Do Not Be Surprised

[Christsfreeservant]

“For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.” (1 John 3:11-13 NASB1995)​

Cain and his brother Abel were the first sons of Adam and Eve. They each offered a sacrifice to God, but God had no regard for Cain’s offering, but he did for Abel’s offering, through which Abel obtained the testimony that he was righteous. So Cain became very angry, and even though God spoke with him about his anger, and what he needed to do about it, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and he killed him. And God told Cain that he was now cursed from the ground that received his brother’s blood from his hand.

For what reasons might we who are followers of Jesus Christ be hated today to the point of someone wanting to murder us or to destroy our lives in other ways? It could be jealousy, resentment, and/or bitterness related to God’s favor with us because our lives are committed to the Lord to following him in his ways, and because of our testimonies for Christ and for his gospel. It could be that our walks of obedience to the Lord, and to his word, is an offense to them because of their own walks of deliberate and habitual sin.

Those who are teaching and/or believing the lies of the enemy of our souls find some of us an offense to them because we are teaching the biblical gospel which requires that, by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, we die with Christ to sin and we walk (in conduct, with purpose) in obedience to his commands in daily living, by the grace of God, in the power of God, and not of our own flesh. And if we choose not to die to sin and obey God, we are not of true faith, and we will not inherit eternal life with God.

This just doesn’t bode well with today’s modernized and altered “gospel” that is spreading like wildfire among the people of the earth. For it appears that the majority are teaching and/or believing in this altered “gospel” which teaches that we can profess faith in Jesus Christ, have all our sins forgiven, and be guaranteed heaven when we die, but regardless of how we live from that moment forward. Some people are even teaching against repentance (death to sin) and walks of obedience to God, calling that “works salvation.”

As we learn in the book of 1 John, and in other New Testament books, God looks at us with favor who have, by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Christ, died with Christ to sin, and who are walking in obedience to the Lord, in practice, and no longer in sin, in the power of God. But he looks with disfavor and disapproval on those who rebel against him, who go their own way, who continue in their deliberate and habitual sin, and who do not obey his commands, but while claiming Jesus as Savior and heaven as home.

And because of that, there may be those who desire to see us dead or our lives destroyed, because we are an offense to them and a reminder to them of their own sinful depravity and of their need to repent (turn from their sins) and to obey God. Or they may just want us out of their lives because we are teaching the truth which is contrary to the lies which so many of them are spreading, and so they will want us removed and out of the way so that we don’t expose their lies and lead others to the truth of the gospel.

So when this says that we are to love one another and not be like Cain, this is not speaking solely of human love based in our emotions and in our own personal preferences. This is speaking of agape love which, in this case, prefers what God prefers, and chooses his choices, and obeys them in his power. This is self-sacrificial love which puts the true needs of others above ourselves, which then results in us speaking the truth of the gospel to them, in love, and refuting the lies which will land them in hell if they believe them.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come to him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin), and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, by the Spirit, and we walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in his power, then we have eternal life with God. For not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING (obeying) the will of God (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2-3]

Seek the Lord

Based off Isaiah 55
An Original Work / July 20, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Musical Instrumentation by Mark Bradley

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.
Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,
And your soul will delight in richest of fare.
Give ear to Me, and you will live.
I have made an eternal covenant with you.
Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him.
Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.
Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.
Freely, God pardons him.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,”
declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.
It will not return to Me unfulfilled.
My word will accomplish all that I desire,
And achieve the goal I intend.
You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.
The mountains will burst into song… before you,
And all of the trees clap their hands.”

Do Not Be Surprised
An Original Work / September 26, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love