Tag: hostility

When the World Turns Its Face Away:

Understanding Hatred in the Light of Scripture

Brent Pollard

The Quotable and the True

There is a saying, widely admired and frequently borrowed, that the opposite of love is not hatred but indifference. It comes from the pen — or rather, the anguished memory — of Elie Wiesel, a man forged in the unspeakable furnace of the Holocaust. One understands why a survivor of such silence would reach for such a formulation. And yet, however piercing its moral force, we dare not let the eloquence of human suffering redefine the vocabulary of Divine revelation. The Scripture, that pure and uncompromising mirror held up to the soul of man, uses both words — love and hate — with a precision that our sentimental culture has long since abandoned.

If we are to understand why Jesus warned His own disciples that the world would hate them (John 15.18), we must first do the hard and humbling work of asking whathate actually means in God’s mind.

Hatred as Preference: What God Said About Esau

Consider first the text that has perplexed the casual reader and emboldened the careful theologian alike. “I have loved Jacob,” declared the Lord through His prophet, “but Esau I have hated” (Malachi 1.2-3, ESV). When the Apostle Paul, guided by the Spirit of truth, returns to this same declaration in Romans 9.13, he does so in the context of divine election — God’s predetermination.

Here is something the modern reader must wrestle with honestly: God was not indifferent to Esau. He commanded Israel in Deuteronomy 23.7 not to abhor the Edomites, Esau’s descendants, because of the kinship between the two peoples. Esau remained, as it were, on the ledger of Divine concern — just not on the ledger of Divine preference. To be hated, in this sense, is not to be despised into nonexistence. It is to be passed over in the matter of sovereign choosing. The love of God toward Jacob was an electing, covenanting love; the “hate” toward Esau was the absence of that particular, distinguishing grace.

This is no small distinction. When Jesus tells His disciples, “the world hates you” (John 15.19), He employs the very same shade of meaning. The world, quite simply, prefers its own. It has chosen its allegiances, arranged its affections, and set its face against the kingdom to which the Christian now belongs.

The Dark Logic of Envy: Cain and the Leveling Impulse

But, left unchecked, preference rarely remains philosophical. It curdles. It sours. It seeks expression in something far more sinister.

Look at Cain (Genesis 4.3ff). On the surface, his is the oldest murder in human history, and we are tempted to diagnose it simply as hatred. But peer beneath the surface, and you will find something older and uglier still — envy. Cain did not merely dislike Abel. He could not endure that God received Abel’s offering and rejected his own. The righteousness of his brother became an unbearable indictment of his own spiritual failure. And so, in the twisted logic that envy always produces, Cain reasoned — if such darkness can be called reason — that by removing Abel, he might also remove the standard by which he himself was found wanting.

This is the great lie buried at the heart of all persecution: that you can silence the conscience by silencing the saint. That you can eliminate the light of godliness by eliminating the godly. It is not a new strategy. It is as ancient as the first gravedigger. And it has never once worked.

The Animalistic Rage: What They Did to Stephen

There is, however, another face of this hatred — rawer, louder, and less calculated than Cain’s cold envy. We see it in that charged and terrifying moment when the enemies of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, heard his uncompromising proclamation of the crucified and risen Christ.

They gnashed their teeth (Acts 7.54). The Greek word used here is vivid —it was used of wild animals eating greedily or snarling at a threat. These were not men engaged in reasoned debate. They had descended beneath the level of rational discourse into something feral and ungoverned. They had, in the language we have explored previously, engaged in the process of othering — the deliberate psychological act of stripping a fellow human being of his humanity so that one’s conscience need not object to his destruction.

Here is a sobering truth for the soul willing to receive it: hatred rarely announces itself in its final form. It begins as preference, hardens into contempt, arms itself with ideology, and at last erupts into violence — all while convincing itself that it serves some higher cause. The mob that stoned Stephen believed, in the darkest chambers of their self-deception, that they were doing God a service (John 16.2).

The Kingdom Transfer and the World’s Response

To understand why the world’s preference so reliably curdles into persecution, we must understand what happened at your conversion. Paul, writing to the Colossians, describes it in breathtaking terms: you were transferred — the word carries the imagery of a military deportation — from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Colossians 1.13). You did not merely adjust your moral preferences. You changed empires.

And this brings us to the unsettling heart of the matter. Who governs the empire you left? One need not resolve every theological nuance of sovereignty to take seriously what the devil himself claimed during his temptation of our Lord — that the kingdoms of this world lay within his offering (Matthew 4.8-9; Luke 4.5-7). Jesus did not dispute the claim. He refused the terms. That the world is presently organized under a system of spiritual influence hostile to God is not a paranoid fantasy — it is a New Testament assumption.

When Jesus describes the devil in John 8.44, He reaches for two words: liar and murderer. This is no abstract theological label. It is a job description. A being who lies will produce a culture of deception; a being who murders will, when cornered by righteousness, produce a culture of violence. We ought not to be surprised, therefore, when those most deeply shaped by the prince of this world react to the disciple of Christ with rage, rejection, and — in its most extreme expression — death.

Prepared, Not Paralyzed: Living in the Shadow of the Cross

None of this, of course, is meant to produce within the Christian heart a spirit of panic or cowering retreat. Jesus did not offer these warnings to frighten His disciples into silence — He offered them so that His disciples would not be caught off guard and shipwrecked in their faith (John 16.1). Paul echoes the same intention when he assures Timothy with unflinching directness: all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Timothy 3.12). This is not a remote possibility. It is a settled promise.

The question, then, is not whether the hatred of the world will touch the faithful Christian — it is how the faithful Christian will stand when it does.

Here is what the Scripture affirms with the confidence of a thousand witnesses: you are not standing alone. The same Christ who warned you of the world’s hatred promised also the presence of the Comforter (John 15.26). The God who transferred you into His kingdom will not abandon you to the kingdom you left. He is with you in the furnace, as He was with the three Hebrew men in the fire of Babylon (Daniel 3.25). He is present in the courtroom, as He was with Paul before governors and kings (Acts 27.23-24).

Shining, Not Shrinking

The world’s hatred is real. Its forms are varied — sometimes it wears the cool mask of social exclusion, sometimes the angry face of open hostility. But in every expression, it shares a common root: a preference for darkness over light, for the kingdom of the deceiver over the kingdom of the Redeemer.

You, beloved disciple, are a citizen of another country. Your ultimate loyalty belongs not to the approval of men, but to the glory of God. The hatred of the world, however it manifests, cannot alter that citizenship, cannot revoke that adoption, and cannot extinguish that light.

Stand firm. Shine on. And remember — the darkness has never once overcome the light (John 1.5).

A Critical Spirit

Neal Pollard

There is an elastic word in the New Testament (καταλαλέω) that has the basic meaning of “to speak against.” It also means to “talk down,” “slander,” “speak ill of,” “expressing hostility in speaking,” “revile,” and “accuse.” When Peter uses it in his epistle, it refers to how the world speaks against the faithful Christian (1 Pet. 2:12; 3:16). But James uses it as a warning against how Christians speak to and about their brethren. He says, “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?” (Jas. 4:11-12). 

The context involves quarrels and conflicts (Jas. 4:1ff). He will tie this practice to the judgment again in James 5:9. James addresses more than mere disagreement, but focuses on how they were disagreeing. It deteriorated into judging their brother. Judging here means “to come to a conclusion in the process of thinking and thus to be in a position to make a decision” (Louw-Nida, 358). This is a micro-step from assigning motives, judging hearts, and second-guessing. The Greek Old Testament uses our word in translating Psalm 50:20, where Asaph says, “You sit and speak against your brother; You slander your own mother’s son.” God strongly disapproved such behavior (Psa. 50:21)! 

How might we be guilty of that today, especially in the context of the Lord’s church? What precipitates it, and how can we overcome this damaging tendency? These are important questions to ask and answer. For as long as I can remember, there have been those in the context of group dynamics who seem hard to please and quick to share it. They take aim at others, typically those in positions of leadership and are free to lob criticisms at their actions or decisions.

While this is not always the case, the critical are typically found on the sidelines. They are not usually among the most active workers and work their jaw muscles most of all. They reflect the spirit of the consumer culture, casting themselves as a client to be appeased. The same critical ones are much less likely to be heard praising others, speaking positively and with optimism, or carving out a Barnabas-like reputation as sons or daughters of encouragement (Acts 4:36). Instead, when you see them coming, hear them calling, or notice them texting, there may be part of you bracing for a storm slamming something that meets their decided disapproval.

Is this a spiritually terminal condition? Of course not! But it requires some adjustments of thinking and behavior. It necessitates empathy and love, and with the latter is not “rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged” (1 Cor. 13:5, NLT). It requires taking the focus off of self and pursuing one’s perceived rights and dues. It demands a heart trained in gratitude and appreciation. It relinquishes the feeling that one always must have his or her way. It trusts the judgment of appointed, qualified spiritual leaders like the church’s shepherds. It gives grace where it believes another is wrong. It expresses itself with humility, patience, and kindness. 

Paul sums it up well, doesn’t he? “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-3). It is impossible to obey this and hold onto a critical spirit! Instead, may we let it go for the sake of the peace and harmony Scripture calls us to! 

Vindicated Faith

Gary Pollard

I Peter 1.5 — God’s power protects us because of our faith. If we’re doing our best to follow God, he’ll make sure we’re ready for the end. The Bible is vague on how he does this, but this verse might give the best glimpse into that process: his power keeps us ready. We’re told that none of this will happen in our current life. The exciting new life we’ll have won’t be available until the end. 

1.6 — Sounds like a bummer, especially since we might have to go through really hard times because of the unstoppable hope we have. 

1.7 — If we make it through these difficulties with our character and confidence intact, God considers that to be more valuable than refined gold. This is the best return-on-investment scenario in God’s eyes. 

1.7 — It benefits us, too, though — “when our faith is proven to be pure, the result will be praise and glory and honor when Jesus comes back.” Jesus will showcase his Christian family to the entire world. Millenia of mistreatment and hostility will melt away in an instant. All people throughout earth’s entire history will see how incredible Jesus and his family are. It’s the same terminology as the “glory” a country gets after they win a war. The U.S. stood on the global stage for decades as the most powerful country in world history. When Jesus returns — before we even get to our new home — Christians will experience that on a whole different level. For the first century church and for us today, that means absolute vindication. The world thinks we’re crazy or irrational for believing in an all-powerful God and living a Christian life on a promise we won’t even realize until after we’re dead. Jesus will personally prove them wrong when he comes back!

MAKING GOD AN ADVERSARY

Monday’s Column: Neal At The Cross

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Neal Pollard

The word frequently translated “opposed” and “resist” is a compound word that means to “arrange against” (Zodhiates, np).  It was a military term describing “to set an army in array against, to arrange in battle order” (ibid.). Louw-Nida tell us it means, “to oppose someone, involving not only a psychological attitude but also a corresponding behavior” (491). This word is found in some form five times in the New Testament. Three of the occurrences refer to a person resisting another person, when the Jews in the synagogue of Corinth “resisted” Paul’s teaching about Christ (Acts 18:6), when people resist governing authorities (Rom. 13:2), and when the poor man did not resist his rich oppressor (Jas. 5:6). The other two occurrences both quote the same Old Testament passage, Proverbs 3:34, which speaks of God opposing and resisting a man. What man? Peter and James quote the proverb, writing, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas. 4:6; 1 Pet. 5:5). 

Perhaps you have made someone powerful your enemy–the principal at school, the boss at work, or someone else who had the power to make your life unpleasant. If you have, you know how difficult it is to thrive and succeed under such circumstances. But the Bible says it is possible to make God opposed and resistant to you. That’s unparalleled unpleasantness! Thankfully, God tells us what triggers such a response in the omnipotent God.

These two inspired writers could have written that murder, adultery, lust, lying, stealing, greed, or hatred draws His active opposition, but both single out “pride.” It goes with insolence and boastfulness in Romans 1:30, arrogance in 2 Timothy 3:2, and blasphemy and folly in Mark 7:22. Each of those passages reveals a dangerous state of mind that comes from turning away from God. 

Arrogance keeps us from admitting wrong, makes us have an inflated sense of self and a lowered view of others, leads to a feeling of self-importance, and is at the heart a self-centered point of view. All of that will damage earthly relationships, friendships, marriages, with fellow church members, and those we deal with on the job and at school. But, even beyond those negative repercussions, sinful pride makes God an enemy! Think about that. When we allow pride to take root in our lives, God arranges Himself against us. Imaging God in battle order against me conjures an image of the most uneven fight possible. Pride may cause misery and damage in my relationship with others, but more than even that it effects my relationship with Him!

The antidote is the same in both Peter’s and James’ writing–“humility.” Not pretentious, but modest and obedient to His will. It’s being lowly in heart, able to see and admit wrong and guilt, having a fair and realistic view of self that acknowledges when we are wrong. Is it easy? No! Is it fun? Not at all. But, when we actively work at being humble and eradicating pride, God will fight for us and not against us. I get to decide which way I want it! 

It is our custom for the elders to give the parents of our newborns a Bible. No wonder God uses children to illustrate humility! Here is just the latest couple of presentations, with several more to come in ’21!

Blessings

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

gary and chelsea

Gary Pollard

How does Jesus feel about us? He created us, became human, and let us kill Him so He could make a new deal with us (Heb. 9.15-17). Most disregard Him, many are outright hostile. How could He love us at all? Because we know how most view God, it’s easy to lump ourselves into the same group as the hostiles. 

Ephesians gives some awesome insight into how Jesus feels about his people. 

1.3 – He gave us spiritual blessings through His sacrifice. 
1.4 – He had us in mind before He even started creating things. 
1.5 – He intended to make us part of His family. 
1.6 – He gave us grace. 
1.7 – He died to give us freedom. 
1.7 – He gives us forgiveness. 
1.9 – He told us what He wants. 
1.11 – He is going to give us an inheritance.
1.11-14 – He knows His own, and He’s looking to get us back home. 

 He didn’t just do nice things for us, though. Here’s how He feels about it: 

1.5 – Love motivated Him. 
1.5 – He wanted to do it. 
1.7 – He’s generous with His grace. 
1.8 – He’s generous with His grace. 
1.9 – He wanted to do it. 

We don’t deserve Him, but He loves us to death. We let Him down, but He gives us grace. He’d have every right to be exasperated with His imperfect family, but He’s not. People get on our nerves and societies fall apart, but we have the best family on the planet. Remember whose you are when you’re discouraged. No one wants you more than He does! 

 

“It’s Not About Me” In 1 Peter 3 (Part Two)

 

Wednesday’s Column: Third’s Words

Gary III

Gary Pollard

 
1 Peter 3.8ff is a passage with tons of application. What I’d like to do is simply break it down and apply as we go.
 
3.8 –   Is addressed to every Christian, as opposed to the gender-specific commands of the previous section. Christians are told to have a unified mindset, understanding of the needs of others, affection for each other, compassion for each other, and a sober view of self.
 
3.9 – In the context of being ridiculed or outright persecuted for faith, we’re commanded not to stoop to a hostile person’s level. Instead, we are only to say good things to and about them. The word for “bless” here would be like us giving a glowing review of someone, even when they’re hostile to us. Why? Because God promised us a glowing review, even though our lifestyle was hostile to Him before we were faithful.
 
3.10-12 – If we want to have good days, we have to control our tongues, reject evil, and actively do beneficial things for others. If we do, God looks at us with approval. If not, He is against us.
 
3.13 – If we pursue doing good things with energy, no one can say anything against us. Who can assault the character of someone passionate about bringing good into others’ lives?
 
3.14 – But even if they do is a contrast not as plainly seen in English. This verse starts with a powerful contrastive (αλλα) that points to how we should act in the face of totally unwarranted hostility. Even if our pursuit of good gets us in trouble, we can still be happy! Even in this life we cannot lose. We cannot let fear dictate our behavior, and we cannot let anyone’s intimidation cause us to react with hostility.
 
3.15 – Instead, we should make the most special place in our heart God’s place. We don’t serve fear, we serve God. If someone shows hostility to us when we’re doing good, we have to be ready to give a rational explanation for our hope with an attitude that proves our supernatural allegiance. Our fear of God must be greater than our fear of man.
 
We do this because our goal is to bring others to God! It’s hard, but we can only do it when we remove self from the equation. People tend to attack what they do not understand. By using reason and by restraining our emotional response, we can help save their souls. We were all hostile to God at one point, but we now have mercy. Being controlled and rational while under “attack” is not a normal human response. Our response can mean the difference in someone’s eternal destination!

A Hostile Witness

Neal Pollard

There is an overlooked work that should be avoided, but may be more commonly practiced than is thought.  Yet, as the Holy Spirit through Paul included it in a larger category of works, it must be something with which even many Christians struggle.  It is mentioned in the list of fleshly works found in Galatians 5:19-21 and is simply called “enmities” (20).

The word is found nine times in the New Testament, from the Greek “ἔχθρα”, and its general meaning is, “Enmity, hostility, hatred, both as an inner disposition and objective opposition (Rom. 8:7); plural, of hostile feelings and acts animosities, hostilities, discord, feuds (Gal. 5:20)” (Friberg & Miller, 183).

Hostile feelings, unchecked and not repaired, lead ultimately to ungodly behavior toward others that can even cause division.  Another adds, “[“enmities” is] a general term referring to hostility or unneighborly acts of any kind or form” (Arichea & Nida, 138). How do “enmities” arise and is this something which you and I may fall prey to?

Enmities arise by holding a grudge.  In fact, it can be very difficult to know when you cross the line from the one to the other.  When you harbor feelings of resentment toward someone from an offense, real or imagined, it will eventually grow into hostile feelings and possibly hostile acts.  The old law warns against bearing a grudge and even makes it antonymous (i.e., opposite) with love (Lev. 19:18).  The Lord tells us what to do when we have a problem with a brother or sister (Mat. 18:15ff).  If we do not follow this, to whom are we listening?

Enmities arise through prejudice.  Prejudice occurs on much more than the basis of the color of one’s skin.  Prejudice is nothing more than a preformed opinion, one formed without all the facts but instead through “insufficient knowledge, irrational feelings, or inaccurate stereotypes” (Encarta Dictionary).  How often, based on how we think, feel, or believe another to be, do we work ourselves up against another and allow enmity to rule our hearts?

Enmities arise when the mind is set on the flesh (Rom. 8:7).  Paul is contrasting the Old Law with the gospel of Christ in this context, but he reveals a compelling principle.  When we fail to live spiritual lives, but instead make our decisions driven by our passions and fleshly inclinations, we open ourselves up to works like enmity.  Incidentally, this same bent will lead one further and further down the road of those ensuing works in Galatians 5.  Notice that this hostility is pointed toward God and His law (cf. Jas. 4:4), but it will impact our demeanor and attitude in all relationships.  This hostility plays out “in the flesh” (Rom. 8:8), the very activities and attitudes upon which Paul focuses in Galatians 5:19-21.

Are you and I immune from “enmities”?  We can strengthen ourselves against such especially through the “antidote” of love in the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22).  Love actively seeks and strives for others’ good.  If we sincerely give our hearts to loving others, our brethren or the lost, we will have a harder time harboring hostility and hatred for them.  Maybe if we will take the time to know others better and try to get insight into their circumstances, struggles, and challenges, it will temper our feelings toward them.  It will certain demonstrate that we are led by the Spirit and not by the flesh!