For the early Christians, dying for their faith was a very real posibililty and in To Die is Gain, you’ll discover what those believers went through and the way in which they understood that believing in Jesus was likely to cause their death.
These are ancient true stories and theological teachings, rewritten in modern English, from early church fathers like Ignatius, Lactantius, Tertullian, and Cyprian.
In a world where comfort often takes precedence over conviction, To Die is Gain: Living and Dying for Christ is a powerful call to rediscover what it truly means to live, and die, for Jesus.
Excerpt from Letter to the Romans (Ignatius)
Chapter 1: As a Prisoner, I Hope to See You
From Ignatius (also known as Theophorous).
To the Church that has received mercy through the greatness of God the Father and through Jesus Christ, His only Son. This Church that is deeply loved and filled with light by the will of God, who works all things through the love of Jesus Christ, our God.
This Church lives in the city of Rome and holds a special place of honour, worthy of God, worthy of respect, joy, praise, and holiness. She leads in love and bears the name of Christ and the Father.
I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father.
To all who are united in both body and spirit, who live by His commands, who are filled with God’s grace and free from all corruption, I wish you to overflow with joy and peace in Jesus Christ, our God.
Thanks to your prayers, God has given me the blessing of hoping to see your beautiful faces. He’s even given me more than I asked for. I hope, as a prisoner in Christ Jesus, to greet you. If God allows me to finish my journey faithfully, that is. Things have started well, and I pray I’ll have the strength to hold firmly to the end.
But I’m afraid of your love. You have the power to do what you want, but if you spare me, it might keep me from reaching God.
Excerpt from To the Martyrs (Tertullian)
Chapter 2: This World is the Real Prison
Other burdens, which also hinder the soul, may have followed you all the way to the prison gates in the same way your family and friends may have accompanied you there. But from that point on, you were separated from the world. How much more, then, have you also been cut off from the daily routines and distractions of ordinary life?
Do not be alarmed by this separation. In fact, if we think about it, the world is more of a prison than the place you now find yourselves in.
The world is darker because it blinds the heart.
The world binds people with chains far heavier than iron, tying down the soul itself.
The world fills the air with the corrupt stench of human desire. It holds a greater number of criminals in the entire human race.
And it does not just await judgment from a local Governor, but from God Himself.
So, dear brothers and sisters, you should see yourselves not as imprisoned, but as transferred into a place of spiritual safety. It may be a dark place, but you are light. It may have chains, but God has made you free. Its air may be foul, but you are the fragrance of Christ. The world waits for its judge, but you will judge the world.
If there is sadness, it is only for those who still long for the pleasures of the world. A Christian, who is outside the prison, has already turned his back on the world. But a Christian in prison has turned his back on the world and the prison. It makes no difference where in the world you are when you no longer belong to it. And if you have lost some comforts, remember this: in any worthy pursuit, people are willing to suffer temporary loss to gain something greater in return.
I have not even begun to speak of the rewards God promises to martyrs. But for now, compare the life you have left behind with the life you are living now. Is your spirit not gaining far more in prison than your body has lost? And even your body does not lack what it truly needs, thanks to the Church’s care and the love of your brothers and sisters.
In prison, you are no longer exposed to false gods or their images. You do not have to endure pagan holidays or the stench of their sacrifices. You are spared the noise of violent games, the madness and shamelessness of those who celebrate them, and the unclean sights of the streets and brothels. You have been removed from temptation, offense, and sinful memories. And even persecution has paused.
In a way, the prison gives you what the wilderness gave to the prophets.
Even our Lord often withdrew from the crowds to pray and escape the noise of the world. It was on a quiet mountain that He revealed His glory to the disciples. We need to stop calling it a prison and start calling it a place of retreat. Your body may be confined, but your spirit is free. Everything is open to the spirit.
So, walk freely in your spirit. Do not picture shady walkways or columns of stone. Picture the narrow road that leads to God. Every time your thoughts walk that path, your chains will feel lighter. The body may be bound, but the heart can be in the heavens.
Where the heart goes, the whole person follows. For wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. So let your heart be where you want your treasure to be.