“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me."
Today I heard on the news a story of a woman in California whose neighbors have complained about her 25' cross in her front yard. They said that it was an "eye sore" and was hurting their "property values." Now, I have no idea if it is a gaudy cross that is out of good taste or if it is a standard, wooden cross, but it seems to me if it were a giant statue of Bhudda or some other religious symbol that the controversy would not be a controvery at all. The media would probably not even cover it, or if they did, they would insist that this woman has the right to express her own religiosity how ever she sees fit. Christianity, however, receives no such favor, nor should we seek it.
A few points from and based off of the text. Firstly, anyone who expects to be loved by the world for his Christianity is severely misguided. He simply doesn't understand what Christianity is all about. Christ repeatedly spoke about the division that His Gospel would cause between families, friends, and cultures. As He said in Luke 12:51, "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." In the greater context of our passage and of Jesus' teaching we see that this division is based on the Lordship of Christ and the fact that He bears witness to/manifests the Father and His justice and judgment.
Secondly, why would we want to be loved when Christ is hated? Surely this should cause us to question our faithfulness instead of pat ourselves on the backs. We should have no desire to be loved by the world. True, the Bible does direct us to maintain peace as far as is possible and we are told to maintain an upstanding reputation among the world, but this calls for faithfulness to God, not compromising His standards. As we are faithful, the world will hate us. As James said in James 4:4, " You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." The world will hate anyone who truly sticks up for God. In an age where religion is a beloved, quaint idea, we may perhaps be the recipients of tolerance. I think that, as the Gospel wins the world, we will see more and more freedom and respect towards Christians who are willing to stand, but the matter of the fact is that the world--the term rightly understood--will always hate the true religion. The world, meaning darkness and evil under the power of the Devil (not a geographical term) could never love the Light.
Thirdly, Christianity is hated because we, if we are consistent with the teaching of the Bible, do not believe that God is tolerant of other religions. "All roads lead to Heaven"? I think not. The narrow road (Jesus Christ) leads to Heaven. All other roads, as sincerely as you may travel them, lead to Hell. John 14:6 is why the world hates us. Jesus said that He is "THE way, THE Truth, and THE life." The world is fine with saying that Jesus was a good teacher--even a great teacher. They will acknowledge your right to say that Jesus is a true way to life. It is in that moment that you finish the verse that you lose them. "No one comes to the Father except through me." That is an exclusive statement. Jesus was keen on making such statements. He made it clear that Christianity is an exclusive club. "No man can serve two masters..." He declared (Matthew 6:24). The call of the Gospel is a claim over the life saved. It declares that you have a new Father, who loves you and is going to direct your paths. Christianity is hated because it maintains that there is but one God and that their is but one way to reach Him (1 Timothy 2:5).
What we must ask ourselves is this: why do we desire this friendship with the world? Do we seek out the enemies of our earthly fathers and desire to make nice with them? Do we extend the hand of friendship towards those who persecute our spouses? Do we sympathize with those who bully our children? No, not a chance, and of course not. Even so, we must not make an alliance with those who hate our Father! This is true in every area of life--family, political, religous, etc. I know--that is a hard concept to swallow, but the Bible calls for us to draw a line in the sand. This is a religious war and we had better make sure we know what side we are on. Do I sound radical? I hope so. I know that I do not implement this concept well enough in my own life. I wish I were more radical.
Jesus made very clear His position in this world. He claimed that God had given Him all authority in Heaven and on Earth (Matthew 28:18). What a fantastic claim? Who did He think He was? Who do you think He was/is? Is His claim true? Do you believe it enough to surrender every area of life to Him and to forsake all others, keeping faithful to your wedding vows? Or do you desire friendship with the world? Are you constantly frustrated and surprised when the news relates another story about Christianity getting persecuted in our own "Christian" nation? Or do you think, "Yep, they hated Him. They'll hate me."
I confess...I wish I were hated more. I wish people couldn't stand the fact that I would simply not compromise my principles. No, I'm not saying we are to get into people's faces and judge them constantly. But our actions (what we are not willing to do; what we insist on doing) must get into people's faces. Our standards and principles ought to annoy people and make them angry. This is because the world hates to be reminded of its own darkness. Our holding to the objective standard of the Bible should really get on the world's nerve. Instead, we are like flavorless salt, worthy only to be cast into the streets and to be trampled under foot.
Wow, this is a negative post, right? Well, not really. The end goal is that we will bring people to the Gospel through faithfulness to it. Our goal is not just to be controversial and make people made; it is to deliver them from the darkness of the world. God is transforming this planet--slowly but surely. Through the knowledge of the Gospel, this world will be won for Christ. The question is, when will we stop putting our lights underneath baskets and start shining forth the glory of God? The knowledge of the Gospel is in the hands of the people Christ was speaking about in our passage. We must faithfully live our that Gospel without consideration of whose feelings we are going to hurt or whose toes we might just step on. Rules is rules I tell ya, and we best keep 'em, even if we earn us a few enemies.
Today I heard on the news a story of a woman in California whose neighbors have complained about her 25' cross in her front yard. They said that it was an "eye sore" and was hurting their "property values." Now, I have no idea if it is a gaudy cross that is out of good taste or if it is a standard, wooden cross, but it seems to me if it were a giant statue of Bhudda or some other religious symbol that the controversy would not be a controvery at all. The media would probably not even cover it, or if they did, they would insist that this woman has the right to express her own religiosity how ever she sees fit. Christianity, however, receives no such favor, nor should we seek it.
A few points from and based off of the text. Firstly, anyone who expects to be loved by the world for his Christianity is severely misguided. He simply doesn't understand what Christianity is all about. Christ repeatedly spoke about the division that His Gospel would cause between families, friends, and cultures. As He said in Luke 12:51, "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." In the greater context of our passage and of Jesus' teaching we see that this division is based on the Lordship of Christ and the fact that He bears witness to/manifests the Father and His justice and judgment.
Secondly, why would we want to be loved when Christ is hated? Surely this should cause us to question our faithfulness instead of pat ourselves on the backs. We should have no desire to be loved by the world. True, the Bible does direct us to maintain peace as far as is possible and we are told to maintain an upstanding reputation among the world, but this calls for faithfulness to God, not compromising His standards. As we are faithful, the world will hate us. As James said in James 4:4, " You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." The world will hate anyone who truly sticks up for God. In an age where religion is a beloved, quaint idea, we may perhaps be the recipients of tolerance. I think that, as the Gospel wins the world, we will see more and more freedom and respect towards Christians who are willing to stand, but the matter of the fact is that the world--the term rightly understood--will always hate the true religion. The world, meaning darkness and evil under the power of the Devil (not a geographical term) could never love the Light.
Thirdly, Christianity is hated because we, if we are consistent with the teaching of the Bible, do not believe that God is tolerant of other religions. "All roads lead to Heaven"? I think not. The narrow road (Jesus Christ) leads to Heaven. All other roads, as sincerely as you may travel them, lead to Hell. John 14:6 is why the world hates us. Jesus said that He is "THE way, THE Truth, and THE life." The world is fine with saying that Jesus was a good teacher--even a great teacher. They will acknowledge your right to say that Jesus is a true way to life. It is in that moment that you finish the verse that you lose them. "No one comes to the Father except through me." That is an exclusive statement. Jesus was keen on making such statements. He made it clear that Christianity is an exclusive club. "No man can serve two masters..." He declared (Matthew 6:24). The call of the Gospel is a claim over the life saved. It declares that you have a new Father, who loves you and is going to direct your paths. Christianity is hated because it maintains that there is but one God and that their is but one way to reach Him (1 Timothy 2:5).
What we must ask ourselves is this: why do we desire this friendship with the world? Do we seek out the enemies of our earthly fathers and desire to make nice with them? Do we extend the hand of friendship towards those who persecute our spouses? Do we sympathize with those who bully our children? No, not a chance, and of course not. Even so, we must not make an alliance with those who hate our Father! This is true in every area of life--family, political, religous, etc. I know--that is a hard concept to swallow, but the Bible calls for us to draw a line in the sand. This is a religious war and we had better make sure we know what side we are on. Do I sound radical? I hope so. I know that I do not implement this concept well enough in my own life. I wish I were more radical.
Jesus made very clear His position in this world. He claimed that God had given Him all authority in Heaven and on Earth (Matthew 28:18). What a fantastic claim? Who did He think He was? Who do you think He was/is? Is His claim true? Do you believe it enough to surrender every area of life to Him and to forsake all others, keeping faithful to your wedding vows? Or do you desire friendship with the world? Are you constantly frustrated and surprised when the news relates another story about Christianity getting persecuted in our own "Christian" nation? Or do you think, "Yep, they hated Him. They'll hate me."
I confess...I wish I were hated more. I wish people couldn't stand the fact that I would simply not compromise my principles. No, I'm not saying we are to get into people's faces and judge them constantly. But our actions (what we are not willing to do; what we insist on doing) must get into people's faces. Our standards and principles ought to annoy people and make them angry. This is because the world hates to be reminded of its own darkness. Our holding to the objective standard of the Bible should really get on the world's nerve. Instead, we are like flavorless salt, worthy only to be cast into the streets and to be trampled under foot.
Wow, this is a negative post, right? Well, not really. The end goal is that we will bring people to the Gospel through faithfulness to it. Our goal is not just to be controversial and make people made; it is to deliver them from the darkness of the world. God is transforming this planet--slowly but surely. Through the knowledge of the Gospel, this world will be won for Christ. The question is, when will we stop putting our lights underneath baskets and start shining forth the glory of God? The knowledge of the Gospel is in the hands of the people Christ was speaking about in our passage. We must faithfully live our that Gospel without consideration of whose feelings we are going to hurt or whose toes we might just step on. Rules is rules I tell ya, and we best keep 'em, even if we earn us a few enemies.
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