“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first.” John 15:18
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, He was constantly facing persecution from the people who said they were religious, but followed the ways of the world - seeking after fame, fortune, and self-righteousness. The world (Greek kosmos) is driven by Satan. Its mindset is completely alien to the things of God. We are not to be conformed to the pattern of this world (Rom. 12:2) – or, to translate the words more literally, we are not to let the world squeeze us into its mould. What Satan and the world cannot squeeze and control, they hate and persecute. Jesus was obviously the prime example of this – He would not be swayed from His Father’s mission. Since we belong to Him, we too are in the firing line.
The world still persecutes Jesus today. Christians and Christian ideals are marginalised in our society, and in many countries Christianity is considered illegal, and Christians are physically abused, tortured, and martyred simply for believing in the Lord. The world thinks nothing of taking the Name of our Lord and turning it into all manner of swear words.
The following verse, John 15:19, reads, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” If you want to know whether you are really in Christ or not, ask yourself this question: does the world hate you, or does it love you? Do you feel like you belong in it, or do you feel like you are up against it all the time?
Take heart when you face persecution. This is not something strange; it is to be expected (1 Pet. 4:12). And there is nothing that we will go through, that Jesus has not already endured.
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