Will you please tell me what a martyr is? Is one making a martyr of himself when he gives up any thing from principle, for the sake of Christ?
Our word "martyr" is simply the Greek word meaning witness. A martyr therefore is one who bears testimony. Whenever in the New Testament we find the word "witness," as in: "You shall be witnesses," (Acts 1:8) and where Jesus is called: "The faithful and true witness," (Revelation 3:14) the Greek word is martyr. These two instances are sufficient to show the real meaning of the word "martyr." Whoever is loyal to truth, both in word and in deed, is a martyr, whether he suffers for the truth's sake or not. A man may be a witness for the Lord without undergoing any physical pain whatever; but since "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution," (2 Timothy 3:12) martyrdom, that is, witnessing, has come to be inseparably associated with the idea of suffering persecution, torture, and even death. But nobody can "make a martyr of himself." Jesus said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses [or, "martyrs"]." (Acts 1:8,RV)
It is the Spirit of God that makes men martyrs. That is to say, only the Spirit of God can so transform a man that he will be faithful to God and his truth under all circumstances, even though his faithfulness leads to persecution, loss of possessions and friends, and even to death.
The common expression, "He is making a martyr of himself," or the advice, "Don't make a martyr of yourself," meaning that one is willfully denying himself something in order to show his independence, or to gain sympathy, comes from a mistaken idea. Martyrdom is not penance. A real martyr never poses, and never asks for pity or sympathy, because he does not feel that he needs any. He never whines or complains of his lot, but joyfully meets whatever comes. He rejoices to be counted worthy to suffer for Christ, and he finds in that suffering and reproach more than compensation for all he has given up.
Yes; there are martyrs now, but the world knows little of them. The history of the martyrs has never been written, except in heaven. There ought to be, and will be, martyrs as long as God has truth that can thrill the hearts of men. A true martyr is one of the most glorious sights that men or angels can look upon.
It is a too common idea that the way of the Christian ought now to be so easy that it will be impossible for him to undergo any hardship by walking in it. Yet among the greater portion of mankind, as for instance, the inhabitants of India and China, for a man to become a Christian means the loss of property and position, separation from his friends, bitter persecution, and exposure to the possibility of death. And people in Europe, who think that they ought not to be expected to suffer the slightest inconvenience for Christ's sake, will actually give money to help make Christians in those countries. Why should a higher type of Christianity be expected in Asia than in Europe?
The truth is that the world is just as much opposed to the truth of Christ as it was in the days of Pontius Pilate. It has never been converted, and never will be. Whoever, therefore, truly accepts Christ, must expect to suffer with Him; and whoever does not esteem it a privilege and a joy to give up everything, including life itself, for His sake, is not worthy of life either here or hereafter.
Oh, to side with truth is noble,
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit,
And 'tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses,
While the coward stands aside,
Doubting, in his abject spirit,
Till his Lord is crucified,
And the multitude make virtue,
Of the faith they had denied.
--Lowell.
--Present Truth, December 19, 1901.