"True Christian Martyrs"
Text: 1 Peter 4:12-19; 5:6-11
5-17-2026
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Christian martyrdom is not something new. It has been going on ever since Christ established His Church here on earth. In fact, Jesus became the first Christian martyr when He was crucified. So persecuting and killing Christians for their faith has been around for 2,000 years. Some periods of history were worse than others, but it's always been there. St. Peter tells us in our Epistle lesson that we shouldn't be surprised by these "fiery trials." Why? Because Christ Himself warned that His followers would be treated the same way as He was. What makes martyrdom so shocking today is the fact that we can view video and pictures of it on TV and the Internet. Do you remember the image of the 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded on that beach in Libya by ISIS in 2015? And there have been many more similar incidents like this over the past decade alone. Sad to say, this kind of violence against Christians can be found in many places all across the globe and it doesn't just come from Muslims. In America, though, it's nearly nonexistent. However, that doesn't mean persecution doesn't occur here. There are plenty of modern examples of this and it seems to be increasing.
Usually when we hear the word martyr we think of people who were killed because of their faith. But we need to reexamine our understanding of what a Christian martyr really is. The word itself comes from the Greek and literally translated it means a "witness." So, if you're witnessing to your faith then you are indeed a Christian martyr. For some, it may mean that they will die for boldly professing their faith. But the great majority of Christians don't have to worry about this violent response to their testimony. Rather, the test of our public witness will come in our day-to-day lives when we identify ourselves as a follower of Christ.
One of my favorite old movies is a Western with Clint Eastwood. In it, he goes toe to toe with the Indian Chief Standing Bear. And Clint says something very profound to this fierce warrior. He says, "Dying ain't hard for men like me and you. It's living that's hard." That's true of Christian martyrs. Martin Luther was such a man. Even though the death threats against him were never accomplished, he was willing to face a painful execution rather than renounce His faith in Jesus and the Bible. But Luther would be the first to tell you that dying would have been a whole lot easier than all the suffering he endured as he stood for what he believed in. So, you see, dying isn’t the hard part for a Christian martyr. It's the day-to-day living as a witness to our faith that's the challenge.
And that's what St. Peter is writing about in today's Epistle Lesson. The people he wrote this letter to were facing all kinds of persecution for their faith. The Roman Emperor, Nero, hated Christians, so it was open season on them. They could be mistreated and even killed depending on how blood-thirsty the Romans felt. These believers needed encouragement to stand firm in their faith. So, Peter spells out for them what being a Christian martyr is really all about. And his words are still true for us Christians today.
First, Peter teaches us what a Christian martyr is by telling us what one isn’t. In his letters to persecuted Christians, over and over again, he warns them that suffering for criminal activity or sinful disobedience, is not suffering for Christ. No, true suffering happens when we are mistreated for witnessing to our faith by simply living a pure life and steering away from sinful behavior. We do so by watching our language and actions knowing that we are to be different than the rest of the world. And that difference is part of our witness.
Peter says in verse 14: If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed." Some Christians really mess up this concept. First, if you're living out your Christian witness you won't have to go looking for trouble or persecution, it will find you. But what do some Christians do? They walk around with their faith like a chip on their shoulder daring unbelievers to be offended by it. They think they can force persecution upon themselves and thereby be blessed. This is not what being a Christian martyr is about. If you wear a cross around your neck simply to see if you can tick people off, then you're doing it for the wrong reason. If you put a Christian bumper sticker on your car to flaunt your belief in Jesus, then you best go scrape it off. Self-inflicted suffering is not what Peter would label as suffering for Christ.
On the other hand, if you wear a Christian symbol because you want to remind yourself of who you belong to and you suffer for it, then that's completely different. If you’re persecuted because you have a Bible on your desk and read it on your breaks then that's legitimate suffering for your faith. If you're ostracized or insulted because you don't hide the fact that worship is a top priority, that too is valid suffering for the name of Christ. But remember what Peter says in chapter 3. We should witness to our faith with gentleness and respect, not with an "I dare you to be offended" attitude.
Oh, it’s guaranteed that you’ll fail at your Christian witnesses. And you'll do it repeatedly. That's because we're sinful human beings. Every time we give in to the temptation to sin, we’re denying our witness as a follower of Christ. By willfully sinning we are saying, "I don't really care what God wants me to do. I will be the master of my life and determine what I want and don't want to do." And if you're like me (and I know you are because we're all sinners) then you're well aware of the many secret sins you commit. Even though you're the only one who knows about it, that sinful behavior is still a denial of your Christian witness. Peter says the devil is prowling around, eager to devour you with your many, repeated failures. The question is: What will you do when you realize just how badly you've blown it?
There's a movie that came out 10 years ago with the simple title "Silence." It's the story of Jesuit priests in the early 1600's who go to Japan where Christianity has been outlawed. If the authorities found that you were a Christian, you were given the opportunity to deny your faith publicly by stepping on an image of Christ. If you refused, then you would be tortured and killed in a slow, painful manner. The believers struggled to be brave in the face of these threats. Not all were strong, though, and some gave in. One man named Kichijiro denied his faith. He still believed but whenever he was pressured, he would easily deny again to save his neck. At one point he even betrays one of the priests by turning him in to the authorities. Later, he begs to be absolved of his terrible sin, which the priest reluctantly does. Shortly after that he denies his faith again so he can be released from prison. Spoiler alert: Kichijiro returns again and asks to be forgiven once more.
It's painful to watch this man vacillating back and forth in his Christian witness. That's when it hit me. Kichijiro is me… and you too. We publicly profess our faith but when the pressure is on, we fall into sin again and deny. Maybe not in as dramatic of a fashion as this guy, but it's denial all the same. When we look at our weakness and continual sinning it's easy to despair. But there is a way out. Peter reminds us to humble ourselves before God. When you recognize your sinfulness and sincerely confess it to Him, He will forgive you again no matter how many times you fall. Confessing your sins is part of your Christian witness because it testifies to your faith and trust in our Savior who went to the cross to redeem us. And with that forgiveness He will lift you up with the renewed joy of your salvation. You are a Baptized Child of God and numbered with His saints as a witness to God's grace through Jesus Christ. He invites you to be strengthened by His Word and Sacrament so that when the day of trial comes you will be able to resist the devil and stand firm in your faith. As verse 10 says, "After you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
I hope you can see now that you too are Christian martyrs, called to be a witness of Jesus Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit working in you, live out that witness of your sanctification in your daily life even in the face of persecution. Rejoice when you suffer because of your faith, knowing you are truly blessed by God's grace and He will strengthen you to get you through any fiery trial. To Him be the glory now and forevermore. Amen.
Soli Deo Gloria!