You have been taken hostage. They know you are a Christian. They tell you “Convert or die.” How many of us could readily say that we would rather face death than deny our faith?
It seems like an impossible situation…yet it’s happening in Iraq RIGHT NOW. Thousands of Iraqi Christians have been murdered because they refused to convert. I pray every day for faith that strong. That unyielding. I pray for the courage those people must have in their hearts. I pray for their conviction. A man was forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint. He audibly denounced his own faith and converted. They beheaded him anyway. I feel such great sorrow for this man; for his soul.
“Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Matthew 10:28
This verse sticks in my mind. It’s been in my mind for a while. I read Radical and within the pages was a story about a man who was being tortured for his faith. They skinned him alive and he said: “I thank you for this. Tear off my old garment, for I will soon put on Christ’s garment of righteousness.” A man named Christopher Love was sentenced to execution for his faith. He said: “Today they will sever me from my physical head, but they cannot sever me from my spiritual head, Christ.” And hear this…as they walked him to be executed, he sang of glory.
Could you possibly imagine? I am devastated, yet filled with awe, by these people and the solidity of their faith. I’ve asked myself these questions….can I say surely that I would choose death over denial? Would I be able to thank those skinning me alive, knowing the glory to come? Would I be able to proudly and unphasingly sing glory and praise to God as I was led like a sheep to slaughter?
These are tough questions…but I’d like to say…yes. I would. I want to say I would die for my faith. If we, as Christians, believe God’s word…wouldn’t that be something worth dying for when you really think about it? Because we do have to really think about it. We live in a land where people don’t have to make that decision. We don’t have to choose between our faith and our life…but what if we did? Where would you stand?
