The Role of the Holy Spirit in Christian Suffering: With Reference to Paul's Experience of Suffering and to Korean Church Suffering

By Kwang-Jin Jang

This research has focused on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering. A broad concept of suffering is excluded in the study. Of particular concern to this research is 'suffering for the sake of Jesus Christ'. Methods employed in the study are: narrative approach, dialogical approach and synthesis.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jun 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462016457

Kwang-Jin Jang

Dr. Kwang-Jin Jang is an Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, at Asia LIFE University, South Korea. He earned his D. Litt. et Phil. in Theology from the Rand Afrikaans University, South Africa (now University of Johannesburg). He is an expert in pneumatology and Pentecostal theology.

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Contents

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Chapter 1

Introduction

Chapter 2

Biblical Overview On

The Spirit And Suffering

Chapter 3

The Spirit And Suffering

In Pauline Context

Chapter 4

The Spirit And Suffering In

The Korean Church Context

Chapter 5

A Formulation Of The

Doctrine Of The Holy Spirit

In Christian Suffering

Chapter 6

Summary And

Concluding Remarks

Bibliography

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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This work was originally a doctoral thesis at the Rand Afrikaans University (now the University of Johannesburg). My appreciation goes to the university’s permission toward this publication.

My deep appreciation goes to various important people who have made the journey of my study possible. Dr. Mathew S. Clark, my promoter, has not only been a model scholar and teacher, but also a model person of extreme kindness in many aspects. His insightful and significant suggestions have been an extremely important guide for my study. Dr. S. J. Nortjé-Meyer, my co-promoter, has offered valuable and significant comments. My deep gratitude also goes to the committee of external readers. My special thanks goes to Dr. Wonsuk Ma who introduced me to my promoter years ago.

My deep appreciation goes to the Daejeon Foursquare Gospel Church (Dr. Rev. Seen-Ok Ahn, Dr. Young-Kwon Ahn and Dr. Yong-Nan Jeon Ahn) in Daejeon, South Korea, who has played important roles with their prayer, encouragement and financial assistance. I also appreciate the prayers of Christian brothers and sisters in the Philippines and South Africa, where we have served the Lord together during my family’s missionary work.

My special gratitude goes to Mrs. Sharon N. Phillips who spent many days to improve the English expressions of my study. My promoter mentioned above also spent extra time to help me in this area.

This study would never have been possible without the loving support and encouragement of my wife, Woon-Kyong. My wonderful son and daughter, Joo-Chan and Joo-Eun, have brought immeasurable happiness to us. My special thanks goes to my parents for their prayer.

To God alone be the glory!

FOREWORD

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I was raised in a typical Korean family in which a Buddhist religious background and Confucian influence are dominant. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord while I was a student at a Christian high school, in the city of Dae-jeon in South Korea, run by the Church of the Foursquare Gospel in Korea (CFGK). I had suffered much persecution and opposition by my family for my faith in the Lord Jesus for considerable periods since I began attending a church. Those times with hardships and difficulties were not easy moments. Sometimes I wished that I had given up my faith in the Lord and stopped attending a church. However, I could not give up my faith in Jesus because I had a decisively significant experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit at a prayer mountain. That experience was a vivid and a real experience of the presence of the Spirit in my life. That experience always reminds me of the presence of the Lord in my life helping me through all difficult times. I praise the Lord that my family and some of my relatives are serving the Lord. My wife and I have been serving the Lord as missionaries since December 1993 having been sent by the CFGK. My own experience of Christian suffering has been one of the significant factors that have led me to do this research on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering. It is reported that 70 million Christians have been martyred across 20 centuries. Thousands of Christians are suffering religious persecution and opposition, for the sake of Jesus, even at present. I have much sympathy for the suffering Christians. I pray that this study will be a valuable encouragement for them.

CHAPTER 1

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INTRODUCTION

1.1     Motivation

Several factors have led the current writer into a scholarly interest in the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering. First, an intensive interest from various Christian groups in the work of the Holy Spirit throughout the 20th century has stimulated me into deeper thought on the role of the Spirit in the life of the church and Christian believers. The last century may be termed a dramatically significant period for interest in the work of the Spirit. Christians around the world have showed an extraordinary interest in the work and the person of the Holy Spirit.

New dimensions of the work of the Holy Spirit have been studied extensively within major spiritual movements in the last century such as the Pentecostal movement, the charismatic movement, and the third wave movement of the Spirit. Numerous materials on the person and the work of the Spirit have been flourishing throughout the Christian world. However, regardless of this intensive interest in the work of the Spirit, it seems to me that there is a significant omission in the studies on the role of the Spirit.

The current study seeks to research one of the significant roles that the Spirit plays for God’s people in their life; one that is not given much attention by many. The study seeks to investigate and discover a new dimension of the work of the Spirit in the life of the church and Christians in a particular context, that is, in the context of Christian suffering. Thus, the study will explore extensively the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering.

Secondly, thousands of stories of Christian suffering have been reported via various ways such as books, media, etc. While Christians have celebrated in the last century a new discovery of the work of the Spirit and have experienced His presence in their lives, many Christian brothers and sisters have suffered in the context of persecution and opposition for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian sufferings have been reported from various parts of the world. The reports have come from both religious sectors and non-religious organizations. Here, some questions have been brought to my mind. Why do many Christians suffer persecution while many others celebrate the marvellous presence of God Almighty through the Holy Spirit? Why do many Christians suffer persecution while many others are dancing and rejoicing in the presence of the Spirit? What is God’s intention here? This paradoxical phenomenon among Christians has brought me to a scholarly interest in the role of the Holy Spirit in the context of persecution of Christians.

Thirdly, my own experience of Christian suffering from persecution and opposition is another significant factor that has led me to spend a considerable amount of time investigating biblical reasons for suffering experienced by the people of God Almighty. Out of a Buddhist religious background and with Confucian influence by my extended family and relatives, I suffered much for faith in the Lord Jesus Christ for considerable periods since I began attending a church. One of the critical reasons that I had strong opposition from my family and relatives when I accepted the Lord was that I was the eldest in my extended family. In the Korean culture and custom, the eldest has to carry the family tradition in every aspect and has to be the host for ancestor worship for the sake of the rest of the relatives. In this difficult situation, a significant factor that enabled me to go through all manner of hardships and endure in my faith in the Lord was a real experience of the presence of the Holy Spirit in those critical moments of my life. The Spirit has encouraged me to keep the faith, looking forward to the eternal life with the Father. One of the critical experiences with the Spirit that let me to endure those difficult times was especially the baptism in the Spirit. Because the experience was so real, it has always reminded me of the reality of God through the Holy Spirit. Persecution and opposition could not separate me from the faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because I had experienced the presence of God through the Spirit. When I was under persecution, I came to understand more the love of Christ who died on the cross for the sin of the world. The experiences have become the foundation that let me not to leave the church and the faith in the Lord while in a suffering situation. Hence, my own experience of the Spirit and His role in my own suffering and persecution became a force urging me to investigate biblical reasons for the persecution of God’s people and the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering.

Lastly, the contrast between the Korean church’s experience of persecution in several dimensions and the subsequent remarkable church growth has led me to think deeply of the relationship between persecution and God’s work in the given context. South Korea is well known for its fast church growth. While the history of protestant Christianity in Korea has a short life of about 120 years, it is well known that the biggest church of each mainline-denomination is established in the country. Korean Christianity has experienced severe persecution in various dimensions, such as; strong persecution from the Korean government in its inception into the Korean peninsula, severe persecution from the Japanese Imperial government, and intense and cruel persecution from the North Korean communist government. Hence, it is an excellent environment to examine how God works in the context of persecution.

I believe that this is certainly a comparable pattern with the narratives of the Acts of the Apostles. Stories in Acts explore the remarkable expansion of God’s Word which was done in a context of persecution with the dynamic activity of the Holy Spirit. Hence, I hope to establish theological implications to the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering, persecution and opposition.

1.2     Definition

A few terms need to be clarified that are used in the study. Firstly, as the dissertation title states, the current study focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit rather than it does on the person of the Spirit. Although discussion on the person of the Spirit cannot be separated from that on the work of the Spirit, the study will exclude any intensive discussion on the person. Hence, it will concentrate extensively on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian life in a given specific context of suffering.

Secondly, by Christian suffering, is meant the suffering that Christians face in the context of persecution and opposition for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Greek word pa,scw basically means to experience something that comes from outside. The word occurs 42 times in the New Testament. The term refers mostly to Christ's sufferings and those of his followers. For the suffering of Christ, the word may mean, to suffer death (Luke 22:15; 24:26; Acts 1:3; 17:3). In another occasion, the phrase suffering many things implies the divine aspect of Christ's suffering as Jesus takes a divine commission. Hebrews and 1 Peter use the word paqein for the death of Christ. This suffering of Jesus is for sins (1 Pet 3:18) or for us (1 Pet 2:21). Here, an emphasis is given to its unity with the resurrection (1 Pet 3:21-22) and glory (1 Pet 1:11). The paqein is a validation of the apostle as a chosen vessel (cf. 2 Cor 11:23ff.). In the NT, the word pa,scein is also used for the sufferings of followers of Jesus (cf. Phil 1:29). For Paul, the paqh,mata of Christians implies the same as paqh,mata of Christ (2 Cor 1:5ff.) and has an eschatological implication (cf. 2 Th 1:5; Rom 8:17) (Michaelis 1967:904-939).

In sum, Paul's suffering was for the sake of Christ and had a link with Christ's suffering. Christian suffering has a significant implication for eschatological hope. While Christian suffering may include various dimensions in a Christian's life, this study confines itself to the investigation of Christian suffering in a specific context of persecution for Jesus’ sake. Hence, an attempt will be made to seek to discover the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering in the context of persecution and opposition. The specific understanding is that, had the person or group under discussion not named the name of Jesus, they would not be experiencing this particular persecution.

Thirdly, by Paul’s experience of suffering, is meant the suffering Paul had for the sake of Jesus Christ. The term refers to the suffering that Paul went through in his missionary journeys for the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. The apostle reports his sufferings in various aspects: afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger (2 Cor 6:4-5); afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, struck down (2 Cor 4:8-9); weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities (2 Cor 12:10). He tells that he endured these sufferings for the sake of Jesus Christ (2 Cor 12:10). Although a survey is made of many parts of the Bible on the subject of the suffering of God’s people (in the second chapter), this study’s biblical investigation will concentrate on Paul’s theology of the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering in a specific context of persecution, with reference to the apostle’s own experience.

Lastly, by Korean church, is meant both the Evangelical church and the Pentecostal church. Pentecostal churches by denominational category are latecomers to the Korean peninsula while Evangelical churches such as Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist, etc. had their inception significantly earlier than the Pentecostal churches. Although it is common knowledge that the Pentecostal church talks about the Holy Spirit more than other churches do, in Korea in particular the experience of the presence of the Holy Spirit is not confined to Pentecostal churches and Pentecostal believers. Many testimonies concerning the work of the Spirit in the midst of believers’ sufferings have been heard from both the so-called main-line churches and the Pentecostal groups. Hence, by Korean church, the study intends both the Evangelical church and the Pentecostal church.

1.3     Method

Firstly, the methodology involved in this study is an attempt to achieve a synthesis of biblical data on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering in the context of persecution and opposition. As this study falls into systematic theology, a synthesis of biblical data from the investigation on the subject is indispensable to the process. First a survey will be made of what the NT say about the role of the Spirit in the context of suffering of God’s people. However, from there, an extensive and intensive investigation will be given to the Pauline literature on the theme.

Paul was the apostle who suffered persecution and opposition in various modes. He suffered as an apostle of Jesus Christ. In fact, he says at one point that it is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Paul suffered persecution for Jesus’ sake. He also teaches the Christians at Thessalonica about the revelatory role of the Spirit in the context of persecution (1 Thess 1:6). Hence, Pauline theology has direct implications for the role of the Spirit in Christian suffering and persecution. Therefore, this study will devote considerable space to a synthesis of Paul’s theology on the role of the Spirit in Christian suffering and persecution. Thus, a synthesis that incorporates Paul’s theology on the role of the Spirit in Christian suffering and persecution will have a major part in the methodology of this study.

The second method taken in the current studies is a narrative approach to the subject matter. By narrative approach is intended the approach that allows the narratives to tell their story for the benefit of the Christian community and the Christian believers. Lewis observes the contribution of the narrative thus, The narrative provides both continuity with past and present, and helps the community formulate ethically, culturally, and socially as a group…. Narrative binds the community together (Lewis 2000:99). Moltmann also observes the value of narrative thus: Shared experiences put their stamp on the community experienced. An important way of communicating shared experiences is narrative…. The experiences that confer community and the experiences shared in community have to be told again and again (Moltmann 1992:25). Hence, narrative differentiation serves as the foundation of orthodoxy, according to Moltmann (1981:190).

The narrative approach allows the narratives to speak of truth. Thus, the narrative approach has the task of identifying the shared stories of Christian community and stories acceptable to the community. In this sense, a narrative approach will serve as a normative pattern of Christian truth for the Christian community. In this approach, stories and testimonies are viewed as valuable resources for the development of discussion on the subject matter. Biblical narratives and stories of the Christian community serve as valuable ground work in the formulation of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering and persecution. This Pentecostal research will follow the Pentecostal tradition of listening to the testimony of the Apostle Paul and of the Korean church in searching for the role of the Holy Spirit in the context of persecution.

The narrative approach is in one sense the borrowing of Jesus’ own method in his conveying the truth of the kingdom of God. In fact, observing the truth from the stories in biblical narratives has had a significant attraction for Pentecostal believers. For instance, Pentecostals used the narrative in Acts 2 to formulate their doctrine of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Pentecostalism in the last century has shown that the narrative of Acts 2 offers a valid pattern of Spirit baptism. Therefore, Pentecostals still look to bible stories for their belief in the work of the Holy Spirit. Christianity as a whole has been challenged to view the biblical narrative as a solid source for the formulation of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, through the testimony of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements. Hence, the narrative approach is considered useful for an investigation into the theology of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering and persecution.

The third method adopted in this study is a dialogical approach. By dialogical approach, is meant the approach in which biblical text, contemporary context, and contemporary theologian’s reflections are employed in dialogue to bring about a theological understanding for the benefit of the Christian community and Christian believers. There are valid reasons for the necessity of the dialogical approach to the understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering. Theological materials giving specific attention to the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering are lacking. While Christian suffering and persecution is a reality even in the contemporary world, and biblical texts allude to the work of the Spirit in Christian suffering, not much theological reflection has been given to a special investigation of the Spirit’s role in Christian suffering and persecution. Hence, it is necessary that a theology devoted to the work of the Holy Spirit be dialogic in nature (cf. Robeck 1993). Thus, the testimony of biblical texts, contemporary church experience of the Spirit in Christian suffering, and contemporary theological reflections are employed in dialogue to formulate a theological position on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering.

As this research seeks to identify the dynamic role, in terms of Christian experience of the Spirit, of the Holy Spirit in Christians and the Christian community suffering persecution and opposition, the nature of the research remains descriptive. This is valuable especially when this study researches the Spirit’s role in Christian suffering from the narratives of the Korean church in a critical context of persecution and opposition. However, this research also looks forward in a more prescriptive way, as it enters into dialogue with contemporary theological reflection on the subject, and finally makes suggestions for further research and theological reflection on the matter.

1.4     Limitations

Firstly, the scope of the study in terms of biblical investigation will be limited primarily to Pauline literature, although the second chapter will also briefly survey some books in the New Testament on the role of the Spirit in suffering of God’s people as a material resource for a biblical synthesis on the subject. By Pauline literature, is meant the letters commonly accepted as Paul’s writings. Paul’s theology on the role of the Spirit in the suffering of the followers of Jesus Christ for Jesus’ sake will be extensively studied. The reason for this focus on Pauline literature as the main biblical texts for the investigation of the subject, is that the apostle himself experienced persecution for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and he offers a cogent perspective on the role of the Spirit in the midst of Christian suffering in his writings. Weinrich argues that the apostle Paul was the best representative of the view that the Spirit plays a significant role in Christ’s suffering on the cross (Weinrich 1981:278). To the apostle, suffering was an essential element of being an apostle of Jesus Christ. The apostle’s context where he himself endured suffering, persecution and opposition for the sake of Jesus is certainly applicable to the modern church context where thousands of Christian brothers and sisters have suffered persecution and opposition for their faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, while a general biblical survey on the subject will be made, particular attention will be given to the study of Paul’s theology on the role of the Spirit in Christian suffering.

Secondly, the contemporary situational context will be limited to Korean church suffering. While sufferings of Christians around the world have been reported by various media, the Korean church context has demonstrated a number of dimensions of suffering of persecution such as: persecution from its own government, persecution from an imperial government, and persecution from a communist government. It is therefore a very relevant field of research as far as this study is concerned. Despite the suffering and persecution, the Korean church has also experienced a remarkable church growth that has been well documented and is exemplary to Christianity around the world. This is certainly comparable to the picture of early church growth described in the Acts of the Apostles. The Acts of the Apostles might well be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit. This biblical book describes how the Spirit worked for the whole plan of the remarkable expansion of the gospel of the Kingdom of God in a critical context of persecution and opposition of Christ’s followers. The remarkable expansion of God’s Word was the fulfilment of the promise of Jesus concerning the work of the Holy Spirit that He gave to the disciples right before his ascension. Then, it also has implications for the church and Christians around the world that are under suffering and persecution. There are numerous testimonies about how the Spirit worked among Korean Christians in the context of persecution during the first half of the 20th century, to endure sufferings for Jesus’ sake. This study will therefore utilise the Korean church suffering as the contemporary context.

1.5     Editorial note

A special note needs to be made concerning reference to Korean authors. Chapter 4 extensively uses materials written by Korean authors, since it deals with the Korean church history. There are some very popular surnames such as Kim, Lee, etc. In order to prevent confusion in locating reference by Korean authors, initial and surname are used together for these materials.

CHAPTER 2

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BIBLICAL OVERVIEW ON

THE SPIRIT AND SUFFERING

There are several obvious places to look for biblical interpretation on the role of the Spirit in suffering and persecution of God’s people. This chapter seeks to survey some biblical texts that are relevant to the discussion and may shed light on the Spirit’s role in suffering and persecution. In doing so, the scope of suffering will be limited to sufferings that the people of God experience because of their faith in the Lord. Hence, a broad concept of sufferings[1] will be excluded in the survey of biblical data on the subject. As defined in the first chapter, suffering which is to be discussed in this dissertation will be mainly that of which context is relevant to the devoted faith in the Lord of those who suffer for his sake.

It is necessary for a wider survey of relevant biblical texts as to what they reveal on the role of the Spirit in suffering and persecution before a thorough examination of the theme in Pauline texts is made. It is hoped the survey may provide coherent support for the study on the theme in Pauline texts. This chapter will survey biblical texts relevant to the theme other than Pauline texts. Since Pauline texts provide significant basis on which the search for the role of the Spirit in Christian suffering may be studied and manifest, the next whole chapter will be devoted to the examination of Pauline texts on the theme. Hence, this present chapter will survey some New Testament texts relevant to the theme, excluding Pauline texts.[2]

The New Testament presents rich documents for discussion on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering and persecution. The New Testament reveals the nature of the cross of Jesus Christ as an essential component of the Christian life from the very inception of Christianity. The world’s rejection of Jesus as the Messiah led Christians into severe persecution and even to death.

This section will be devoted to the survey of various New Testament texts that document the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian suffering and persecution. Christian communities were inseparable from the experience of persecution. Almost every book in the New Testament contains the notion of Christian suffering and persecution. In the survey, this section will limit its scope to biblical documents other than Pauline texts. As mentioned earlier, Pauline literature and his life experience of suffering will be extensively examined in the next chapter.

2.1     Synoptic gospels

2.1.1     The gospel according to Matthew

Matthew chapter 10 documents a specific context where the work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of Christian suffering and persecution is stated. The context Matt 10 presents is particularly related to the mission of the twelve disciples of Jesus. When Jesus summoned his twelve disciples to send them out, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness (10:1). Then Jesus instructed his disciples to proclaim the good news: The kingdom of heaven has come near (10:7). With this instruction to his disciples, Jesus also told them that they would meet persecution in the course of proclamation of the kingdom of heaven: See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles (10:16-18).

Here in this particular context, it is notable that the persecution of the disciples results ultimately from their witness to Jesus and the kingdom of God (Gundry 1994:191). Interestingly, it is to be acknowledged that Jesus pronounces a promise of the work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the persecution. Jesus said to his disciples that When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you (Matt 10:19-20). This is a very interesting passage concerning the work of the Spirit in a given context of persecution.

The text (10:19-20) suggests that when the disciples publicly represented Jesus, the Spirit was also active for their sake. Probably Joel’s prophecy of Spirit-inspired speech is engaged here (France 1985:183). Accordingly, Keener (1997:206-207) interprets the Spirit of your Father in verse 20 as the Spirit of prophecy. The speech in the context may be considered as the charismatic manifestation of a word of wisdom that is also found in other biblical text: To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit (1 Cor 12:8). Thus, the charismatic word of wisdom is promised for the persecuted Christians who stand for the name of Jesus (Rea 1992:126-127). A particular instance of the fulfilment of the promise is Peter. He experienced this manifestation when he and John were standing before the council of the Jewish Sanhedrin (Acts 4:5-8). Being filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ and eternal salvation to the leaders and priests in the council. The members of the council realized that Peter was uneducated, but was still talking to them in a marvellous speech inspired by the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:8-14, 21).

Gundry recognizes that the passage clearly emphasizes that it is not the disciples, but the Holy Spirit himself who gives the message to the disciples in the time of persecution. He argues that the fact that Matthew adds the phrase that speaks in you to the Spirit and uses the grammatical emphasis of not you…but the Spirit, implies the intention to emphasize that the Holy Spirit is the subject of the giving of utterance. He also argues that the utterance is divine provision for the sake of the persecuted. Matthew’s emphasis on the nature of the utterance as God’s provision is supported by the phrase of your Father that is not paralleled in Mark and Luke (Gundry 1994:193). However, it is to be recognized that the disciples in such situations are not mere passive instruments as to the reception of the speech from the Spirit of the Father (Morris 1992:255). In the broad context of chapter 10, it is clear that the devoted life of the persecuted belonging to the Lord in face of persecution is ultimately involved in the affairs of the work of the Spirit for their sake (particularly, 10:32, 39).

Gundry further classifies the reasons for the disciples not to fear the definite coming persecution in the course of proclamation of the gospel of Jesus thus:

the solidarity in suffering of the disciples and their master (vv. 24-25), the impossibility of hiding the truth (vv. 26-27), the paltriness of physical martyrdom compared with eternal punishment of the whole person (v. 28), the value God the Father places on Jesus’ disciples (vv. 29-31), the necessity of confessing Jesus before men in order to be confessed by him before God the Father (vv. 32-33), the unworthiness of anyone who draws back through fear of personal abuse (vv. 34-39), and the conveyance of eternal life in Christ through such costly ministry (vv. 40-42) (Gundry 1994:191).

It is interesting to note that the work of the Spirit in persecution is followed by the statement on the relationship between the response of the persecuted to persecution and their salvation (Matt 10:22). Verse 22 says, You will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. According to the text, the fact that Christians will be persecuted does not simply guarantee the salvation of the persecuted. Salvation requires their steadfast response to their call (10:5-15) and to faith in the Lord Jesus (10:22). Only those who endure through the persecutions will be in the presence of the Lord Jesus in the end. In the context, Jesus then is not talking about a universal salvation, but about the salvation in which the faithful will find life (Morris 1992:257). The serious importance of the steadfast response to the faith is further affirmed by Matt 10:32-33: Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

Here, it is to be assumed that the Spirit’s help in giving inspired speech before those who persecute the followers of Jesus will include the confession of faith in the Lord Jesus. God’s provision through the Spirit in time becomes the fundamental foundation upon which the persecuted Christians hold fast their faith in the Lord, without abandoning themselves to the denial of Jesus. The Spirit’s work of speaking through the persecuted Christians and the believers’ faithful response to the Lord in the context of persecution will result in salvation of the faithful.

Another point that is to be made is that Matthew wants to speak of the expansion of the scope of the mission of the disciples, which is produced by persecution. Matt 10:18, You will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to ‘them’ and the ‘Gentiles’, notes the transference of the mission scope. The mission was limited to the Jews at the beginning (cf. Matt 10:6), but it is now expanded to include Gentiles (Matt 10:18). An interesting point is that this expansion was accomplished by rejection of Jewish courts and synagogues. The sufferings of the disciples would be the means by which the Christian message would be proclaimed to Gentiles (Morris 1992:254). In other words, Matthew’s arrangement of Jesus’ instructions shows the intended plan of God in terms of the historical transference of the kingdom from Israel to the church (cf. 21:43)[3] (Gundry 1994:192). That the expansion of the gospel of the kingdom of God was, ironically, developed by severe persecution of Christian communities is clearly revealed in the Acts of the Apostles.[4] Hence, persecution of Christians is to be understood in terms of the sovereignty of God. It is obvious that persecution of Christian communities plays a significant role in God’s strategic plan for the kingdom mission.

It is worthy to note that the spread of the gospel of the kingdom was furthered after rejection by the Jews of the proclamation. Valiquette is right in his criticism of Ukpong’s argument on the scope of the mission of the disciples in Matt 10. In responding to Ukpong’s (1995:437-448) argument that Jesus’ earthly ministry was exclusive, that is, focused on his own people, Valiquette (1998:438) argues that the fact that expansion of the gospel to Gentiles was originally intended may be understood only in the sense that the plan would be accomplished only after the rejection of the Jews and this plan is laid in accordance with God’s will. Hence, he points out the central importance of rejection in Matthew 10. As the text shows, the disciples, who were sent by Jesus, would be rejected, flogged in synagogues, and handed over to kings and governors. However, a significant point is that persecution of the disciples resulted in witnesses to the Gentiles (Matt 10:18). Rejection and persecution will accompany the opportunity to witness to Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Another aspect to be included in our discussion is the significance of the work of the Spirit in a persecution context in terms of eschatological importance. Weinrich’s comment on the eschatological significance of persecution of the disciples in the context of Matt 10 is worthy to note for the current discussion. He comments on the matter thus:

The proper and required words shall be given the disciples in that hour. The appearance of the disciples before governors and kings is not the issue of adverse fate but possesses eschatological significance. First of all, the disciples have been led before rulers on account of Christ. The persecution they suffer has no value in itself. It is only because they are Christ’s messengers (Matt 10:5,16) and his servants (Matt 10:24-25) that they suffer at all. The persecution of the disciples is in principle persecution against Christ himself (cf. Acts 9:4,5). Secondly, the disciples stand before the rulers for a witness to them and the Gentiles (Matt 10:18; cf. Mark 13:9). The meaning of this phrase has been much discussed. Von Campenhause argues that martu,rion refers to the fact that the authorities have persecuted the disciples instead of listening to them, a fact which will provide proof at the judgment that they are guilty. It founds the divine judgment. Others have seen in martu,rion a reference to the missionary proclamation of the disciples. It is for proclamation that the disciples have been brought before the leaders. Von Campenhausen is surely correct in rejecting this second view, that martu,rion refers to the proclamation, and insisting on the objective nature of the witness.