Because of This

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.  If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well. But they have done this to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT A CAUSE.’ 

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning. John 15:18-27

Why would the world hate Jesus and His Church? What’s not to love? Answer: Absolute, uncompromising truth. Sovereign authority. Our assurance of salvation through one Man. Our confidence in His perfect provision. Our sense of peace because of His faithfulness to His chosen ones.  Our preaching of grace to all who will hear of His finished work.

“If” the world hates you, believers, (1^st class condition—and it does), that’s because it hated Jesus before it knew to hate us. We are not of the world-system. Our citizenship is in heaven, therefore we can have no friendship with the world. Friends must have something in common; a mutual appreciation of important issues in life. Jesus stressed to His men that they must expect to be persecuted, just as He was, because they were His. If He, the master, was ill-treated and despised, they should be prepared to face nothing less. Because they were not of the world, because He had chosen them out of the world; there is an exclusivity of the brotherhood of the saints. The world rejects this. The world does not understand this. The world resents this. The world hates this.

There are those in and from the world who are willing to believe, so Christians always have the responsibility to teach God’s word. The ones who are positive to Jesus’ message will be positive to our teaching also, but the majority of worldlings will reject and hate the messengers of Christ.

Jesus came to Israel, the representatives of the Law of Moses. They were misrepresenting that law, and they despised the Lord for challenging and correcting them. If they had truly known the God they pretended to represent, they would have recognized and believed the Son of God. He came specifically to them to speak His truth and do His miraculous works. By these things they should have known Him. They did not, because they didn’t know the Father Who sent Him. Their system was a lie. Religion posing as reality. They could have claimed ignorance, had He not come to them with truth. As it is, their sin was exposed and they were now without excuse and aware of their sin (guilty). God has made provision for those who recognize their own sin. Receive the atonement of the Lamb of God, which takes away our sin and replaces it with His righteousness. They didn’t want His atonement. They wanted to continue in their religion, because it afforded them power over the masses. What does the world do when it doesn’t like the truth? It rejects the truth and the one who brings it. It plots to remove the messenger of truth, by murder if necessary. Then it murders; but strangely, the truth remains and increases and exposes the guilt of the world. So the world, in its impotence against truth, hates.

They hate absolute truth, because they want to see every issue as situational, iffy; in shades of grey. That means every man for himself, to do as he sees fit, no matter what God has said. They prefer the lie.

They hate authority, because it means someone is in charge and it is not them. It means some rules we obey, just because God has decreed them, whether we understand the reason or not. It means some persons are commissioned to certain positions in life, and others are not, no matter how we feel about it. There is a hierarchy in the plan of God. We who know Him and love His word are willing to submit to that system, thereby growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. They prefer rebellion.

They hate our assurance of faith alone in Christ alone for salvation, because they want to believe there are many ways to God. They consider it arrogance on the part of the Church to teach Jesus as the ONLY way. That would mean their other gods aren’t capable of getting the job done, and their human good is not good enough. It would require humility to simply accept and depend on the finished work of Jesus Christ as the full payment for our sins. They prefer their mysticism or their prideful points systems.

They hate our confidence in His perfect provision. They want us to believe the earth is choking on her own waste and it is all our fault. They want us to believe humanity is a terrible burden on the earth, and she would be better off without us. They hate that we know God built this planet for man’s dwelling, and that He has promised it will support us as long as we need it. And when it is time for our departure, He will fetch us home. They prefer gloomy uncertainty and fearmongering.

They hate our sense of peace in spite of adversities, because we know all things will work together for our good. They prefer whining and blaming someone, anyone, everyone. Especially those arrogant Christians.

They hate grace. The world, and religion, prefers legalism. Even pagans have their do-good systems that they believe everyone must observe, or suffer dire consequences. Religion has its laws, rules and rituals to prove how spiritual they are, and those things have nothing to do with spirituality.

Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost: fallen humanity. He brought grace and truth. He, Himself fulfilled His own law and paid our penalty. Worldlings despise and ridicule Him for His grace.

I John 4:17 “This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.” And in this world we are hated for it.

The Helper was coming, though, from the Father. He, the Holy Spirit always testifies of Jesus. Jesus’ disciples testified of Him, also, having been with Him.

And we testify of Him, because we know Him, too.