Last year at the Vatican Library, I had the chance to see a portion of the Bible with an incredible history. It wasn’t the famous Codex Vaticanus but a translation of the Gospels into Persian from the 1740s. While a translation of the Gospels into the language of a Muslim empire is itself noteworthy, the history behind this particular text is even more remarkable. It represents one of two times when the ruler of Iran (or Persia, as it was called by the West before 1935) praised the Bible and furthered its spread in the region. At a time when Iran is often associated with hostility toward Christianity, these episodes remind us that God can work through unlikely and even evil leaders. I find encouragement—and a prompting to pray—when I reflect on unexpected ways God used infamous Iranian leaders to spread the gospel. Let me introduce you to two of them. Nader Shah (1688–1747) Iran’s most ruthless leader in its history arguably was Nader Shah, who ruled Persia from 1736 to 1747 and led a constant stream of military campaigns. His sack of Delhi in 1739 perhaps best demonstrated his military might and brutality. After taking the city, a revolt arose that the shah crushed, resulting in the deaths of up to 20,000 civilians. The shah, characterized as a “notorious despot and mass murderer who wrought destruction on a large scale and ruined his country,” also brought together Jewish, Catholic, and Armenian scholars in Persia to translate the Old and New Testaments. This included the copy of the Gospels that Catholic missionaries sent to the Vatican Library. I find encouragement—and a prompting to pray—when I reflect on how God has used Iranian leaders to support the spread of the gospel. After the missionaries completed translating the Gospels, they went to present the translation to Nader Shah. As they waited an hour for an audience with the shah, they saw 18 people led to his chamber who later were carried out as lifeless bodies, having been strangled. With a trepidation reminiscent of Esther approaching the Persian King Ahasuerus, they entered the shah’s court expecting martyrdom. However, the shah received the Persian translation and rewarded them with silver equivalent to a few years’ wages. Nader Shah’s motivations for developing a Persian translation of the Bible are unclear. He may have sought to understand Judaism and Christianity in his empire more fully. Perhaps he hoped to syncretize the religions. Whatever his motivations, he was the unlikely catalyst for the first effort to translate the whole Bible into Persian. Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (1772–1834) If Nader Shah was one of the most ruthless leaders of Iran, Fath-Ali Shah Qajar was perhaps one of the most opulent. He ruled for a relatively stable period over three decades from 1797 to 1834. He’s easily recognizable in portraits with his long beard, thin waist, and bejeweled attire. In 1812, evangelical missionary Henry Martyn completed a translation of the New Testament into Persian. Martyn, who knew William Wilberforce, Charles Simeon, and William Carey, worked tirelessly in Shiraz, Persia, to translate the New Testament. When he finished, he attempted to present a beautiful bound copy to Fath-Ali Shah. Martyn reached the shah’s encampment but couldn’t enter his court to present the New Testament. However, one secretary read to the shah three tracts Martyn had written to present the gospel to Muslims. Martyn died four months later, at the young age of 31, while trying to return to England. While Martyn didn’t live to see it, the British ambassador to Persia presented his Persian New Testament to Fath-Ali Shah in 1814. After reviewing the New Testament, the shah sent a letter commending it. He asserted that Martyn had translated the text “in a style most befitting sacred books, that is, in an easy and simple diction.” He said he’d command his attendants to read him the New Testament from beginning to end and support its distribution around Persia. Those who were “virtuously engaged” in spreading the New Testament and teaching its meaning, the shah said, would be “deservedly honored with . . . royal favor.” While there are certainly elements of diplomatic flattery in this letter, the shah’s approval had far-reaching consequences. Throughout the 19th century, missionaries like Peter Gordon and William Glen distributed hundreds of copies across Persia with a relative degree of freedom. God’s Sovereignty and Iranian Leaders These two stories of Persian leaders supporting the Bible’s translation and distribution are surprising in light of current religious restrictions in Iran. But it’s not that surprising in light of biblical history. In the Old Testament, the Lord sovereignly uses Persian leaders to protect his people and further his covenant plan for redemption. King Ahasuerus circulates a letter that saves the Jewish people from certain destruction (Est. 8:11–13). Nehemiah receives a letter of support from the Persian King Artaxerxes to help rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Neh. 2). King Cyrus sends incredible amounts of gold and silver to support the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:2–4). In the Old Testament the Lord sovereignly uses Persian leaders to protect his people and further his covenant plan for redemption. God sovereignly works to move kings and rulers—even the most pagan kings and the most ruthless rulers—to do his will. In Ezra 1:1, we see that the Lord “stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia.” The connection between God’s sovereignty and his directing of a Persian king is crystal clear in Isaiah 44:24–45:25. This passage first emphasizes that it’s the Lord “who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens” (v. 24). Turning to Cyrus, the Lord states that he “shall fulfill all [God’s] purpose” (v. 28). In the next verse, Cyrus is referred to as God’s anointed and the one “whose right hand [God has] grasped” (45:1). Let’s pray for the next ruler of Iran. Pray that, as the Lord has done before in history, he’d use the next leader to protect his people and further the spread of the gospel message. Both Christians and Muslims have suffered greatly in Iran in recent decades, yet the gospel is still advancing. We should pray for an end to suffering in Iran. But we can also trust that amid uncertainty, missiles, and war, our sovereign God guides the hand and thwarts the will of rulers.

“My son grew up in church, but now he needs to make his faith his own.” “Look, I know your parents are Christians, but you can’t rely on their faith; you have to make their faith your own.” Have you heard this sentiment? Parents, youth leaders, and pastors often say things like this to convey that every young person must personally place his or her faith in Christ or take initiative in spiritual matters. If that’s all people mean, I agree theologically. But language matters, and I fear that this catchphrase has unintended effects: It perpetuates unbiblical ideas about the nature of salvation, appropriates the individualism of our culture, and promotes a subtle kind of legalism. Salvation Belongs to the Lord Strictly speaking, this language of making your faith your own isn’t biblical. The Bible’s testimony is that repentance is granted (2 Tim. 2:25), a new birth is necessary to see the kingdom (John 3:3), and this new birth comes from the will of God, not man (1:12–13). Additionally, faith is a gracious gift of God through Jesus (Eph. 2:8–9), the founder and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2); indeed, “salvation belongs to the LORD!” (Jonah 2:9). The only place in Scripture we find language similar to “make your faith your own” is Philippians 3. Paul reflects on his former life in Judaism and explains that he’s no longer devoted to seeking righteousness by the law. His aim is to know Christ and experience the power of his resurrection. Paul says, “I press on to make it my own” (v. 12)—“it” being the knowledge of Christ and future resurrection (vv. 10–11). Paul’s wording points to our participation in sanctification, not salvation. And even for sanctification, “make it your own” isn’t the consistent language of Scripture. When we describe faith (and therefore, initial salvation) as something a child must take ownership of, the emphasis unintentionally shifts from receiving to producing. It takes the focus off what God has done and places it on what the child needs to do. In this way, a youth leader, pastor, or parent may inadvertently convey that the child contributes something to the process of salvation. Discipleship Happens in Community The idea of making your faith your own also evokes a distinctly American, Disneyesque individualism. Our culture pushes the narrative of the “self-made woman/man.” However, other people’s influence in our lives is real and powerful, and when it comes to the Christian life, that’s exactly what God intended. Paul’s reflection on how Timothy’s faith was influenced by his mother is instructive for us: I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. . . . Continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14–15) Paul doesn’t commend Timothy for making his faith his own; he highlights how God used Eunice’s faithfulness in teaching Timothy the Word to bring Timothy to saving faith and develop his firm belief. Similarly, I can look back and say I became a believer because of my parents (e.g., regular Scripture reading, praying with me nightly even into adulthood, regularly rehearsing the gospel with me). I wasn’t pursuing faith like a person stranded in the desert looking for water. Rather, the Lord used my parents’ faithful discipleship. We ought not to minimize the channels through which gospel seed is dispensed and discipleship is cultivated, whether that’s through teaching from the pulpit or in the living room. We ought not to minimize the channels through which the seed of the gospel is dispensed and discipleship is cultivated. When we do, we risk misguiding not only children but also parents. When parents come to believe that their children need to make their faith their own, it can loosen the parents’ sense of responsibility for the ordinary work of discipleship. The Bible teaches that seeds of faith can be planted and grown through means of teaching, modeling, and retelling God’s wondrous works—especially in the home (Deut. 6:6–7; Ps. 78:5–7; 2 Tim. 1:5; 3:14–15). Christ Fulfilled the Law I grew up thinking that to make my faith my own meant I had to forsake some sin before I could genuinely embrace Christ. Or perhaps I needed to prepare myself for conversion through manifesting enough emotion or an inner willingness to forsake all else. I felt I could have peace with God only when my performance was up to snuff. While it’s right to call children and teens to forsake their sin, telling them to make their faith their own may create confusion about the relationship between the law and the gospel. The weight of the law is meant to drive our children to Christ, who perfectly fulfilled its requirements. Christ alone, received with the empty hands of faith, grants us his righteousness and then transforms our hearts. Rather than calling kids to make their faith their own, let’s call them to respond to Christ, the author and finisher of their faith (Heb. 12:2). Once they find refuge in the comforts of the gospel, we can point them to the law as their guide and “kind advisor.” Better Way We rightly desire to see children in our homes and churches “work out [their] own salvation” (Phil. 2:12), and it’s good for us to encourage them to actively seek the Lord. But we need to be thoughtful in how we talk to them about it. And we need to talk to the Lord about it regularly. I’ve found these two prayers helpful. First, for kids who have professed faith, I pray that their faith would be tested and nourished to full maturity. That’s how Peter speaks: “that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7; emphasis added). Rather than calling kids to make their faith their own, let’s call them to respond to Christ, the author and finisher of their faith. Second, if they’re not regenerated, I pray that Christ will make them his own. Our kids can then rightly pursue, by the Spirit, growth in knowledge of Christ and conformity to his image, as Paul pursued it: “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own” (Phil. 3:12; emphasis added). No, our kids don’t need to make their faith their own, but we can pray that Christ’s truth prevails over unbelief and possesses their hearts, resulting in the knowledge of Christ coming to full flower.

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