The ultimate sacrifice for the sake of Christ

The Word of God teaches us to be strong and courageous and to fear not. This account helps to illustrate that when you are in Christ and Christ is in you you are in the world but not of the world. You have the Spirit  within you to do whatever God calls you to do. This story illustrates the ultimate in courage for Christ, that being presenting your body a living sacrifice.  Refer to Romans 12:1 & 2.

Dear Reader

Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and thank you for contacting the Christian Research Institute!

“The Forty Wrestlers for Christ” appearing on various social media sites[i] appears to be a corrupted retelling of a martyrdom account from church history. The historical account neither occurred during Nero’s persecution, nor involved wrestlers and Vespasian.

The actual account trances back to the fourth century church father Saint Basil of Caesarea. In Homily XIV, entitled “In the Forty Martyrs” (In sanctos quadragint martyres), Basil preached,

The Forty Solider Martyrs of Sebaste…were ordered by the officers of Licinius, AD 320, to offer sacrifices to heathen idols, and, at their refusal, were plunged for a whole night into a frozen pond in the city, in sight of a hot bath on the brink. One man’s faith and fortitude failed him. He rushed to the relief of the shore, plunged into the hot water, and died on the spot. One of the executioners had stood warming himself and watching the strange scene. He had seemed to see angels coming down from heaven and distributing gifts to all the band but one. When the sacred number of forty was for the moment broken the officer flung his cloths, and sprang into the freezing pond with the cry, “I am a Christian.” Judas departed. Matthias took his place.[ii]

Many Christians have made the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of Christ. The New Testament speaks of the martyrdoms of Stephen (Acts 7:1-60) and James the brother of John (Acts 12:1-2). The apostles Peter and Paul were also martyred during Nero’s persecution. The account of the forty martyrs of Sebaste delivered to us by Saint Basil is also an encouragement to Christians for all times; however, believers are to be mindful in their telling of church history, so that Christ name can be honored in the speaking of truth with love.

This response was made possible by the sacrificial gifts and prayers of people who have been helped by the ministry of the Christian Research Institute. We ask that you prayerfully consider sending a donation, which will allow CRI to pass life-changing resources along to someone else, giving you the direct opportunity to touch a life for Christ.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always!

In Christ,

Warren Nozaki
Research Consultant
Christian Research Institute
PO Box 8500
Charlotte, NC 28271

Tel: 888-700-0274
www.equip.org

---

1.       Cf., for example, Turner Wrestling Training, “Forty Wrestlers for Christ,” http://www.ntwrestle.com/default.asp?Action=DOC&ID=169&SUBID=135; Kingdom Place, “40 Wrestlers,” http://kingdomplace.blogspot.com/2008/07/40-wrestlers.html; Millennial Kingdom, “The Forty Wrestlers,” http://www.themillennialkingdom.org.uk/TheFortyWrestlers.htm

2.       Rev. Bloomfield Jackson, The Treatise De Spiritu Sancto: The Nine Homilies of the Hexaemeron and the Lotters of Saint Basil the Great Archbishop of Caeserea, in A Select Library of Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers of The Christian Church, second series, vol. VIII, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Grand Rapids, MI: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983), lxx-lxxi.

Actions do speak louder that words