Bible Verse of the Day Tuesday November 29th, 2022

John 15:18-19 If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 

When the Roman Government was executing Christians by releasing hungry lions in the Colosseum and putting Christians in with them to be killed, the crowds would chant: “murder the Atheists.” In the eyes of the Romans, whoever held the title of Caesar was the deity, and worshiping any other god would be a subversion and punishable by death.

In this scripture verse, Jesus is beginning to prepare all that follow and believe in Him for the conflict and possible hostility they would experience from the world (1 John 3:13). Jesus made it clear that since the world hated Him, those who followed Him would also be loathed and detested. The world in this verse is symbolic of all that do not believe Christ Jesus was God in the flesh and that He is the only way to salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 5:12). The world’s hatred for Jesus was because he unmasked and shined the light on their worldly traditions that were more for self-satisfaction and pride than true worship of God.

When Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them back to Jerusalem for trial and execution, Jesus questioned Saul concerning his persecution of Him (Acts 9:4). The Jewish people persecuted Jesus during His earthly mission, and those same people were continuing to torture Him, after His ascension, through His followers and believers. The primary source of the hatred the world has for Christ Jesus is His claim that there is no other way to salvation and eternal life except through Him (John 14:6). The more assertive and tenacious that we are with bringing forth that message, the more the world is going to be against us. If a person seeks fame and popularity in the world, bringing the message of the gospel of Christ Jesus is not the path to take. We should never be shocked and alarmed by the difference between the world’s outlook and the truth of the message of the gospel of Christ Jesus (1 Peter 4:12-13).

People of the world are against the followers and believers in Christ Jesus because we reject their satanic world philosophy. Satan has convinced his followers that they must conform to his false teaching, or their specific groups shun them. Those that follow and believe in Christ Jesus have escaped the clutches of Satan and been set free from the bonds and chains of sin to a bright future in an eternal life of blessedness and harmony spent with our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.