The Hatred of the World

Scripture: John 15:18-20 (ESV)

¹⁸  “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ 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.

Devotion:

            This scripture is compelling. It explains what happened to Jesus and His disciples some 2,000 years ago. The message of God is rarely welcome news for the world. It calls out many of the culture's favorite practices for what they are: sin. Ever since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, humankind has been adamant about trying to hide or excuse their sin. Sin causes a barrier between humans and God that humanity cannot overcome in its own power.

            Things have not changed in the last 2,000 years. We still sin and try to hide, excuse, or even promote and celebrate our sins. This puts those who follow Christ in a difficult position because it puts us in opposition to our culture and even our own neighbors. We all want to be liked by our culture and neighbors, but because of our faith in Christ and our insistence on living according to His rule, we are often despised and looked down upon.

            There may have been a time when the culture respected those who practiced the Christian faith, but that time is over. Christians are now despised mainly because of their insistence on using the Bible as a guide for their lives and practices. This rules out Christians participating in or condoning certain things that the culture accepts as expected and even promotes as positive good.

            The most recent example of this phenomenon is so-called “transgender rights.” The culture affirms and celebrates these behaviors as positive and good things. At the same time, those who follow Christ promote the standard that there are only two sexes/genders. Christians follow the creation account of God making humans male and female and that those sexes are immutable. We oppose the claim that these genders can be changed or manipulated at the whim of humans. Therefore, the world hates us.

            We are willing to withstand the world’s hatred because of our faith in a higher power. The God of heaven has established sex/gender, and God saw that it was very good. So, Christians must press for God’s standard regarding this and many other behaviors the world accepts and celebrates. We are labeling them as sins, declaring them to be sins, and calling for repentance.

            However, the church calls everyone to faith in Jesus as foundational. Not committing sins is legalism without this faith, and the law kills. The Holy Spirit gives life and calls us to live lives that are examples of Christlike love. Before the world can change its behavior, it must change its Lord and Savior. Let us pray for the conversion of the world and then the changing of the world's behavior.

Prayer:

            Lord, help us preach Christ's supremacy and power to the world. We know that before sin can be effectively dealt with, there must be a new birth in Jesus Christ. Lord, help us to speak and act out the truth of your message to a world gone mad after its own sin. Grant that we may be effective evangelists and apologists ready to share our faith and the reason for our holding to that faith in the face of opposition. Lord, grant us strength and courage to witness your unchanging and unfailing love toward those created in your image. Let us spread the good news of your kingdom far and wide as our abilities allow. Amen.