The world hates the absolutes of the Bible. It seems that in our era, every teaching of the Bible is under constant attack. Biblical teachings on gender, family, homosexuality, abortion, adultery, and every other aspect of life the Bible teaches upon is literally under the scrutiny of a generation bent on promoting an “anything goes” mentality. The world hates the message of the Bible, of how mankind is naturally an evil being when left to his own devices and imaginations. The world hates the message of the Bible that God so loved the world… that in spite of man’s wickedness, God does love man enough that He did make a way where man can be reconciled to God.
The world hates being held accountable to holiness
This morning, on my Facebook feed, I read several articles about the most recent papal dispatches from Pope Francis. I will tell you now that I am not a Catholic and I do not hold what any pope says as being the final authority on my faith; I believe in the supremacy of the Bible and the moral standards it sets. The world hates being held to that kind of standard. Within the many teachings of the Old Testament we find this basic premise taught several times: Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy (Leviticus 19:2). There will be those who claim this is strictly Old Testament and under the Law, but as Christians, we are under grace; yet even in the New Testament it is plainly taught in the writings of the apostle Peter: Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 1:13-16). Within the short kingship of Saul, whom attempted to do a sacrifice himself was rebuked by the prophet: And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).
The world hates the concept of complete obedience to the Lord and the accountability to His holiness. Instead of seeing what the Lord has laid out as bringing spiritual liberty and freedom from the wages of sin, they see it as a surrender of one’s own will, of one’s identity, and of one’s pursuit of pleasure. I am reminded of the verse written by the apostle Paul, Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25). Paul was writing of the followers of Jesus in his day that were willing to be persecuted for simply believing in Jesus and not to give in and enjoy the hedonism and paganism of the day. Yes, many were martyred for their faith as we still see some are martyred today. But these people have decided it is more important to be obedient to the Lord all the way to death rather than to turn to disobedience. All of a sudden Jesus’ teachings, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it (Luke 9:24) becomes more real. The world hates Christians who are ready to give up their life and not to renounce their faith in the Lord. All it takes is just watching the evening news where news commentators sit in bewilderment as they describe ISIS’ genocide against the Christians they encounter. Watch your average television sit-com and see how the entertainment industry mocks Christians for their world view.
Jesus taught, These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me (John 15:17-21). The world hates sincere Christians because through our obedience to the Lord, we present a living faith in a living God. Our lives bear witness to His love for us and of His righteousness. The world does not want to be pulled up to the standards set by the Lord, but wants to set their own standards and demand that God recognize them.
The world has always tried to blur the lines
The prophet Isaiah wrote, Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20). Since the days in the Garden of Eden, mankind has been faced with two standards – the standards of the Lord versus the standards of rebellion and disobedience. There are no grey areas; it is either right or wrong. As you know, I had a religious experience in 1988 but otherwise there were no real changes in my life. I continued to live exactly the way I did before my “profession” of faith. After all, during the 1980s is when our nation’s educational system really began teaching that Christianity was but one among many ways to worship God. We were told by teachers to be open-minded about other faiths and other societies. It was in the early 1980s when moral relativism first began to make its way into the nation’s educational system. This has done more harm to our families, communities, and nation than just about anything else.
