The primary reason Christians are persecuted is for their specific proclamation of the gospel in all its fulness. The unwavering proclamation of the gospel, with its message of salvation and condemnation of sin, has often triggered hostility and resistance. This can be seen in the book of Acts, which documents the early believers’ struggles against opposition. From the persecution faced by John the Baptist for rebuking Herod the tetrarch (Luke 3:18-20) to the hostility Jesus encountered from religious leaders who perceived his parables as a condemnation of their actions (Mark 12:12), we witness the fierce resistance directed towards the gospel’s message of salvation.
When decay and darkness are exposed to salt and light, it often triggers a violent reaction. In his book The Shadow of the Cross, Glenn Penner notes that the first case of persecution in the Bible occurs in the context of worship:
It is interesting to note that the first case of persecution in the Bible begins in a place of worship . . . . Jesus clearly saw Abel’s death as an act of martyrdom (Matthew 23:35), as does the apostle John (1 John 3:12). John explains that Abel’s death was because Cain’s acts [of worship] were evil and Abel’s were righteous. Abel’s death is clearly set in a context of martyrdom, a result of the conflict between the world and those who belong to God (1 John 3:13). I wonder if it was this incident that Jesus was thinking about when He said,
Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn “a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law — a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” (Matthew 10:34–36)
Not only did persecution begin because of religious intolerance, but it also took place in the home. Just as it divided the first family, loyalty to God often cuts families asunder . . . . Families, as important as they are for our nurture and security, can also be places of terrible violence.
By acknowledging sin’s violent reaction of sin to the gospel’s truth – even to the point of tearing families apart – we can empathize with the challenges faced by believers and the sacrifices they made for their faith. And we can draw encouragement from the example of their boldness in proclaiming the message of truth and light.
Paul addresses the need for bold proclamation in his letter to the church in Rome. Penner notes:
When [Paul] arrived in Rome a couple of years after writing [the epistle to the Romans], we find a situation where there is little or no friction between Christians and Jews (Acts 28:22). It appears from the book of Philippians, which he wrote from Rome, that the lack of conflict may have been because of their avoidance of propagating the faith to any great extent among either the Jewish or the Gentile population. Paul reports to the Philippians that his presence in Rome has motivated the believers there to be more bold in their witness (Philippians 1:12–18). It is unlikely . . . that Paul was unaware of this problem when he wrote his epistle to the Romans with its powerful declaration that sets the stage for the entire letter: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). He is not ashamed to identify with the message of Christ; neither should the Roman believers be. They need to be more active in taking this message of reconciliation to both Jew and Gentile.
Christians must be bold in proclaiming the gospel, because suffering and persecution are promised to who do so. Biblical passages such as 1 Peter 2:21, 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:3-4; Acts 14:22; 2 Timothy 3:12; Mark 13:9, 13; Phil. 1:29; John 15:18 – 21, 17:14; and 1 John 3:13 highlight the inevitability of persecution for those who follow Jesus’ example. Jesus himself warned his disciples of the world’s hatred and persecution. This theme is echoed in the writings of the apostle John.
But Christians cannot – and must not – look to their own boldness in proclaiming the gospel.
Just as Jesus promised resistance to the gospel, He also promised the power and eloquence of His Holy Spirit to those who will obediently speak the truth in love to lost and dying people who need it. As we encounter hostility and resistance to the gospel’s message, let us remember three important promises:
- The gospel is the power of God to those who believe (Rom. 1:16).
- Christians are given the power of the Holy Spirit to be God’s witnesses to the world (Acts 1:8).
- In the face of hostility and resistance, Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).
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