Should I expect to be persecuted as a Christian?
The honest answer that God gives in his Word is yes.
God doesn’t hide that blunt answer in the Bible with fine print or invisible ink. He doesn’t bury it in the proverbial terms and conditions of being a Christian, hoping that his followers will just hit “accept” without really considering the cost of being his disciples.
God wants us to know what we should expect—what we should prepare to face in this sin-darkened world. He makes that truth quite plain through the words of his Son: “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33).
“You will have trouble” . . . That’s not a possibility; it’s a promise. If you and I are living as God’s children in this world, we should expect to be persecuted.
What might that persecution look like?
Certainly, the answer depends on context. The writer to the Hebrews shares some examples of persecution that believers experienced: “There were others who were tortured. . . . Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated—the world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:35-38).
For the most part, Christians today are thankfully not persecuted in the same way that they were in the early days of the church.
For the most part. In some parts of this sin-darkened world, Christians are still being murdered and martyred for their beliefs to this very day.
The world was not worthy of the early believers who experienced such horrors, nor is it worthy of such brothers and sisters who, by God’s grace and power alone, follow Christ triumphantly through the shadow of the valley of death as he holds them fast.
In the United States, the persecution that Christians face is generally less violent and physically dangerous . . . but it is no less spiritually dangerous. In some ways, it might even be more spiritually dangerous because it’s not easily recognizable. Persecution takes many forms—including social exclusion and ridicule from peers, friends, and family members.
Those forms of persecution—and fear of experiencing them—are very real in the lives of Christians today.
We don’t want to be excluded or ostracized at work. We don’t want our neighbors to pretend they never see us. We don’t want our friends to stop inviting us to social events. We don’t want our family to cut us out of their lives.
What we believe, as God says in his Word, and who we are in Jesus are so very different from everyone else. They’re countercultural. They go completely against the flow of society, and the temptation to hide our beliefs and not live out our faith is powerful. Succumbing to that temptation is dangerous and damaging to our faith.
God, forgive us for the times we falter and waver in following you! Strengthen us by your Word and empower us to live for you each day, despite the trouble we will undoubtedly face.
What did Jesus also promise immediately after warning his followers that we would experience trouble in this world?
“Take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Jesus lived perfectly, never wavering or faltering in following his Father’s will. He kept God’s commands completely and lived out his faith each day without fail, despite the persecution and opposition he faced.
Jesus overcame the world. He reminded his disciples of that undeniable fact even before he went to the cross to suffer and die for their sins and ours. His victory over sin, death, and the devil was certain.
By God’s grace alone, Jesus’ victory over the world is ours. His perfect life, his righteousness, is ours. We stand before God fully and freely forgiven and dearly loved. The trouble we experience now as God’s children pales in comparison to the joy waiting for us in heaven.
Such amazing grace isn’t hidden in fine print or invisible ink either. God boldly and loudly declares it throughout the pages of his Word. Time and again, he draws our attention to what Jesus has done for us because of his great love.
Dear Christian, as we live as God’s children in this world, we will be uncomfortable. We will experience persecution. We will have trouble. But take heart. Jesus, our Savior, has overcome the world.
And because of him, we do too.
Looking for more? The People’s Bible®: Hebrews shows how God revealed his plan for humanity through Jesus and encourages you to persevere despite trials and temptations.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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