Salvation for Non-Christian Victims?

by Michael Shackleton · September 22, 2016

Christ told us: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:10). Countless Christians are being severely victimised in so many places today. We can be sure that they will enter the kingdom. But what of those thousands of refugees and displaced people who are not Christian? They are also persecuted. Will they enter the kingdom because they have suffered “for righteousness’ sake”? W Maddock

For righteousness’ sake means for the sake of Christ who brought the divine truth to earth. The next line of the text you quote explains this where Jesus says persecution will be suffered “on my account”. Luke expresses it as “on account of the Son of Man” (Lk 6:22).

The conclusion is that Christians who are persecuted or martyred because they are Christians are the object of Christ’s promise, and “blessed” because of that. So, on the face of it non-Christians who are equally persecuted are not promised entry into Christ’s kingdom.

The Eight Beatitudes in Matthew 5 provide us with eight instances of how we are blessed when we are poor in spirit, pure in heart, suffer persecution and so on. Each of these qualities is possessed by Jesus Christ himself. We must imitate him in our dealings with our neighbour, Christian or not. This holds out the hope of our being truly blessed.

The French writer Jacques Maritain after World War II drew attention to the monstrous persecution of the Jews by the Nazis. European Jews were scientifically assassinated, he wrote, because they were sons and daughters of Abraham, the Chosen People from whom and through whom Christ our saviour came to us. And Christians were also hated because of their Jewish origins.

He broached the same kind of question as you do. Although these Jews were humiliated and slaughtered on religious and ethnic grounds, and not for the Christian concept of the kingdom of heaven, he believed they would enter the kingdom because even unwittingly they were suffering for the sake of their Messiah Jesus Christ.

He argued further. He said many people die completely forsaken, not giving their lives but having their lives taken from them unjustly. He compared their agony to that of Christ crucified who felt utterly abandoned by God.

These people, he wrote, belong to the crucified Saviour who surely would not deny them his mercy. They are like the repentant thief whom Christ promised to be with him in paradise.

These speculations may make us pause and reflect on the world beyond ours where the kingdom of God is given to those who are unjustly victimised in this world, such as today’s many refugees and displaced peoples.