The Gospel of John | Christ Against The World – John 15:18-27
Just as the world hates Jesus, we will be hated as we are in Christ. The Holy Spirit will empower our witness of the truth.
The message that Jesus brought had been a message of salvation and redemption for mankind. Yet, in order to grasp hold of this message, people would need to die to themselves, to their wants, to their desires, and to their standing in the world. The Pharisees sought to retain their power while looking to mitigate the circumstances of salvation. Thus, for the Pharisees, Jesus message necessitated that they submit to Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior had been met with opposition and unwillingness to bow before the King. More than opposition, Jesus had been met with pure hatred. This hatred rooted itself in the clash between the desires of the flesh and the truth of the Spirit that cannot peacefully coexist. Both travel in different directions. And only one leads to life.
The message Jesus Christ brings to the disciples is one that they should not expect to be above the persecution of the world. By aligning themselves with Jesus Christ, they stand with the one the world hates. It would be unreasonable for someone to proclaim a Gospel counter to the teaching of the world and think that they would go unchallenged. Jesus put the disciples minds on what was about to happen. He would be handed over to be beaten, scourged, and crucified. Yet, He would return and ascend from the dead. Thus, the question for the disciples was one of seeing who would be willing to join Him. Following Jesus meant rejected the world and claim the greater and Gospel. It meant opposing the world and standing in the truth, grace, and love of Jesus Christ. In dying to ourselves, the Christian must be ready to ask “Am I willing to die for the truth of what I know?” This is the devotion that some will be called to exhibit. Yet, in Christ, we know that we too will not spend an eternity in death. Just as Christ died and rose, we too will join Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection.
Opposition To The World
The Pharisees sought to maintain their power through ongoing levitical laws and requirements for a person to be considered righteous. The Roman oppressors held people under the thumb of Caesar who sought to dictate and control every aspect of a person’s life under his conquering Kingship. Furthermore, the culture of the day sought to largely to worship whatever god met their needs and indulge in any desire of the flesh they could indulge in. The message of the Gospel is one that confounded all the sensibilities of those who rejected the truth. The Gospel said that righteousness could only be given by Jesus Christ. It asserted there to be only one King. It convicted those who sought after the passions of their flesh. Ultimately, the ongoing effects of sin had been felt in the world and could only be healed through the work of Jesus Christ who restores people to right relationship with God. Yet, in challenging the worldview of the people and pointing to a thing greater than themselves and their own ability, the world hated the message of Jesus Christ. This hatred would ultimately be the driving force of His crucifixion in the hearts of the people. As Jesus told His disciples “Follow me” it required that they reject their own flesh and follow Jesus, even willing to follow Him into the depths of persecution. Yet, as the disciples would later discover, where else could they go? Knowing the truth, they would need to reject the truth to be at peace with the world. But that peace would be a fabricated lie that temporarily provided pleasure but ultimately would wrought the wrath of God upon them for all eternity. The world may temporarily hate their witness to Jesus Christ as the Lord, but they would gain an eternity in the presence of Jesus Christ.
The world will stand in opposition to the truth that comes from the High King of Heaven who sends His Sons to speak the truth. Those who abide in Christ abide in the truth. Those who reject Christ, reject the truth. Yet, one cannot stand against the truth of the world while maintaining one’s sanity and not descend into anger at those who display a greater and different life. When we align with Christ we become willing to be hated by those who reject the world. Persecution is a mark of those who have submitted their lives to Jesus Christ as we oppose what the world considers to be a thriving life. Our submission to the truth in Jesus Christ will look like an attack to the systems the world has established as powerful. Yet, we must not, in that moment sink to retaliating with an attack of our remember. Just as Jesus willingly endured the cross so that others might be forgiven, we endure the hatred of the world knowing that we obediently follow the God of life, truth, and grace. The world will hate those who align with Jesus Christ but we stand in the witness of truth, allowing truth and grace to extend to all those we come into contact with.
- What is the connection between the persecution of Jesus Christ and the persecution of those who follow Him?
A Spirit Empowered Witness
Jesus, though, promises the Paraclete, the helper, the Holy Spirit to come and indwell in the disciples to bear witness of the truth of Jesus Christ and His message. At every turn, Jesus made clear that the hands of God are far more capable and completely willing to accomplish the tasks set before people. As people follow Jesus, the world will persecute them for their beliefs and their willingness to stand out from the standards of the world, albeit to claim a higher and better standard, the requirements for righteousness will only increase. That is why Jesus will send the Holy Spirit. Standing firm against the attacks of the world and attaining the holiness of God can only be done by the indwelling of the Spirit within us. As Jesus moves closer to His crucifixion and later ascension, He does not do so with the intent to leave mankind to fend for themselves in the new covenant. The love of Jesus expresses in the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell and accomplish the will of God in believers. We are not left alone and God does not expect us to attain perfection in our own striving.
So many people attempt to view the Gospel as what people need to come to Christ and then they have to work to maintain their salvation. This understanding completely misses the point of Christ’s teaching. The Gospel is not one promotes a try hard type of mentality. We do not try hard but allow the Spirit of God to move within us and through us. The heavy lifting is done by God at every step of our salvation, our being, and our existence. Our lives bear witness to the undeniable truth of God through what we think, what we say, and what we do. As we submit to the will of God in us through the Holy Spirit, our lives are shaped and transformed to reflect and reveal the glory of God in the world. The role of the Holy Spirit is to act in our place and express the love that comes from God’s indwelling in us. Our witness of the Father, comes by the Gospel of the Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling within us.
- How does theHoly Spirit operate in the life of believers to speak to the truth of God?
Discussion Questions
- Why do you think the world finds the witness to the truth of Jesus Christ so incredibly offensive?
- How should we respond to the persecution of the world? In what ways does Jesus Christ provide an example for how we should respond?
- If you are honest with yourself, where is your witness to the truth of Jesus Christ falling short? Where are people not seeing the veracity of the Spirit in your life?
- How can we submit to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and power in our lives to express Godliness and goodness through our works?
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
