On the 11th April, 2026 we heard the kidnap of John Arum, a student of the University of Jos traveling from Jos to Kaduna by armed bandits. Unfortunately, under severe torture and the bizarre condition of being at gunpoint, denied his Christian faith.

 

This piece of reflection is not an attempt to judge the action of the victim (John Arum), but is a theological clarification on the concept of faith, to strengthen the resolve of those who believe in God and are associated with Christianity.

 

As we all know, faith is the supernatural gift of God which enables one to believe without doubting, whatever God has revealed (CCC 1814). Also, Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen (Heb. 11:1). From the above definitions, one can deduce that, faith grants the believer the certainty of things immediately incomprehensible. An example is the idea of heaven, which is the reward for those who persevere through the great tribulations to the end (2Tim. 4:8, Rev. 7:14).

 

Thus, the question becomes: What is faith without tribulations? Similarly, is faith denied in the face of persecutions rooted in Christ? In a subtle attempt to escape these questions arises the idea of survival instinct and the theory of “Act of Man” whereby the moral culpability of one’s action is lessened when carried out under duress. In the case of John, the young man had the freedom to choose although with a deep-seated instinct for self-preservation. Not like he was presented with two options of equal consequences (i.e., denial in this case).

 

Oftentimes, there have been cases of kidnappings whereby even after the demanded ransom is being paid, or for cases involving Christians, even after denying their faith, the victims are still killed. Thus, it follows natural logic to allude that the release of a victim is not necessarily predicated on the denial of Christianity or acceptance of the Islamic religion.

 

It is an undeniable fact to note that the presence of a threat to life scares the human person so greatly, and the most feasible option for the mind is the quest for survival at all costs. However, based on our conviction for martyrdom as a way of witnessing to Christ at the expense of one’s life, it should appeal to the trained and certain conscience to embrace this death as his share in the sufferings of Christ so as to enter into the glory of God, conscious of the fact that “whether alive or dead, it is for the Lord that he lives (Rom. 4:8), and even if our God will not save us… We will not worship your God (Dan. 3:18)

 

Consequently, if the victim has made up his mind in such conviction, he would embrace the pains gladly, rejoicing that he was counted worthy to suffer such persecutions for the sake of Christ (Acts 5:41), knowing that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to come (Rom. 8:18).

 

The mercy of God is abundant because God desires that all men be saved. Just like Peter, who denied Christ even while he was physically present with Him. John Arum, too, could be forgiven for denying Christianity in the face of terror. But the danger with human psychology is that actions that promise certain rewards are likely to be repeatedly done because of the rewards. Therefore, consciousness of the reward of forgiveness, John is likely to deny Christ again when confronted with similar situations and return for forgiveness afterwards. But he cannot be so sure of the end of subsequent occasions.

 

One’s faith proves productive in the face of danger and persecution. To deny one’s faith in the midst of terror and run back to God afterwards is not just an act of cowardice but selfishness. Even though it is the natural inclination of man to run away from death because self-preservation is in itself a moral good, but we should be ready to embrace martyrdom when it comes. Socrates, when approached by his friend Crito, who offered to help him escape the death that was to befall him consequent to his sentence, said that, “everyone dreads death as if it were the greatest misfortune to befall man, not knowing if it would be the best thing to embrace.” Thus, since we do not know what our fate will be after death, the promise of Christ for those who persevere to the end i.e. salvation (cf Matt. 24:13) should be a source of encouragement to us in embracing such tribulations to the point of death rather than seeking earthly freedom and release by compromising our beliefs.