John 15:20, Matthew 5:10-12, 2 Timothy 3:12
The Promise Christians Prefer to Ignore
Jesus made a promise that most comfortable Western Christians would prefer was not in their Bibles:
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. — John 15:20
And Paul reinforced it: "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12). Not might be. Will be.
Persecution is not an aberration from normal Christian experience — it is a feature of it. The Christian who has never faced any opposition for their faith should perhaps ask whether their faith is visible enough to provoke it.
The Extent of Persecution Today
The contemporary Western church's relative comfort with its social environment is historically unusual. The majority of Christians throughout history — and the majority of Christians in the world today — have lived, and live, under some form of opposition, hostility, or active persecution.
Voice of the Martyrs estimates that more Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than in all previous centuries combined. In numerous countries today, Christian converts face imprisonment, family rejection, violence, or death. The global church is a persecuted church.
What Jesus Says About Persecution
Jesus' teaching on persecution is counterintuitive: it is cause for blessing, not despair.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. — Matthew 5:10-12
The persecuted are not abandoned — they are in the company of the prophets and they possess the kingdom. Their suffering is not wasted — there is a reward. Their experience is not a sign of God's absence — it is a sign of their participation in the way of Christ.
How to Respond to Persecution
The New Testament gives clear instruction:
- **Pray for persecutors.** "Pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44). This is not passive acceptance of wrong — it is the radical commitment to the enemy's good.
- **Do not be afraid.** "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." (Matthew 10:28).
- **Entrust yourself to God.** "Let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good." (1 Peter 4:19).
- **Remember the persecuted church.** "Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated." (Hebrews 13:3).