One thing we must understand is that God Himself is bound by His order. He will not violate the principles He has established. One of those principles is that God does not impose His will on humanity outside of human awareness and free will, as evidenced by the persecution that befell the early Church. The early believers could not walk with God if they remained in a state that was not in line with His will. As a newly born Church, they were highly vulnerable to the surrounding world’s influence, which could defile the purity of Christian living.
First, persecution separated them from religious life, specifically, from Judaism. God allowed persecution to come from the Jewish religious leaders. This persecution detached the believers from the Jewish religious system. Without such persecution, apostles like Peter and John would likely have continued living within Judaism, even continuing to worship at the temple. Yet God desired a complete separation from a form of religion no longer pleasing to Him.
Second, God permitted persecution from the Romans, and this completely separated Christians from the world. They no longer had the opportunity to enjoy worldly comforts or feel secure socially. They lived under severe suffering, losing possessions, family, and even their lives. They were sentenced to death: hanged, crucified, beheaded, even thrown to wild animals to be torn apart. And God allowed all of this to happen. The Father allowed it.
However, it was through this path that the Church matured and truly walked with God. Imagine if that persecution had never occurred—Christianity might have faded away and dissolved back into Judaism. Without Roman persecution, Christianity could have become worldly and lost its holiness, which was, in fact, God’s way of defending and preserving the purity of the faith. Here was fulfilled the Lord Jesus’ declaration: “Upon this rock—upon this confession—I will build My Church.” The true Church is built upon the confession that Jesus is Lord. And this confession is what brought about their persecution, for the Jews could not accept any Lord besides Yahweh. They could not accept that Jesus was the Son of God.
The Romans also rejected the title Kurios (Lord) being applied to Jesus, as that title had once belonged to figures like Alexander the Great, enemies of Roman power. They would not tolerate the rise of a similar force again, and so they oppressed Christians who confessed Jesus as Kurios—their Lord and Master. The confession that Jesus is Lord came with massive consequences for His followers. Yet God had to lead them down this path. It would have been impossible for God to walk with His people if their lives were still mixed with elements of mere religiosity, foreign influences, and love for the world.
Third, persecution caused them to stop sinning, and this is what made it possible for them to walk with God truly. Scripture says, “He who suffers in the flesh has ceased from sin.” Suffering becomes a tool for purification. What about us today? So often we compromise. We want to structure our Christianity according to our standards. But those who genuinely want to walk with God will inevitably be led down the way of the cross—the path of suffering and self-denial.
May the Lord open our eyes so we can grasp what it means to follow Jesus today. Let there be no trace of paganism, false religiosity, or worldly love in our lives—until we can offer our entire lives, without limit, to God.