Why I Believe Christianity Only Grew Stronger in the Face of Persecution
It's really one thing that history has proven is that you can't destroy Christianity. Mess up with God and He will mess you up! I thought about the very verse from the Bible:
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; [9] Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; [10] Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
The apostle Paul passed through so many tribulations yet he continued on. Do you know the secret of Christianity's success? It has to do with this one factor - the Author of Christianity is Jesus Christ! Who is the Author and Finisher of the Christian faith? Philippians 1:7-8 says it's Jesus Christ! Matthew 16:16-18 says that the gates of Hell will not prevail against the Church. Is there a gate of Hell somewhere? God will push it down! When God says you can certainly believe it and that settles it!
I was reading through Foxe's Book of Martyrs which made my bones shiver. I'm just glad that the book contained no graphic pictures. It was already difficult reading it. The martyrdom of the saints is anything but a pleasant sight. I don't want to talk about it in detail. Nero started a great persecution and made a circus out of Christians. He did everything his depraved mind could imagine yet it only made Christianity grow. Many of the Roman emperors and others tried to destroy Christianity through the most brutal means. However, all who tried to succeed where Nero failed have failed to do what they want to do - to destroy Christianity! Some even pretended to be Christians in their quest to wipe out biblical Christianity!
The effect of the persecution was the opposite. The bloodier the persecution of Christians only made it grow. The torture and execution of William Tyndale didn't stop the translation of Latin Bibles into other languages so people can read it for themselves. The persecution of pre-Reformation Christians by the Roman Catholic institution didn't stop it from coming and the Reformation launched another revival for the Church. The brutal execution of Girolamo Savonarola and Jan Hus didn't stop the Reformation from coming in 1517. The Counter-Reformation came and the Church still stood still. Islam tried to destroy it, Communism tried to destroy it and almost every persecution tried to stop it but it still prevailed. Sadly,
There is one thing that Christianity is set apart from world religion. Christianity has something worth dying for. You are saved and secure in Jesus Christ. It's a religion that makes you hate sin and love the Savior. It's the religion where its most radical followers will preach Jesus even if it means that they will lose their lives. I could imagine Christians who have been horribly mutilated are now about to be fed to the lions or set on fire. Some may be suffering the most mutilations available but guess what? They were enduring the trials by the grace of God. None of the brutal machinations of the Inquisition. They would rather get tortured than give up their Christian morals and beliefs. Even secular science proves that torture is not effective. You may make a person cry in agony over their condition but there's no guarantee such people will convert or agree to give in. Yet, many people today still think torture will still effectively wipe out Christianity. Satan is really working hard to double cross his dupes, isn't he?
There is one thing that Christianity is set apart from world religion. Christianity has something worth dying for. You are saved and secure in Jesus Christ. It's a religion that makes you hate sin and love the Savior. It's the religion where its most radical followers will preach Jesus even if it means that they will lose their lives. I could imagine Christians who have been horribly mutilated are now about to be fed to the lions or set on fire. Some may be suffering the most mutilations available but guess what? They were enduring the trials by the grace of God. None of the brutal machinations of the Inquisition. They would rather get tortured than give up their Christian morals and beliefs. Even secular science proves that torture is not effective. You may make a person cry in agony over their condition but there's no guarantee such people will convert or agree to give in. Yet, many people today still think torture will still effectively wipe out Christianity. Satan is really working hard to double cross his dupes, isn't he?
Humanly speaking, it's hard to understand. It's because the things of the Spirit are hard to understand. Yet the moment one is saved then the things of the Spirit are no longer hard to understand. The unsaved will continue in their error because they are not saved. Christianity itself may not be popular to the world but one day - everyone will bow down to the Lord Jesus and declare that He is Lord. The problem is many will one day bow down (including Satan) yet it will be too late for them.