Why the World Hates Christians
October 4, 2021
Commentary
Jesus turns from the subject of love to the subject of hate. It doesn’t seem logical that anyone would hate Jesus Christ and His followers, but that is exactly what happened in Jesus’ day, and is still happening today. Much of that hatred comes from religious people. Until the Lord comes back or until we die, we must live in this hostile world. The world does not like people whose lives are a condemnation of it. Perhaps you are wondering why the world system hates the Christian. Jesus gives several reasons:
1. We are identified with Christ (vv. 18, 20). When they hated Him, we can be sure they will also hate those of us who are identified with Him.
2. We do not belong to the world (v. 19). We are in the world physically, but not of the world spiritually. The world system operates on the basis of conformity, but the believer is told not to conform (Romans 12:2).
3. The world is spiritually ignorant and blind (v. 21). The religious leaders in Jerusalem knew a great deal about God, but they did not personally know God. Many religious leaders today claim to know God but refuse to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
4. The world will not be honest about its own sin (vv. 22-24). The people were not sinning in ignorance, but they were sinning against all kinds of evidence. The same is true today.
That is why the Scriptures are true when they say, “People hated me for no reason” (vv. 25-27).
Application
If I give a positive witness for Christ, I can expect the unsaved world to hate me. If the world has no hatred for the things I stand for, I need to be concerned about the way I am living. It is Jesus that they hate. They don’t even want us to pray in Jesus’ name.
John 15:18– 27 (NET)
18 “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you do not belong to the world, but I chose you out of the world, for this reason the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they obeyed my word, they will obey yours too. 21 But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. But they no longer have any excuse for their sin. 23 The one who hates me hates my Father too. 24 If I had not performed among them the miraculous deeds that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. But now they have seen the deeds and have hated both me and my Father. 25 Now this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without reason.’ 26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me, 27 and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.