Persecution: A Right Response?


 By Lee Hutchings - Posted at Gentle Reformation:

The beatitudes are perhaps the most famous part of the most famous sermon ever preached. Jesus begins the “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5 with these pithy and powerful descriptions of what the Christian life looks like (Matthew 5:2-11). They are not prescriptions or a formula that will attain a special blessing from the Lord, as if one could attain God’s mercy conditionally by being merciful in the first place. No, Jesus’ account of what a truly righteous life looks like is a compelling illustration that demonstrates the hope and promise of what awaits (and is experientially available in the present to) those who already mourn, who already are peacemakers, are pure in heart, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, etc. They are bearing the fruit of what God has done already and is still at work doing in them, through regeneration, justification, and the process of sanctification (Romans 8:29-30).

Perhaps the most arresting description is the last one. In verses 10 and 11 Jesus tells the crowd, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” If you are like me, when I read the beatitudes I’m all-in for wanting to be merciful, a peacemaker, to be more content and meek, embracing my station in life and recognizing my own poverty of spirit. Sign me up. But finding the blessing in persecution? Signing up to be reviled and slandered? Well, that’s another thing.

It’s important to note that Jesus does NOT say blessed are those, or blessed are you, whenever you are persecuted for any reason. Too often we jump to the conclusion that any suffering, trial, or hardship atomically must have a spiritual warfare component or element to it. Maybe it does, but we need to be careful to observe how Jesus qualifies the description. Blessed are those who are persecuted “for righteousness sake” and “utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” Sometimes we may be suffering or persecuted for our own sake, stupidity, or unrighteousness. The gospel will offend, we don’t need to add to it. And the church over the past two thousand years continues to see real persecution of the name of Christ. But not all who claim persecution are indeed suffering for the cause of Christ. Sometimes it’s our own pride or unfulfilled ambition we feel and experience deprivation.

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