Jn.15:18,19 – 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 you as 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.
You would think that when you gave your life to Christ and came out of the miserable life that you had before that people would love it and actually applaud you. For the non-Christian world that is just not the case. The people of the world are dominated by a spirit that hates Christ and hates His followers. Its not an accident that all but one of the disciples were martyred and they tried their best to kill that last one. Today that hateful spirit is becoming more and more obvious in our society. To follow Christ and His morals is a reproach on the culture of this world. Like they did in the time of Christ they want to rid themselves of His rule and they try to do that by attacking His followers. Here is how F.F. Bruce describes this.
“From recommending the cultivation of the mutual love within the fellowship of his followers, Jesus turns to warn them against hostility from those who are outside.….At the moment, Jesus himself was the target for their opposition; in a few hours he would be the victim of their hostility. It was inevitable that his associates should incur the world’s hatred as he himself had done. It is an odd fact that the world soon justified its hostility to them by imputing to them the initiative in hatred. The earliest extant reference to Christians in pagan literature charges them with “hatred of the human race.” Jesus’ followers have been described in John 13:1 as “his own people who were in the world,” on whom he set his love…. The world looked on them as aliens, and treated them accordingly.”
Our answer to this dilemma is what John 15 is all about, abide in Christ. Draw strength from His friendship. Draw courage from Him as you delight in this friendship He has called us to enjoy. The good news is that we don’t have to go against the tide by ourselves, He is with us and we are surrounded (if you are in church) by His people. The world may call us haters because of the things we believe. How could we be haters after tasting His love? We want everyone to taste this true freedom found in God’s love.
Some of us are called the ‘Ones that others love to hate.’ I had to grow deeply into the knowledge that Jesus Loves Me, and that’s all that matters. He sends good people to minister to me. He sends me to people in need of his Love to minister to. In spite of my flaws, I’m given chances to start fresh in a moment’s time. God Loves me enough to be engulfed in his Presence and renewed time and time again, to be able to go from Glory to Glory, on my way to Heaven ~ no more Hate over there🥳