“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own…” (John 15:18-19) There is no doubt about it, our Christian faith causes many love-hate relationships. Love is the supreme ethic of the gospel message, as we are called to even ‘love our enemies.’ However, we should not be surprised by hate from those who reject the message. A simple glance at the violent and animalistic hatred by Islamic jihadists makes this crystal clear.
In our day of political correctness, 'likability' has become a golden calf. Sadly, this has become true in many of the pulpits across America. We are called by Christ to go out as "lambs among wolves" when sharing the gospel, however, we must be careful that we do not dumb down the message beyond recognition. We must not attempt to change the message in order to win a popularity contest. Truth demands clear distinction, and the souls of men are in the valley of decision.
There are a couple of issues that we must clearly understand in order to prevent us from watering down the gospel and getting caught up in the swell of cultural softness. When we share the gospel, we must never take the nails, thorns or splinters away from the scandal of the cross. Jesus did not suffer the death on the Cross at the hands of professional assassins in order to promise us a fancy car or worldly riches. He died as payment for our sins. He died by taking upon Himself the wrath of God that you and I deserve. He died to free us from the penalty and power of sin and to reconcile us back to God. His message can not be reduced to a bumper sticker or an hour on Sunday morning. Through faith, He is our life!
On the other hand, we must make sure our presentation of the gospel is not muddled by the ugliness of carnality and bitterness. Nothing is as shameful and ungodly as a preacher sharing the glorious truths of Christ with harsh bitterness, frustration or control. It makes a mockery out of the message and fails to present the God of the Scriptures. Fear-mongering and intimidation are not the avenues for conviction and decisions. Instead, it is the “goodness of God that leads men to repentance.” (Romans 2:4)
If we stand for the truth of the gospel, we will be misunderstood and falsely accused, even when we do it in love. Jesus told us that the world (those who love their sin and rebellion) will hate us because of Him. We just need to make sure that the reason they hate us is 'because of Him' and not because of any arrogant or unholy attitudes we display when presenting the gospel. There is a big difference! Fear not…the world will hate you.
