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Updated - 13 June 2024
Jesus-Crown-Thorns_John 15:18_123RF Photo - Used Under License
"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 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." (John 15:18-19)
This lesson is the third in the series on "Christians and the World" (Ref. 1, Ref. 2). This lesson explains why "the world" hates Jesus and his disciples. This lesson also explains the scriptural basis for joy when Jesus' disciples (that is, we who believe in him) encounter the world's hatred.
The scriptures in this lesson are quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless noted otherwise (Ref. 3).
Consider. Have you experienced the world's hatred because you are Christ's disciple? Do you see the world's opposition to yourself or to Christians in general as a cause for joy?
Biblical definition of "the world"
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16)
Let's revisit the definition of "the world" from the first lesson in this series, "Biblical Definition of the World" (Ref. 1). The Greek word for "the world" in the New Testament is kosmos. In the New Testament, and particularly in the Gospel of John, kosmos is used in five ways:
The main scriptures for this lesson, John 7:7 and John 15:18-19, refer to the fourth definition above for "the world" -- "people who are hostile to Christ and to Christ's followers."
Biblical definition of "hate"
"For not even His brothers believed in Him. So Jesus said to them, 'My time is not yet here, but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil.'" (John 7:5-7)
Let's look at the definition of the Greek word for hate. The Greek word for hate used in John 7:7 and John 15:18-19 is miseó (pronounced mis-eh'-o) (Ref. 4). Miseó means "to detest (on a comparative basis); to love someone or something less than someone (something) else; to renounce one choice in favor of another" (HELPS Word-studies - Ref. 4). Note that according to this definition, hate involves making a choice - for example, whether to love Jesus or not to love Jesus. We see the same Greek word used for hate throughout the New Testament, for example, in Matthew 5:43-44, Mark 13:13, Luke 16:13, John 3:19-20, Romans 7:15, 1 John 2:11, and Revelation 2:6.
Yes, the world hates Jesus
When Jesus spoke to his half-brothers who did not believe in him, Jesus said, "The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds are evil" (John 7:7, Matthew 13:55). Examples of evil deeds that Jesus pointed out to his adversaries include unbelief (John 8:21-24) and hypocrisy (Matthew 23:13-15, 23). Jesus also told his adversaries that their father was the devil (John 8:44). That is why his "opposers" hated Jesus. American theologian Albert Barnes wrote, "This was the main cause of the opposition which was made to him. He proclaimed that men were depraved, and the result was that they hated him" (Ref. 5, Ref. 6).
Note, however, there is good news. Even a former "hater" of Christ can be redeemed because Jesus has already shed his blood for them (Ephesians 1:7 ESV, 1 Peter 1:18-19). James, one of Jesus' half-brothers, later became a believer in Jesus and a pillar of the early church (Matthew 13:55, Galatians 2:9, Acts 15:13). Yes, the world hates Jesus' disciples
During the evening before his death, Jesus spoke many comforting words to his disciples (John chapters 14, 15, and 16). Jesus was preparing them for his departure and for the hatred and persecution they would face. Jesus said, "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 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" (John 15:18-19).
In John 15:19, Jesus stated two reasons why the world hates his disciples:
Jesus gives his disciples joy
"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." (John 15:11)
For we who believe in Jesus and follow him as his disciples:
Apply. Pray for yourself and those Christians in the world who are facing the world's hatred, opposition, and persecution. Pray for yourself and those Christians to remain joyful and to have God's peace in the face of the world's hatred.
Related Lessons
"Biblical Definition of the World" (John 1:10) "The Holy Spirit Whom the World Cannot Receive" (John 14:16-17) "Do Not Love the World - 1 John 2:15 Meaning" "What Is Redemption?" (Ephesians 1:7)
References
1. https://www.ScriptureWay.com/home/biblical-definition-of-the-world 2. Ref. 2 begins on the next line https://www.ScriptureWay.com/home/the-most-important-offer-you-will-ever-receive 3. https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-American-Standard-Bible-NASB/ 4. https://biblehub.com/greek/3404.htm 5. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/john/7.htm Barnes' Notes - John 7:7 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Barnes_(theologian) 7. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/john/15.htm Pulpit Commentary - John 15:19 8. https://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/john/15.htm Gill's Exposition - John 15:19 9. https://www.ScriptureWay/home/the-spirit-of-truth 10. https://www.scriptureway.com/home/the-holy-spirit-whom-the-world-cannot-receive
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Christ and Nicodemus on a Rooftop - by Henry Ossawa Tanner - Smithsonian American Art Museum (Ref. 1) - Used by Permission
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." (John 3:16-17)
This lesson is the second in the series on "Christians and the World." This lesson focuses on God's offer of salvation and eternal life to the world through Christ.
Consider. Have you heard of God's offer of salvation and eternal life through his Son Jesus Christ? Have you accepted God's offer?
What is God's Offer?
God offers the world salvation and eternal life through his Son Jesus. John 3:16-17 tells us, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."
To Whom Does God Make the Offer?
God offers salvation and eternal life to all the people of the world. There are no exclusions. There is no "asterisk." There is no asterisk that says you are excluded from God's offer because you are * (fill in the asterisk). The Apostle Paul wrote that God "desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4). God's offer is available to you.
Even though God has made salvation and eternal life available to the world, not all people will be saved. Some people hear God's offer and reject it. Some people have not heard the gospel message; however, they reject what God has revealed to them already through the creation. "That which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20). God has promised that all who seek him will find him (Deuteronomy 4:29). Why Does God Make the Offer of Salvation and Eternal Life?
Because God loves the world. God loves all the inhabitants of the world including people who do not know and love Christ and people who are hostile to Christ (John 3:16, Ref. 2).
God sent his Son Jesus because of God's divine love for the world. Even though mankind has sinned against God, disobeyed God, and turned away from God, God still has loved us. The Apostle Paul wrote, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). John, Jesus' disciple, wrote, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). The word, propitiation, means atoning sacrifice (Ref. 3). Why is God's Offer of Salvation and Eternal Life Necessary?
Because through Adam, sin has come into the world and infects all people. Romans 5:12 tells us, "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned." Without the treatment of Christ, the infectious disease of sin is fatal. That is why we need a Savior.
What is the Salvation that God Offers?
John 3:17 tells us, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him." The Greek word for saved in John 3:17 is sózó. Sózó means deliver out of danger and into safety; used principally of God rescuing believers from the penalty and power of sin – and into His provisions (safety) (Ref. 4). Ref. 5 defines salvation as "The deliverance, by the grace of God, from eternal punishment for sin which is granted to those who accept by faith God’s conditions of repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus."
What is the Eternal Life that God Offers?
Eternal life is a free gift of God to those who believe in Jesus Christ (Romans 6:23). Eternal life begins when we put our faith in Jesus. As believers in Christ, eternal life continues with God after our physical death (John 11:25-26). Eternal life is the quality of life that results when we know Jesus Christ by experience, on a first-hand basis (John 17:3). For further information about eternal life, refer to "What is Eternal Life?" (Ref. 6)
What is the Role of Jesus Christ in God's Offer?
God sent His Son Jesus to give his life sacrificially to pay the penalty for our sin. "And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Hebrews 9:22). By paying the penalty for our sin with his life blood, Jesus has redeemed those who believe in (trust in and have faith in) him. The Apostle Peter wrote, "You were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18-19).
God's Offer of Salvation and Eternal Life is Conditional Jesus and Nicodemus (Ref. 7)
Even though God unconditionally loves the world, there is one condition that God stipulates for mankind to accept his offer of salvation and eternal life - believing in (trusting in, having faith in) his Son Jesus. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16, John 3:1-2).
Is there a Penalty for Rejecting God's Offer?
Yes. The Bible tells us, "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:17-18). Jesus also stated, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life" (John 5:24).
Why is God's Offer the Most Important Offer You Will Ever Receive?
Unlike what the world offers, God's offer of salvation and eternal life results in eternal life-giving benefits when you accept God's offer by believing in Jesus.
Apply. God offers you salvation and eternal life through his Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17). Have you already accepted the most important offer that you will ever receive? If yes, then praise God. If not, will you accept God's offer by thanking Jesus for forgiving your sins and then fully trusting in him by faith today?
Related Lessons
"What Does 'To Be Saved" Mean in the Old Testament?" (Psalm 18:3) "What Does 'To Be Saved' Mean in the New Testament?" (Acts 16:31) "What is Eternal Life?" (John 17:3) "Biblical Definition of the World" (John 1:10)
References
1. Ref.1 begins on the next line https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/study-christ-and-nicodemus-rooftop-23686 2. https://www.ScriptureWay.com/home/biblical-definition-of-the-world 3. https://biblehub.com/greek/2434.htm 4. https://biblehub.com/greek/4982.htm 5. https://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-doctrine-salvation.html 6. https://www.ScriptureWay.com/home/what-is-eternal-life 7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicodemus |
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