2 Timothy 3:10-12: But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Persecution is unpleasant but inevitable for Christians. Jesus told His disciples in John 15:20, “if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you;”
Physical persecution was common for early Christians. After Paul was converted, he was “in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft” (2 Corinthians 11:23). He said, “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods” (verses 24-25a). His persecutions included being stoned and left for dead at Lystra (Acts 14:19; cf. 2 Timothy 3:11).
Reflecting on this can make one wonder, “Am I living a godly life in Christ? I don’t seem to face persecution like Paul did.”
We must realize though that persecution is not always physical. When Jesus said, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake” (Matthew 5:11), He referenced mental persecution.
Christians are often ridiculed. The tenderheartedness of the meek and lowly can lead to oppression from the proud and greedy. Standing for the truth often angers those whose choices defy it.
Jesus summarized the cause of His disciples’ persecution in John 15:19: If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
Jesus also taught the proper response to persecution. Matthew 5:44: Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you…
In the parable of the sower, Jesus said that the person who receives seed in “stony places”…that is, the one who has a shallow faith…will fall away when persecuted (Matthew 13:20-21). We must have a faith that endures persecution.
Enduring persecution is made easier when we remember what Paul said of his persecutions: “Out of them all the Lord delivered me” (2 Timothy 3:11b).
The temporary suffering Christians face is “not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). May this hope anchor us as we live godly lives in Christ Jesus and remain faithful to the Lord no matter how difficult that may be.
– Michael Hickox