“Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 John 3:13-16 NASB1995)

What is meant here by “the world”? The world spoken of here is people. But what people? The worldly who do not follow Jesus Christ with their lives in truth and in righteousness, who are still living like the world, still living to please the flesh, even if they profess faith in Jesus Christ. We should not be surprised if we are hated by some who do not honor Christ with their lives. We should not be surprised if even pastors of churches and elders and deacons and other professing Christians persecute, mistreat, detest, abuse, reject, mock, and renounce us because of our walks of faith in our Lord.

For we live in an era where the truth of the gospel is largely being rejected by the masses who are in favor of a diluted and altered “gospel” message which does not put sin to death in the lives of “the believers” but which pacifies them in their sins, instead. Too many people are teaching that faith in Jesus Christ results in us being forgiven of all sin and guaranteed entry into heaven upon death, but regardless of how we live. But Jesus taught that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones doing (obeying) the will of God the Father (Matthew 7:21-23).

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ who takes God and his word seriously, to do what the Word teaches us we must do as followers of Jesus Christ, and to teach what it teaches us, in truth, do not be surprised if you have others who also profess faith in Jesus Christ rejecting you, rebuking you, speaking evil against you, and trying to discredit you and what you are teaching that the Scriptures teach, particularly on the subject of the gospel of Christ. For so many professing Christians have gone the way of the world to where it is barely distinguishable anymore between Christian and non-Christian.

But we who profess faith in Jesus Christ are not to be haters of anyone. We can hate sin. We can hate evil and wickedness. We can hate deception and lies and trickery and all that deceives and misleads. But we are to love people, even the wickedest ones of all. But love is not all the mushy-gushy stuff. It is not all the feel good stuff. For love, which comes from God, speaks the truth of God’s word in love to the people. They may not always see it as love, but speaking truth, as opposed to the lies, is love, if it is said in love in order to help people out of sin to follow Jesus Christ with their lives.

And the Scriptures make it clear that those who hate, who treat others with hate, who mistreat and abuse and misuse others for their own advantage, or out of personal prejudice of some kind, are not those who will inherit eternal life with God. These would be people who lie, cheat, commit adultery, abuse, steal, and trick others, in practice, who are morally impure, by habit, without regard for whom they mistreat and take advantage of. But we who believe in Jesus are to be those who are willing to die for the sake of the salvation of other humans, and thus we speak truth which will save their souls from hell.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Your Heart

An Original Work / October 24, 2011
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Tenderly He speaks, softly so.
Gently He calls – His will to know.
Won’t you invite Him in your heart?
Humbly accept Him now.
Bow before Him with contrite heart.
May you obey His will.
Seek Him with all your heart and soul,
And your heart, His Spirit fill.

Jesus died to free you from sin,
Giving you new life to begin,
Walking with Him ev’ry hour,
Obeying His commands.
Won’t you trust Him to be your Lord?
His grace you can’t afford.
Freely He gives you peace within,
When you turn from all your sin.

Live for Him ev’ry passing day.
Meet with Him; read His word and pray.
Serve Him in the way He leads you,
Doing all that He says.
Do unto others as you would
Have them do unto you.
Love them with Jesus love within you.
Your hearts to God be true.

Do Not Be Surprised
An Original Work / April 6, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love