In this blog entry we will examine in more specific detail why the world hates Christ's disciples.
Over and over and over again, throughout the NT, we find Jesus Christ making the most astonishing claims about the reception his true followers will get from others. For example:
"18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also." Jn. 15:18-23
Christ claims his true followers will be hated by the entire world. Christ also claims he himself is hated by the entire world, and so is his Father. Now why would this be? Could it be because of the radical obedience necessary for true discipleship? Could it also be because man, by his very nature, will actually hate God's nature? This would seem to be the case:
"20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." Jn. 3:20
Every one that does evil hates the light. Evidently, there is something in God's nature that someone who does evil will, by their own nature hate. This is evidenced throughout the book of Revelation - they refuse to repent over and over again even though they KNOW who is causing the plagues. In addition, they all attack the very physcial presence of God in Jerusalem at the end of the millenial reign:
"9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Rev. 20:9
This is truly an astonishing verse. The magnitude of what is said here is truly remarkable. The human race is actually attacking the very physical presence of God himself!
Why would the human race do such a thing? There can only be one reason - human nature believes that God is evil. Human nature must believe that God is monstrously evil, or else it could never perform such a feat. God, on the other hand, believes that it is human nature that is evil. So we see that we have come to an impasse - man is at war with God because human nature believes that God is evil.
It is essential that this be grasped by the student of theology. God's nature is evidently so radical, so different, that it is hated by human nature because it is perceived as evil. Thus:
"13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you." 1 Jn. 3:13
John tells us not to think it an amazing thing if the world hates us. It is to be expected, because, you see, human nature hates God - because it believes he is evil. This can be the only explanation.
However, it does not stop there. You see, man wants a god after his own image, after his own likeness. A god that values the things he values and thinks the way he thinks. So man creates his own god, and preaches him in his mosques/synagogues/churches. But it is not the real Creator of the universe. It is not the real God of Scripture. It is a human god, a god with a human nature. The real Creator of the universe does not have a human nature, which was why the symbols 'light' and 'darkness' were used inside of the Scriptures.
Obedience to God's commands is radical. Jesus Christ says that a person's foes will the the people of their own household. Even one's own family members will not like this massive re-arrangement of priorities (seeking God first above all else in life - Mt. 6:33, etc.).
Such obedience is so radical, and indeed God's nature itself is so radical, that incredible statements like this are made:
"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." Jn. 16:1-3
Jesus Christ says that the time will come when whoever kills a true servant of God will think that he does God a service! Incredible statement, and shows just how far removed human nature is from God. It also shows that human nature thinks that God is evil, for why else would one kill one of his followers in order to do "god" a service?
So it is obvious what is going on then. The reason why Christ's disciples are hated is twofold:
1) Obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ requires radical obedience which will surely bring persecution at some point along the way
2) God's nature is believed to be evil by man's nature
This, I believe, represents the basic theology of the Scriptures.
Over and over and over again, throughout the NT, we find Jesus Christ making the most astonishing claims about the reception his true followers will get from others. For example:
"18If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.
20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.
23 He that hateth me hateth my Father also." Jn. 15:18-23
Christ claims his true followers will be hated by the entire world. Christ also claims he himself is hated by the entire world, and so is his Father. Now why would this be? Could it be because of the radical obedience necessary for true discipleship? Could it also be because man, by his very nature, will actually hate God's nature? This would seem to be the case:
"20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." Jn. 3:20
Every one that does evil hates the light. Evidently, there is something in God's nature that someone who does evil will, by their own nature hate. This is evidenced throughout the book of Revelation - they refuse to repent over and over again even though they KNOW who is causing the plagues. In addition, they all attack the very physcial presence of God in Jerusalem at the end of the millenial reign:
"9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." Rev. 20:9
This is truly an astonishing verse. The magnitude of what is said here is truly remarkable. The human race is actually attacking the very physical presence of God himself!
Why would the human race do such a thing? There can only be one reason - human nature believes that God is evil. Human nature must believe that God is monstrously evil, or else it could never perform such a feat. God, on the other hand, believes that it is human nature that is evil. So we see that we have come to an impasse - man is at war with God because human nature believes that God is evil.
It is essential that this be grasped by the student of theology. God's nature is evidently so radical, so different, that it is hated by human nature because it is perceived as evil. Thus:
"13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you." 1 Jn. 3:13
John tells us not to think it an amazing thing if the world hates us. It is to be expected, because, you see, human nature hates God - because it believes he is evil. This can be the only explanation.
However, it does not stop there. You see, man wants a god after his own image, after his own likeness. A god that values the things he values and thinks the way he thinks. So man creates his own god, and preaches him in his mosques/synagogues/churches. But it is not the real Creator of the universe. It is not the real God of Scripture. It is a human god, a god with a human nature. The real Creator of the universe does not have a human nature, which was why the symbols 'light' and 'darkness' were used inside of the Scriptures.
Obedience to God's commands is radical. Jesus Christ says that a person's foes will the the people of their own household. Even one's own family members will not like this massive re-arrangement of priorities (seeking God first above all else in life - Mt. 6:33, etc.).
Such obedience is so radical, and indeed God's nature itself is so radical, that incredible statements like this are made:
"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." Jn. 16:1-3
Jesus Christ says that the time will come when whoever kills a true servant of God will think that he does God a service! Incredible statement, and shows just how far removed human nature is from God. It also shows that human nature thinks that God is evil, for why else would one kill one of his followers in order to do "god" a service?
So it is obvious what is going on then. The reason why Christ's disciples are hated is twofold:
1) Obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ requires radical obedience which will surely bring persecution at some point along the way
2) God's nature is believed to be evil by man's nature
This, I believe, represents the basic theology of the Scriptures.