Responding to an Opposing World with Humility
Let us ponder two contrasting references concerning Jesus’ thoughts about who the world hates. In the first verse, Jesus speaks to his unbelieving brothers concerning how the world views him: (John 7:7) “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” It is clear why Jesus is hated, but why couldn’t the world hate his brothers? We will examine this shortly.
A few chapters ahead in John 15 Jesus says the following to his faithful followers: (verses 18-21) “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.”
Jesus’ unbelieving brothers belonged to the group he refers to as the world. They were of the world and therefore loved by the world. Christ, on the other hand testifies that the works of the world are evil. Therefore, the world hated him! As imitators of Christ, authentic christians will always be hated on by those who are not following our Lord. Jesus makes that perfectly clear. If they hated him, they will hate us too!
Again, if they hated him, they will hate us too!
If we’re honest, people generally do not like correction, let alone being called evil. Yet the main reason Christ walked the face of the earth was to redeem an evil people. He came as God in the flesh, lived perfectly and died FOR SIN. It is imperative that we grasp that no person would be able to appreciate the gift and extent of Jesus’ sacrifice apart from understanding how sinful humanity is. Yes it’s true that your average person probably knows that everyone sins, but to know it in light of the supreme holiness of God and then seeing his immense kindness by dying on behalf of an evil world, reveals God’s incredible love for us. His kindness truly leads us to repentance.
As I think about this fallen world, it is no surprise that people hate being called sinful. Subjectivity is rampant; everybody is trying to live by their own standard of right and wrong. But this is quite the opposite for the Christ-follower. We embrace that there is one correct standard, God’s, and that we all fall short of it. The reason that the world hates Jesus is the very reason why we run to Him: He reveals that we are sinners in need of salvation that only He can give. This makes us alien to the world we live in since the majority doesn’t follow Christ.
So the issue at hand is “what should our response to the world include?” I submit to you that one of the most critical qualities we must possess as we interact with a world who hates us and our God is HUMILITY. Christ-followers follow Christ, the ultimate standard of humility. Doubted by many even as he was God walking the earth, Jesus had to walk in incredible humility to be constantly obedient to the Fathers will. I can only imagine the type of restraint it took for him to not perform miracles for anyone who requested them, like in the passage John 7:1-6. He walked in perfect submission to the Father though He himself is God...what humility!
When it comes to us responding to the world, lets meditate on this verse: James 4:6b “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” What does it mean to be proud in this context. Pride is defined as undue confidence in and attention to one's own skills, accomplishments, state, possessions, or position. As we realize that every good thing we possess as believers, especially faith itself, comes from God, we will have more patience and compassion for those who don’t yet believe.
As we express our views on hot-button topics like homosexuality, money, abortion, raising children, sex, and entertainment, people won’t like it and will often times persecute us as Christ promised. While we might be tempted to have a retaliation-like attitude, the bible commands us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought (Romans 12:3). Let’s be reminded that we were once in the dark ourselves and would still be there if it hadn’t been for God intervening (1 Corinthians 6:11).
2 Timothy 4:2 says: “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.”
I must admit that there have been times I have had the wrong approach to the world’s persecution against my personal faith. I have been guilty of over zealousness in trying to convince them I was right, of anger, sarcasm, nitpicking, having a condescending tone etc. Although I’ve grown in this area, improvement is still needed in my life as well as the lives of many other passionate well-meaning Christians.
In conclusion, we MUST respond as our Lord did with grace and humility. There are many things Jesus could have done to show off and validate himself, but he submitted himself to the Father’s will. We should follow suit. If we do, unmerited favor (grace) will be added. If we don’t, God will oppose us, something you just really don’t want in your life.
