Yesterday in Theology our prof asked us if we knew what Theological views we would die for. What’s essential? Pews or chairs in a church? Red carpet or blue? Woman Pastors or Man Pastors? Child baptism, immersion, sprinkling? (etc. etc.) Many of these things have split churches, and even denominations! Our prof challenged us to think about what is dear and sacred in our hearts, and what we would be willing to die for. What is actually important?
I pictured in my head a homey scene: Me sitting in the dining hall here at school, drinking tea, writing a blog (or something). Very nice. Very cosy.
Suddenly two men burst through the door with rage in their eyes. They spot me right away and before I can even react (being a slow reacting gal anyway…) they grab me by the hair, punch me in the face a few times, breaking my glasses and causing me to cry out in fear and pain. They see my bible on the table and proceed to rip pages out of it and hit me with it.
“DO YOU FOLLOW THE SO-CALLED JESUS? If you say yes, we will immediately shoot you in the face!”
Would I say yes? I think I would. Death is not so frightening to me. This next scenario makes me more uncomfortable, however.
As they are slapping my face and kicking me, they laugh wildly. One of them leans over and whispers, “If you insist on believing this so-called word of God is true, we will take you, imprison you, starve you, rape you, beat you, and torture you until you are dead. We will also find your family and do the same to them.”
Even in imagining this and writing it down I am crying. The terror that I just imagined is an entirely possible thing that could happen to me. I know this because many others have suffered the same for the sake of the gospel. Would I endure? Would I remain faithful to God? Is what I believe worth suffering such trauma?
I want to love God more than safety. I want to love him more than food or clothes. I want to love him more than my beauty. I want to love him more than my family and friends. I want to love him more than anything.
Here is what I thought up when I was thinking of what I would die for. These truths are more important than this earthly life, and I hope against all hopes that if I am ever in a position where I have to prove I believe that they are more important than my life that I will see Jesus beyond the fright and boldly proclaim:
“There is a God. He created all things. He is Triune: Father, Holy Spirit and Son. He loves the world. Jesus, God’s son, is fully God and fully man. He came to rescue the world by dying and coming back to life. This was part of God’s plan to redeem the world back to Himself.
The Bible is entirely True. It mustn’t be added to or subtracted from. The bible talks about salvation, which is a gift offered by God to everyone. If you accept this gift, you will be His child and live forever with Him. If you reject this gift, you will go to hell. The gift of salvation is acquired through grace, and acceptance by faith. Jesus will come back to rule the whole world and gather his own to himself.
The Holy Spirit lives in me, and in every born again Christian.
God is Good.”
Those were the ones I thought of. What would you die for? Please comment. Maybe I missed an essential truth.
Pray for the Christians now who are at this moment being persecuted for their faith. This isn’t a hypothetical situation. This is reality. May the Lord be with them and give them comfort.
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