“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
(2 Timothy 3:12)
From the point when darkness entered the world, Satan and his minions have been on a mission to seek out, persecute, and inevitably destroy the people of God. Throughout history, evil rulers, emperors, and heretics of all nationalities and varieties, by force and by fraud, have risen against the Lord and his Christ in their concerted efforts to annihilate his Church.
And yet, such persecution for Christ’s sake merely serves as fertile ground in which God’s Church grows and multiplies. As Martin Luther said, “the Church multiplies by being diminished, overcomes when it is overcome; being like to Christ the head, who being killed, yet was Conqueror.”[1]
The hatred from which persecution is born begins in the hearts of evil men and women and is then evidenced outwardly by the likes of slander and ridicule. For as Scripture says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” The ultimate expression of persecution is that of destructive and hurtful behaviors directed at God’s anointed. “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake,” (Luke 6:22).
Throughout Christ’s earthly ministry he warned his disciples of the many distresses, afflictions, and persecutions which they would endure for his name’s sake. And then echoing Christ’s words which also reflected his own encounters with hardship, Paul warned young Timothy of the trials he should expect to face during the course of his ministry, for “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
Those who live godly in Christ Jesus, are of course, first and foremost, those who are born again, who have been made the righteousness of God through Christ and are therefore one with him by a living faith and a vital union. Further, such believers seek to make God’s divine will the focus of all their thoughts, words, and actions so that, whether they eat or drink, or whatever they do, they do it to the glory of God. These defining characteristics shed light on the reasons why so few suffer persecution; it is simply because so few “live godly in Christ Jesus.”
Persecution is a many-headed monster, insatiable as hell, cruel as the grave. And what is worse, it generally appears under the cloak of religion. But cruel, insatiable, and evil as it is, they that live godly in Christ Jesus must expect to encounter it in all its forms.
Contemplations:
- Lord, I know that living godly in Christ is not about me living my own life but about allowing Christ to live his will in and through me.
- You are my Alpha and Omega, my first and last, my beginning and end. I want to be led by your Spirit as a child is led by the hand of the father, and I am willing to follow the Lamb wherever you lead, even when it is into the face of persecution.
- Do you not say, Lord, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven?” How then can I expect to have an interest in the kingdom of heaven unless I have suffered persecuted for your name’s sake?
- You forewarned your disciples on numerous occasions that they should be called before rulers and thrown out of synagogues. For this reason you frequently declared that unless a man forsake all that he has, and even hated life itself, he could not be your disciple.
Further References for 2 Tim. 3:12:
Acts 14:22; John 15:20; Matt. 24:9; John 16:2
[1] Thomas Wilson, A Complete Christian Dictionary (London: E. Cotes, 1661), 478.
