Some people believe that they can love Jesus and avoid persecution,
but Jesus tells us that this is not the case. If you live like Jesus
wants you to live, the world will surely hate you. There is no way
around it.
We can find the origin of this hatred in Genesis. In the book of
Genesis, we find that there are fundamentally two kinds of people:
those that love God and those that hate him. People who hate God have
always hated the people that love God. This was true in Genesis, and
will remain true throughout the ages.
When people hate God, they express that hatred by persecuting those
who love God. This hatred burned against the prophets, and it is the
same hatred that resulted in Jesus’ crucifixion. It is the same
hatred that is poured out on Jesus’ messengers today, and you can
expect to face this hatred if you live a righteous life in Christ
Jesus.
Nonetheless, as we are being persecuted, we know that the Holy Spirit
is with us. He comforts us and uses us to be witnesses of Christ to a
dark world.
