In my last post on Christian persecution I focussed on the issue of ‘falling away’ which, according to Scripture, is one response we will see in the face of Christians being persecuted for their faith. This is obviously a negative reaction and in warning us about it Jesus was hoping that we would be able to guard against it happening. But it is not the only negative response that the Bible has warned us about and in this post I want to look at some of the others.

Fearing the persecution

The first and maybe most obvious reaction to persecution is ‘fear’. Paul tells the Philippians: ‘Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God’ (1:27-28).

The exact meaning of the Greek here is that they should not continue to be frightened. Fear after all is a natural and necessary human response in the face of danger. So to experience fear in the face of fierce persecution is natural – but we should not continue in that reaction. We are people who have God’s perfect love in our hearts – a love that casts out all fear.

Compromise

A second negative reaction found in the NT is ‘compromise’. In his letter to the churches of Galatia Paul is combating a group of Jewish Christians who insist that in order to be a good follower of Jesus one needs to be circumcised and, therefore, keep the law. Paul, of course, will have none of it and in the final chapter suggests that one reason for accepting circumcision is their expectation that they will escape the persecution that had been coming from Jewish people (6:12). (The earliest persecution faced by the church was from the Jews.)

To escape persecution, therefore, some were willing to compromise their faith. Much care needs to be taken with this issue, however, as some will shout ‘compromise’ over a whole host of issues – many of them very minor. It is important to note, therefore, that in Galatians Paul is not dealing with a secondary issue but one that is at the heart of the faith – salvation by grace as opposed to through the law.

Cursing those who persecute

The third reaction I want to refer to is ‘cursing’. In Romans 12:14 Paul says, ‘Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse’. It may be an obvious thing to say but this verse addresses our general attitude towards those who persecute us for our faith as well as the specific reaction of cursing. There seems to be no room whatsoever for us to react negatively towards those people and in this we are surely being called to have the attitude of Jesus himself.

This is not an exhaustive list of negative reactions; there are others. But of all of them it is fear that stands out as the one to guard against the most, for it is out of fear that many of the rest come. And while the initial response of fear may be justified, to continue in that place is not. Learning how to combat fear is, therefore, an important aspect of how we prepare ourselves for any future persecution.