peter understands that some believers can potentially lose their salvation. This is proven by verse 11:

''...so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (RSVCE, verse 11).''

In verse 10, Peter warns believers of the potential of falling and clarifies in verse 11 that this falling is from salvation itself. This is proven by ''so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the kingdom...''. 

Now read the two verses together:

''Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (verses 10-11).'' 

If Peter meant ''fall'' as simply falling into sin, then verse 11 is redundant when speaking ''so there will be richly provided for you and entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.'' Grammatically, the two verses are not separate from one another. ''Fall'' is understood in the context of salvation. Indeed, Peter knew that even a true Christian may fall from election, though he never says that as Christian may fall from predestination. It's important to understand the difference. 

2 Peter, though, is about Christians and whether or not they will keep their election before God. Peter is concerned that believers may fall not simply into sin, but in losing the Kingdom of God. He is not contradicting Paul in Ephesians 1, because Paul and Peter alike understood that predestination are not one and the same. The former implies believers who God will not let from persevering until the end while the latter are believers who tasted Christ, but will not inherit the Kingdom God. 

Here, Peter does not interpret election as something which cannot be lost. When read in full context, both verses demonstrate his belief that even the elect can lose their salvation, which shows that Peter is speaking of a different election than is Paul in Ephesians 1. Whereas Paul speaks of predestination in Ephesians 1, God's determining of some to eternal salvation, in 2 Peter 1, Peter is speaking instead, of an election which can be lost. Indeed, this is further proof that election and predestination are not one and the same as the predestined have already received an eternal salvation which will not be lost but the latter is speaking of an election to salvation that can potentially be lost. 

It's unfortunate that many Calvinists love to prioritize preaching about Ephesians 1 and Reformed Baptists sometimes present their understanding of it as if they have found lost some lost doctrine that everyone else ignored door much of church history. When Scripture is read a whole, though, the Calvinist understanding of eternal security falls apart under the scrutiny of Scripture and two thousand years of church history, 1500 of which preceded Calvinism. 

Calvin himself, would at least somewhat agree with me. In many ways, he was far more Augustinian, Catholic, and Biblical than many Calvinists since the time of The Westminster Standards. He agreed with Augustine that while some are predestined to salvation, the evidence of one's works testifies to one being truly predestined. 

Both Augustine and Calvin were right that believers in this life cannot know whether or not they are predestined. This was also the teaching of Peter in 2 Peter 1 and Paul in many other passages. We can know, though, that we are elect so long as we are persevering (Matthew 24: 13-14). 

If works do not testify to one's faith, and if one has complete assurance of predestination, then Jesus's words about persevering until the end to be saved (Matthew 24: 13-14). As discussed in previous posts, perseverance is essential to salvation and salvation is past, present, and future (see my posts on Hebrews, Ephesians 1, Romans 9, and Divorce and ''Remarriage'' for more information about this).  

                                              IV. Persecution in the Modern Age

We don't know what Christ will call us to. More Christians have been slain in the last two centuries for the faith than in many of the preceding centuries. Even if we are not killed for Christ, we should expect some sort of great persecution if we are true godly.

Tragically, American Christianity has taught people that one can get along with everyone and still be a true Christian. However, in Matthew 10: 22, Jesus told his Apostles that they would be hated for His namesake. And since we profess the same faith as the apostles, we should also expect persecution. 

in 2 Timothy 3: 12, Paul stated that all who live a godly life will be persecuted. Unfortunately, this verse is skipped over in many American churches. 

With all that said, how can a professing Christian get along with the world and still claim to love God? It's like the man who claims to be a Christian on Sunday, but to coworkers, to his secular friends on Facebook, and to his companions at college, he is never a threat to anything they believe because though he claims to be a Christian, he either neither was never regenerate, or has lost justification, or at the very least, is disobeying God, which could mean his eventual loss of salvation if he does not turn away from his sins concerning the choice to please man rather than the Creator. 

Being a true Christian does not mean having a cold attitude towards people. Christianity doesn't require us to not fill hurt when others reject us for following Christ. True faith does require, however, that we will be willing to be persecuted to enter the Kingdom of God. 

It's easy to say that we would all give our lives for Christ if capital punishment was sentenced against us on the condition that we do not renounce our faith. So far in America, that trial has yet come. But others have. If we are ashamed of professing Christ and the Christian faith (along with the condemnations of all sin described in Holy Scripture), then why would we die for Christ when such persecution comes? 

Jesus said if we renounce Him, then He will renounce us (Matthew 10: 33). Do we renounce Christ? I don't ask that simply in us explicitly saying so with our mouths? But do we renounce Him by being ever ashamed of either Him or anything in Scripture? If we are ashamed to share the words of Christ about divorce and remarriage with those living in adultery who call their union a marriage, are we not in a sense ashamed of Him? Indeed, His words also reflect who He is. If we are afraid of telling a liar the errors of His ways, are we not in a sense renouncing Christ? Following Jesus is more than simply saying, ''I love Jesus,'' but upholding and faithfully following all that He has taught us. If we simply say we love and follow Jesus but ignore some of His teachings, then we are like the modern political left in western countries, which so often ignores the teachings of Scripture on abortion and homosexuality, but prioritizes Scripture when it comes to Christ standing for the oppressed.  

                                                          V. Conclusion

The Christian life is not easy. There will be trials and tribulations for each of us along the way if we truly follow God. However, while we can expect persecution, we can also expect to gain crowns in Heaven if we are follow our Lord and renounce the desires of this world (Revelation 19: 16).'' 

Notes:

*1- https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/martyrs/ignatius-of-antioch.html

Works Cited:

Ignatius Catholic Bible Revised Version Second Edition. (1966). Ignatius Press.