The World Hates the Disciples of Jesus
Jesus Christ made an unambiguous promise to His true followers: “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you” (John 15:18).
The hatred of the world toward disciples is not incidental—it is evidence of separation from the world’s values. In John 15:19, Jesus explained further: “Because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
This enmity reflects the spiritual battle between darkness and light. In John 3:19–20, Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
The disciples of Jesus, walking in truth and righteousness, expose sin simply by living in obedience to God (Ephesians 5:11). This act of obedience to God seriously offends this world full of pride, lust, and rebellion.
Jesus prayed for His followers in John 17:14: “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world.” In Matthew 5:11–12, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The apostle Paul confirms this in Galatians 1:10: “For do I now persuade men, or God? …If I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” And again in 2 Corinthians 2:15–16, he describes the gospel as a fragrance—life to some, death to others.
But this cost of discipleship can only be borne by those who love God with all their heart and soul, keep Jesus’ commands, and do the will of the Father.
The world hates those who truly follow Christ, but it is this hatred that establishes our identity as children of God－marked by the goal of loving God, obeying God, and pursuing eternal truth(Romans 8:17; Philippians 1:29).
