I have heard believers say—and I have said it myself in the past—that they doubt they could stand faithfully for Christ if faced with the actual threat of martyrdom. I think many of us might fear the kind of death we could face if martyred. And it’s true, it could be terrible.
However, Jesus Himself warned us that we can expect persecution and even martyrdom as we follow Him. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before [it hated] you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:18-20). And of course, we know that the world hated Jesus unto death.
I recently stumbled upon a song I wasn’t familiar with. The lyrics express a compelling prayer for all of us as followers of Christ, that we might follow Him closely, even at the cost of our life.
Jesus
The very thought of You
It fills my heart with love
Jesus
You burn like wildfire
And I am overcome
Lover of my soul
Even unto death
With my every breath I will love You
Lover of my soul
Even unto death
With my every breath I will love You
Jesus
You are my only hope
And You, my prize shall be
Jesus
You are my glory now
And in eternity
Lover of my soul
Even unto death
With my every breath I will love You
Yeah, Lover of my soul
Even unto death
With my every breath I will love You
In my darkest hour
In humiliation
I will wait for You
I am not forsaken
Oh, I lose my life
Oh, my breath be taken
I will wait for You
I am not forsaken
One thing I desire
To see You in Your beauty
You are my delight
Yeah, You are my only
You have sacrificed
Oh, Your love is all consuming
You are my delight
Yeah, You are my glory
Oh, You are my glory
Oh, You are my glory
Yeah
You’re the lover of my soul
Even unto death
With my every breath I will love You
You’re the lover of my soul
Even unto death
With my every breath I will love You
I will love You
Even unto death, I will love You
With my every breath I will love You
Jesus
The very thought of You
Jesus
The very thought of You 1
The song itself was written as a tribute to Christians martyred by ISIS. I think that it encapsulates a valuable lesson for those of us who may not currently face the threat of martyrdom and maybe can’t even fathom it. Yet we must remember that Peter instructs us: “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). As Christians, we are to expect a fiery ordeal. Fiery ordeal does not necessarily equate to martyrdom, but the word picture evoked in Greek is of the refining fire that burns off impurities in metals. As we read in the passage from John, Jesus prepares His followers to endure the treatment that He endured.
When thinking about the possibility of martyrdom in your own life, this song illuminates three critical aspects of martyrdom. First, the decision to stand firmly in your faith in Christ is not one that ought to be left until you are faced with martyrdom; it should be made, and continually renewed, long before that is ever a possibility. This song was written as just such a prayer and declaration.
Second, while it is important to personally commit to stand for Christ, even unto death, it is vital that we recognize that the strength to do so comes only from the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 3, Paul prays for the believers to be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” When someone dwells in our heart, it is an indication that we love them. This is the very thing we want when we contemplate persevering through martyrdom. We want Christ to dwell in our hearts in such a way that we cannot contemplate casting Him out, no matter what.
Finally, we must draw near to the idea of martyrdom. We are naturally afraid of things that are unknown to us. But we can work to dissipate this fear by reading accounts of martyrs. Eusebius records many accounts in The Church History. You might even search well-known martyrs online such as Perpetua and Felicity, Polycarp, or Justin Martyr, to name a few.
This last thought—becoming better acquainted with martyrdom—is one that I have practiced quite a bit in recent years. I have always found that reading accounts of martyrs, though disturbing, gives me glimpses of their determination to hold fast, and also illuminates the work of the Holy Spirit to strengthen them in their trials. It actually becomes an encouraging spiritual exercise that strengthens me, too!
1 https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/audreyassad/evenuntodeath.html; While the song artist recently announced publicly that she is no longer a practicing Christian, this does not negate the truths embedded in her song.