How Christians Overthrew a Tyrant

Christians were burned alive for the Emperor Nero’s entertainment. Crowned at 17 according to some historians, Nero executed his mother and married a man who resembled a lover. Nero makes today’s American politicians look like saints.

Yet under this tyrant in A.D. 64, Paul wrote this to the persecuted Christians: 

“Therefore I exhort first of all that you make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings for everyone, for kings and for all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all. This was the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim. 2:1-6).

Paul urged that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people, including Nero. Pray for the ruler who is burning Christians alive at his whim. Pray for the king who is married to a man. Pray for the emperor who executed his mother. Yeah, let’s have a prayer meeting for Nero!

If we distilled this Scripture more, Paul is saying that praying for Nero is “this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men (including Nero) to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The man Christ Jesus gave Himself as a ransom for Nero as well.

Paul would be beheaded under Nero’s rule, according to Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 275-339). Nero’s persecution led to Peter being crucified upside down. The ruler they prayed for was systematically killing them.

Today, Christians in America would probably organize rallies and protests to get Nero out of office. Can you imagine organizing a prayer meeting for Nero? A pastor urging his church to pray for Nero would probably be fired.

The prayers rising up to God from persecuted Christians would take a few hundred years to be answered as Christians grew in influence in the Roman Empire. In A.D. 312, Emperor Constantine became a Christian although he still practiced paganism. According to historians, Constantine had a dream where Christ directed him to fight under Christian standards.¹

While Christianity influenced Roman life and rulers, there would never be a full expression of biblical life in the culture. Roman society became a pluralistic culture where Christianity was accepted and practiced alongside paganism. In the meantime, the persecuted believers were to live as unto another King.

They were to live as “citizens of heaven” where the Lord Jesus Christ lives and as those who are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior (Phil. 3:20). The unseen, heavenly kingdom empowered them to thrive under persecution.

There were no Christian political campaigns or rallies to overthrow Nero. Instead, these believers lived under the influence of another kingdom that expressed a lifestyle that would win the hearts of the Romans. Those early believers set the example for us on how we should respond to tyrants.

Our life isn’t wrapped up in a political affiliation. The party in power isn’t our savior. Our life belongs to Jesus, the King of kings whom we wait for as our Savior. We are to leaven our pluralistic pagan culture by winning the hearts of the people.

We win their hearts by showing the fruit of the Spirit, which is beyond the law. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control; against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23). This love doesn’t depend on their political affiliation or who they want in power. This love comes from Jesus, who will not be dictated by worldly rulers.

The Emperor of the cosmos, the one who raised up Nero for His own purposes, had the final say on that chapter. The tyrant who killed Peter and Paul was declared a public enemy and died after begging his secretary to kill him. Nero died, and the deaths of Christians led to the growth of the church.

Today the gospel is advancing while the kingdom of God lives in the hearts of people. Let’s follow the examples of our persecuted brothers and sisters in the early church who prayed for Nero. Let’s pray for those in authority and win the hearts of the people with love, joy and peace.

¹Christianity and the Roman Empire

Leilani D. Haywood, is an award-winning writer and online editor of SpiritLed Woman. She is frequent contributor to Charisma and many other publications. When she isn’t commanding her purse to come forth or looking for her iPhone, she is working on her next book, For the Love God. The author of Ten Keys to Raising Kids That Love God, she is selling the book to benefit The Orphan Justice Center. Connect with Leilani on Facebook or Twitter.