© 13 Colin Melbourne
Denying Christ when Tortured
Q: I have been born again for a long time. Under duress I know that I could persevere and not deny Jesus Christ as Lord. But what about this hypothetical situation; to cause me to deny Jesus, say… one of my loved ones was being tortured. Do I stand firm? What if it is a young child? Carol
A: When you follow Christ with all your heart you won’t consider denying Him under any circumstances: None.
Christ has already answered your question once and for all in Mtt. 10:37-39, and verse 22.
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
There are far worse documented cases of persecution of faithful believers by the Devil’s children, who by the power of God, stood firm to the end.
Even the unsaved know how foolish it is to compromise with the enemy.
Let us consider; if the enemy tortures your child, until you concede and deny Christ, what will they do after you have denied your Lord and Saviour?
Will they say, Thank you so much, now we’ll let you and your child go. Sorry for the inconvenience, do have a nice day.?
Of course not.
German Nazis torturing French Resistance workers in WWII often focussed on the victim’s children. Torturing children in front of parents and vice versa.
Parents and children knew it was futile to give in to their torturers, because they would be killed anyway, and usually they were.
Even in the unlikely event that the torturers let their victims go after denying Christ, what example have victims set for their child? What will the children do when tempted to deny Christ?
We have an Advocate with the Father
Resolve, by the power of the Holy Ghost, to never, never, never deny Christ whatever the circumstances, stand firm to the end and you will be saved. It is the promise of God. Mtt. 10:22 KJV;
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
Herein is the reason the Evil One tries so hard to persuade Christians to deny the LORD Jesus Christ. The same point is made emphatically in Lk. 12:8-9 KJV;
Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
When you kneel in the Presence of God, after you leave this world, Christ will be every faithful believer’s Advocate, but for those who deny Him: He will be both witness and Judge against them.
Be certain you are Right with God: Now and always. And never, ever, deny Christ, for any reason, not in any shape or form. Stay in close fellowship with Him, and He will supply all the faith and power you need to overcome to the very end.
Q: What about Peter denying Christ three times, and was forgiven?
A: That’s a valid point to raise, and on that Day when we give account of our lives, nobody will be able to boast of anything we’ve done, and each of us will realise how we missed God’s best in many ways. LORD thank you for your great Mercy, without which none of us can ever stand righteous before you.
We’ve each fallen short, before and after we were born of God, so we understand poor Peter’s sense of shame and self-disgust.
If not, you’ll shortly see yourself in Peter’s humiliation, young Christian.
Then recall, Peter was not even Spirit-filled when he denied Christ three times in one evening.
The power baptism only became available since the Day of Pentecost. The power that enables us to be effective witnesses of Christ, instead of limping, wobbly, believers. So make sure you receive the Baptism in the Holy Ghost, and that you stay filled.
Notice also that Peter had several days to contemplate his integrity failure. Father wanted him to learn the lesson, and to present us with this example. He let Peter “stew in his own juices” culminating in the joyless night’s fishing without catching anything. He was suitably primed, ready to meet the resurrected LORD Jesus Christ, who tenderly restored Peter. These are the intimate moments we treasure, even more than the triumphs He gives us.
Finally, there’s many subtle ways of denying Christ, that can snare a believer’s feet; selfishness, pride, unforgiveness, unbelief, and so on, each is a manifestation of rebellion and denial of Him as our Lord.
That is why He put us under His Grace in Christ Jesus. Halleluia!
John Gill (1697-1771), the Baptist Calvinist is well worth quoting here;
But he that denieth me before men,…. That is, that continues to deny Christ, and lives and dies a denier of him; for otherwise it is possible for a person to deny Jesus to be the Son of God, or the Messiah, and afterwards confess him, as a Pagan or Jew; and through temptation, a real Christian may be left for a while, in one shape or another, to deny him and his truths, and afterwards truly repent, and at last be saved, as Peter; but they that deny Christ publicly, and persist in it, shall be denied before the angels of God: they will be denied by Christ as belonging to him; they will be denied admission into heaven; they will be covered with shame and confusion publicly; they will be sent into everlasting burnings, and be ever tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels.
Fifty testimonies of priests and nuns who renounced Catholicism to become real Christians. Compiled by Irish former Priest, Richard Bennett: 50 Testimonies of ex-Catholic priests
© 13 Colin Melbourne
