Christian persecution can include a wide variety of responses to believers—from scorn, hatred, and ridicule to physical violence, imprisonment, and death. But for such opposition, no matter how mild or severe, to be regarded as persecution in the biblical sense, it must be provoked by the believer’s devotion to Jesus Christ and His righteousness.
Jesus told His disciples: “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). He promised that if we follow Him, we will be persecuted. But what does that mean? What does the Bible actually teach about this important issue?
Two experiences that I had as a young pastor have helped clarify my understanding of Christian persecution—that is, the kind of which the Bible speaks as inevitably coming against followers of Christ.
The first was with a young professional who was full of love for Jesus and zeal to see the gospel spread. Steve became burdened about an unconverted coworker and saw it as his Christian duty to witness to this man in an effort to persuade him to become a believer. His zeal caused him to spend hours of his time at work talking to his friend about salvation and explaining the gospel to him.
When his boss warned him to stop “pushing his religion while on the clock” Steve took it as an affront to the lordship of Christ and refused. After he was fired, he told me his story in terms of suffering for his faith. Steve saw himself as having been persecuted by his boss.
The other experience involved meeting a pastor who spent twenty years in a Communist prison because he refused to quit preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I met Samuel Lamb while visiting the church that gathered in his home in Guangzhou, China. After two hours of worship in cramped conditions, our group of ten American pastors was invited to talk with Pastor Lamb at length.
I will never forget his response to one of our questions about persecution and the advance of the gospel. “In America,” he said, “the church has experienced prosperity and is growing weaker. In China, the church has experienced persecution and growing stronger. Persecution is much better than prosperity.”
Both of those experiences have helped me frame two important questions involving what constitutes Christian persecution. Steve’s comments raise the question, “Can Christians claim to be persecuted anytime they are treated harshly or are mistreated?” Pastor Lamb’s comments cause me to ask, “Is persecution limited to severe actions like imprisonment or the infliction of physical pain?”
Steve saw himself as a martyr because he was fired for talking to his coworker about Christ. From my vantage point, however, it was not Steve’s faith that provoked his dismissal. It was his failure to put in a full day’s work for a full day’s pay, even after he was warned. Though talking about Christ is a good thing, doing so at the expense of your employer is a bad thing.
Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10). Steve stole time from his employer and suffered the consequences of his thievery. He did not lose his job for the sake of righteousness, or “doing good” but “for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17). If the reason a believer experiences opposition is due to anything other than his identity with and devotion to Christ, then what happens to him is not Christian persecution.
Peter specifically forbids Christians from thinking that all suffering is necessarily Christian persecution. “Let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a meddler” (1 Peter 4:15; see 2:20). When Christians suffer for doing what God forbids, they are not experiencing Christian persecution and must not twist Scripture in an attempt to comfort themselves with the promises that are designed for those who suffer because of their faith in Christ.
