12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Romans 12:14 (ESV)
7 “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.” (2 Corinthians 4:7–12 (ESV)
Dr. John MacArthur writes since the beginning of the church, “the persecutions of the church are still going on today, some 2,000 years later. During the first 300 years of the church’s existence, or the first three centuries, really, there were ten persecutions of major proportions brought against the church. Beginning with Stephen and extending nearly to all of the apostles, death became the common way to go, if you were a Christian.”
Whether it was apostles in the first century or pastors in the 21st century, the church’s leaders acknowledged the reality of persecution facing believers in Christ. One of the most definitive statements concerning the persecution of Christians is found in today’s featured text from 2 Timothy. The more believers in Christ seek to be godly, they more persecution they will encounter. Correspondingly, the sins of the unrighteous will proportionately grow and proceed from bad to worse.
“The reason why persecution awaits all those who are firmly resolved to adorn their confession with a truly Christian life is that in the midst of contradictions coming from every side they refuse either to stop their ears or to cringe and compromise. Instead, they face the foe and challenge him to combat. They go right ahead, boldly defending the faith against every attack, and courageously assaulting the fortress of unbelief. The result is persecution, at times very bitter.”[1]
The Apostle Paul identified persecutors of the church as evil people (πονηροὶ ἄνθρωποι; poneroi anthropoi). These are they who God identifies as immoral and wicked human beings. They are morally and criminally sick.
Paul also identified others as imposters (γόητες; goetes). This title refers to those who deceived others through pretense. They are hypocrites. In other words, they are individuals who pretend to be Christians but in reality, are nothing of the kind. They are false teachers and false believers.
The false believers and false teachers are not stagnant in their beliefs and behavior. They will go on (προκόψουσιν; prokopsousin). This means in the future they will actively and collectively progress and advance from bad to worse (χεῖρον; cheiron). Their behavior will become even more evil in deceiving (πλανῶντες; planontes) and being deceived (πλανώμενοι; planomenoi). What evil people and imposters actively and collectively do to others in seeking to lead them astray from the truth will be done to them.
“This inescapable character of persecution is a truth which Scripture proclaims everywhere (especially in such passages as Matt. 5:10–12; 10:28; John 15:17–20; 16:1–4, 33; 1 Thess. 3:4). The fact that Timothy knows before-hand that also this is included in God’s decree and takes place within the realm of God’s providence which is ever causing good to come forth out of evil, should be a source of comfort to him and to all true believers. The comfort becomes even greater when verse 12 is read in the light of the immediately preceding verse: even in the midst of bitter persecution the interests of every believer are perfectly secure with him whose name is Rescuer.”[2]
Paul said to Timothy, 2 Timothy 3:12, “You” – pardon me – “Yea, and all that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” Now, that’s a very clear statement. “Yea, and all that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” You say, “Well, you know, I go along, and I don’t suffer persecution.” Read the verse again. “All that live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” If you’re not suffering persecution, why aren’t you? Because you’re not living godly in Christ Jesus, it’s just that simple,” explains Dr. MacArthur.
“If you live the kind of life that God intends you to live in Christ, you will, by the very nature of that life, butt heads with the world. When I say world, I mean the system. If you are not suffering some persecution, you have either fallen right into the flow of the system so that they don’t know the difference, or they haven’t discovered yet who it is that you really are; you have hidden it well. But when you begin to live openly and godly in the world, you’re going to bang heads with Satan, and with his establishment.”
May the Lord’s Truth and grace be found here.
Soli deo Gloria!
[1] William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of the Pastoral Epistles, vol. 4, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 293.
[2] Ibid., 293.
