1 John Part 10

Hope they hate us for the right reasons.

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. 13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. 1 John 3:11-13

I mentioned this subject briefly in my last post. The world hates Christians. This is a fact. The question is, 'Why?' Why do they hate us?

Part of the reason is Christians that do not act like Christ - ones that are mean, greedy, sticks in the mud, etc. I never hated all Christians before I came to Christ, but the televangelists and the self righteous ones that I saw were not my favorites. And if that's all you saw, then I'd imagine you wouldn't have a real high opinion of Christians.

I think I hear this line of thinking quite a bit in the church, mostly because we as American Christians know we fall short in many ways and carry quite a bit of guilt over it. We've lived through the legalism of dress codes and a culture of judgment rather than forgiveness. We've been guilty of getting too comfortable in our life to make real changes and be convicted of our sins. I just don't think that this is as big a reason as Christians may think.

People hate us because we stand for what is right. We are the do gooder righteous folk that think we have all the answers for people. We don't drink or swear. Even if you don't say one word to someone, if they're drinking and you're not, you are likely to take heat for it. You'll be made fun of for your clean speech. Just wait until someone finds out that you tithe. You're crazy. John says it pretty plainly using the example of Cain and Abel; if your actions are righteous and the other person's actions are not, you will be hated. It's not because you didn't present yourself in a relevant manner or you came on too strong; you're hated because you're a Christian. Sometimes it really is that simple.

This doesn't give you license to act like a punk; you'll be hated no matter what, right? We are told to answer non believers with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15), and to make the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:16). You can't do these things while acting like a jerk. Of course if you realized that you are where you are only by the grace of God this won't be a problem.

Don't be surprised

I think I also need to emphasize what John says about not being surprised if the world hates you. I think I am still surprised by the world's reaction to Christians and Christian principles, probably because society used to respect Christian principles for the most part. This is not the case anymore. This should not surprise me or shock me the way it does sometimes. In a sense things are getting back to normal in America since it is more against Christians every day.

So when some government official goes out of their way to remove a Christian reference, a store refuses to mention the word "Christmas," or other religions are given preferential treatment, I need to remember to not be surprised.