“This I command you, that you love one another. 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. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: They hated me without a cause.’
As Jesus prepared His disciples for his death, he made it clear to his disciples that the world would hate them. As the world had hated Christ, and as his enemies were plotting His death, Jesus clearly emphasized to Christians then and now that they would have to suffer for being Christians.
Hate is a tough word. It seems that there is more hate in the world today than ever. As we look at history, we realize that it is hate that has caused all the wars, all the pain, all the divisions of the world …. and who is behind all of this – Satan himself.
Rome hated the Christians because they showed allegiance to Jesus rather than Caesar. It is clear that people do not like those who are not like them.
In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul was imprisoned and beaten because of his stand for Jesus.
In the first century, Nero burned the city of Rome, and blamed it on the Christians, leading to one of the greatest persecutions ever.
In the fourth century Diocletian did all he could to destroy Christians.
Persecution has come from one church against others.
Communism and Islamic regimes have done all they can to wipe out Christians. “Barrett and Todd M. Johnson said from AD 30 to 2000, 70 million Christians died as martyrs. The majority of those martyrs were not in ancient times. There were 45 million Christian martyrs in the 20th century.”
The world hates and will hate God’s people. Do you and I embrace that?
Why does the world hate the church? The Bible, God’s word, is clear that God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:8-10). These truths must be preached, and God has given the conditions in the Bible to be acceptable to Him. There must be repentance (a change of mind resulting in a change of life) if man will have an acceptable relationship with God. Man must obey God’s word if he will be accepted by Him. The Bible continues to warn about the ultimate consequences of those who do not follow His word. God has commanded that the church preach that sin leads to punishment, so it is automatically assumed that the church hates people that are not like them. Such is not true. The church MUST PREACH THE TRUTH IN LOVE. We must tell the truth, and if the person we are teaching refuses to accept what God has said, then God allows man to live with the decision he/she has made, however awful the punishment is.
The world will hate Christians. The secular world does not want to hear about sin, and the evolutionary teaching in schools today lead many people to act like animals.
Christians MUST be like Jesus, and our lives SHOULD show the difference between a follower of God and those of the world. Social media, indeed, media in general, minimizes sin, perversion, hatred, and accepts those who are proponents of all of the sin that is so prevalent today. These have no problems with the perversion of the world. They encourage it.
Christians must stand for truth — truth found in God’s word. That will put us at odds with the world, but so be it. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” (1 John 2:15-17). Beloved, do we love the Lord and His kingdom more than the kingdoms of the world today?
If so, we will be different! May God help us to set the example for a lost and dying world.
Tommy
