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Author: Stephen Weller
782 words, 4 minutes read time

Why Does The World Hate Us?

Scripture: John 15:18-21

With the previous lesson we finished the section about remaining in his love and loving one another. With this lesson we will begin a new section about the hatred of the world toward Jesus and us.

^{Jn 15:18} “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. ¹⁹ 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, therefore the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. ²¹ But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.

In 1 John 3:13 (ESV), John says, “Do not be surprised, brothers [and sisters], that the world hates you.” but then in John 7:7 (ESV), Jesus says, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” This is not a contradiction but a difference in expression about the persecution we experience from the world. The persecution we experience is not directly because of us, but because of who we represent and by what we do and say. The world hates Jesus because he tells them they are sinners and they don’t like that and since he is not here on earth to experience their wrath, they take it out on those who follow Jesus.

This hatred between people extends back to the time when Cain murdered Abel. At that time both Cain and Abel brought an offering before the Lord. Abel’s offering of a firstborn from the flock was accepted by God, but Cain’s offering from the fruit of the ground was not accepted. This angered Cain and he “rose up against his brother Abel and killed him” (Genesis 4:8 ESV). Why did Cain murder Abel? It was “because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous” (1 John 3:12 ESV). “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12 ESV) because it reminds the sinner of their sin.

Being of the world, or like the world, results in being loved by them, but to be in the world and living a righteous life, brings their wrath against us just as it did when Jesus lived a righteous life. When we are chosen out of the world to be his and he causes us to be born spiritually, we are then new creatures in Christ and the world notices the difference and they hate that righteous difference and thus they hate us.

In the hierarchy of life, a servant is seen as having a lesser importance than his master. Therefore, any persecution against the master will also come against his servants. The disciples knew this and when Jesus was arrested, they forsook him out of fear that they might be arrested also.

Jesus then summarizes by saying anyone who would persecute him would also persecute us and anyone who would listen to his word and keep it would also listen to us and obey what we teach. Jesus is God in the flesh of man and according to Romans, unless God intervenes those of the world are not righteous and do not understand spiritual things and do not seek God. In God’s sight they are worthless people who speak words of deception, whose mouths are full of curses and bitterness. In their anger they are quick to shed blood and the lives they live lead to ruin and misery for them and others. (Romans 3:10 – 18). It is God the world sees in us that angers them and turns them against us. They act this way because they do not know the Father who sent Jesus to provide for their salvation.

Conclusion

As believers, if we live like the world they will not bother us, but if we live righteous lives and if that reminds them of their sin, their hate toward us will grow and we will experience persecution. Do you think it is possible that we as believers are living so much like the world that our righteousness is not strong enough to bother them? If our lifestyle matched that of Jesus more closely, I have a suspicion that our light would stand out in this darkened world and we would experience persecution.