The Hated Christian

A recent issue of Zion's Fire magazine begins with these words:

"Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior have a deep and intense love for their Redeemer, His Word (the Bible), and proclaiming to a lost and dying world its need for salvation." The Scriptures do an excellent job of succinctly pointing out the problem, the price, and the provision. The Problem: "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Romans 3:23 (NKJV) The Price: "For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23a (NKJV) The Provision: "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23b (NKJV) This is the gospel in a nut shell.

The apostle Paul succinctly presents the gospel using somewhat different words when writing to the church in Corinth.
¹ Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,
² by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
³ For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
⁴ and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (NKJV)

I have no intention of trying to repackage the gospel here. One could say that these few verses are the Cliff-notes version of what Christians have believed, by faith, which results in the forgiveness of their sins and being promised eternal life in heaven. There is nothing hateful about this message, yet it engenders hate from many who hear it. I wish to examine briefly a few reasons why some people hate those who bring such good news.

First, some Christians (both real and pretend) are just plain hateful. They can't seem to get off the band-wagon of things they are against long enough to ever catch anyone's attention with "..but the gift of God" part of Romans 6:23b. Yes - abortion is wrong and it's evil. Yes, homosexual practices and same-sex marriages are abominations to God. Yes, we need to take a stand against them, especially as powerful forces have succeeded in declaring such evils good, and cloaking them in legality. Yes, legal does not always equal moral. However, Christians must be known by what they are for as well as what they are against. I point to my friends in Operation Save America and Personhood USA as shining examples of people who take uncompromising stands against the popular sins of our day, and still proclaim the love of God through the person of Jesus the Christ.

Second, some professing Christians, while not portraying an attitude of hate towards others, have still stirred up hatred by putting hypocrisy on display. Whether it has been done by presenting Christianity as a side show and preachers as con-artists, or making promises to the masses which are never met, many have been left with bad tastes in their mouths because of the gospel being presented with impure motives. As the apostle Peter warned: "For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." 1 Peter 3:17 (NKJV)

But what about those who present the gospel accurately with loving hearts and pure motives? Are they guaranteed that they will be received gladly, as bearers of good news? No! It is possible that all manner of preambles to the gospel will be accepted by many. Some conservatives even have a knack for paraphrasing Scripture without even knowing it. Many non-Christians are staunchly pro-life and others even believe in and practice the biblical model of marriage. But whether you are engaging a liberal or a conservative, an atheist or a pagan, you can proceed only so far with the gospel until you are compelled to deal with two issues which are potentially offensive: 1) universal and personal sin, and 2) Jesus as the only remedy.

Many people will tolerate the fact that you believe in God. After all, the Scriptures declare, "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble!" James 2:19 (NKJV) Some unbelievers will even tolerate the viewpoint that you believe Jesus is God, but once you say that Christ is the only way to Heaven, most will get angry. Very angry. So what is a believer to do? In keeping with the pattern of short answers: "Speak the truth in love." (Ephesians 4:15).

Jesus prepared His disciples, and through them He prepares us. He declared that men love darkness because their deeds are evil (John 3:19) and it is the gospel which is light and exposes the darkness (John 8:12, 12:46). Those who love truth will be convicted, will repent from their sins, and turn towards Jesus as Savior and Lord. That is why we continue to preach the truth in love. Those who love the lie (including the lie that darkness is better than light) will hate the message, and sometimes hate the messenger. Yet if our goal is just to not offend, we will back off from the truth, which is not an act of love at all, but one of self-preservation.

Jesus said:
¹⁸ "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
¹⁹ If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet 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 keep yours also.
²¹ But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. John 15:18-21 (NKJV)

So Christian, do what you have been called to do. Check your motives and be sure that love (both for God and for people) is at the center, and leave the results to the Holy Spirit. Some will hate you, but others will love you eternally, and your Heavenly Father will say, "Well done!"

The Gospel of the Kingdom: Part 16

In the last installment of this series, the spectre of death was hanging in the air. Since then my father-in-law went home to be with the Lord as did a former ministry colleague of mine in CT. These personal experiences as well as many others reported in the various media serve as proof that Christian and pagan, believer and unbeliever, all die. Yet the Word of God says, He who believes in the Son has everlasting life." Obviously this life is both present and future, but how?

Eternal life belongs to the Kingdom of God, to the Age to Come; but it too, has entered into the present evil Age that men may experience eternal life in the midst of death and decay. We enter into this experience of life by the new birth, by being born again. So what is this eternal life? First, it means the knowledge of God. "And this is eternal life, that they know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). This is far more than intellectual apprehension; it means experience, personal relationship; it means fellowship. The verse says that we know Him, not just know about Him! That is eternal life!

In the Age to Come, that eternal life is wonderfully described in the last chapter in the Bible. "The throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads" (Revelation 22:3-4). Before the new birth, we knew Him not; born again we now know in part. But in that day of further grace, we'll be like Him as we gaze upon His face. (1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 13:12) Thus the knowledge of God will be fully established in the Age to Come and Jeremiah's prophecy will be fulfilled "...for they shall know me, from the least to the greatest, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 31: 31). No more Sunday Schools or Bible Colleges.

The blessing of the Age to Come has been made available to men now, yet not in its perfection or fullness. Don't be deceived by the TV preaching which promises that it is all available in this present Age ("Your Best Life Now". For sure the promise of John 17:3 is realized now, but it will be wonderfully enlarged and perfected in the Age to Come. What limitations and disappointments are you willing to endure in this present Age, knowing what will be yours in the Age to Come?

Knowledge of God includes an apprehension of God's truth. This goes beyond the intellectual as the Scripture speaks of "doing the truth" (John 3:21). In the Age to Come there shall be no Presbyterian or Baptist, no Calvinist or Arminian understanding of the truth, but a shared perfect understanding of the truth of God, for we shall be taught of God. How wonderful is the truth that has been revealed, for it brings man into fellowship with God; a truth expressed by the hymn writer...."Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine; O what a foretaste of glory divine." In the meantime the Scriptures make it clear that our present knowledge is partial.

Because we know in part, the Holy Spirit has imparted gifts to us, such as prophecy, words of wisdom and knowledge, healings and the working of miracles. But when that which is perfect (the Lord Jesus) has come, and we see Him face to face, we will have no more need of these gifts. They will pass away and only faith, hope and love will remain...the greatest being love. Love will forever characterize our perfected fellowship, with God and with one another in the Age to Come.

This love will be tested and perfected in the days ahead like never before in history. This love is much more than the hearts and flowers of Valentine's Day. Scripture tells us that a day is coming when "...many will betray one another and hate one another...the love of many will grow cold" (Matthew 24:10-11). So today's admonition is: "Beloved, let us love one another, for [this kind of] love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love" (1 John 4:7-8).