Hated? Misunderstood?
Methinks many Liberal believers are very concerned about how the World perceives them as Christian(s). It almost seems that your beliefs are a reaction/response to the views of unbelievers rather than revelation knowledge of God and His Word. Actually more concerned with the praise of men more than the praise of God. Jesus had a few things to say on the subject:
Matthew 24:9
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
Luke 6:22
Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake.
Luke 21:17
And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.
John 3:20
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
John 7:7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
John 15:19
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
John 15:25
But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
John 17:14
I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Matthew 24:9
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.
Luke 6:22
Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake.
Luke 21:17
And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.
John 3:20
For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
John 7:7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.
John 15:19
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
John 15:25
But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
John 17:14
I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dean on -
If the truth shall make you free, the measure of truth that we withold is the measure of bondage that we are keeping people in.
Hey Bruce. My point really wasn't about the few who seem to try to be offensive. It is about the fact that when believers are walking in the light according to truth it is offensive to those who are in darkness. As Jesus said many will chose darkness over light. They will insist on making their own choices and value judgements and don't want God telling them how to live their life. The Gospel will bring about a change of heart, mind, and lifestyle if it is received. Many will reject the idea that change is needed.
Many people don't see that Jesus was not only offensive to Pharisees and the religious people of His day. His life and existence testified to the world that it's works were evil. If you want to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil it will bring you death. If you want to keep your own opinions about what is right and wrong you will come under judgement. Jesus offered to man once again the opportunity to eat from the Tree of Life. His message was to "Repent and believe the Good News".
Like Jesus we should only be concerned with doing the will of the Father. We can't allow ourselves to be swayed by opinions of those ignorant of the truth. Like Paul, we should be all things to all men that we may win some. But, if the truth shall make you free, the measure of truth that we withold is the measure of bondage that we are keeping people in.
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Permalink Reply by MichaelTh on -
Dean,
What I've been trying to relay to you is that modern day Christians are so far removed from Christ's message. Instead of using Christ as an example to follow they twist and turn his message and that of the Bible for political gain and/or to use as a political weapon against vulnerable minorities.
If we really followed Christ as an example we would not label or bully those that society shuns. We would embrace them as Christ would. We would stick up for them as Christ would.
Christ's message was for ALL people not just a certain few. Christians today are so filled with fear, disdain, and contempt for those who are different.
Why do some Christians matter if gays are allowed to be married or to have children? When christians mobolize to restrict rights of others or to take them away (like creating laws banning single people from adopting kids) then it just becomes insane.
Why do some Christians want a theocracy?? In our country we have freedom of religion but to have freedom of religion we also have to have freedom from religion.
Jesus did not teach a political message. I don't think he intended on his message to be used as a political weapon.
I would think Christ would be ashamed and horrified at how some christians (in both modern and historical) times have co-opted his message and replaced it with something completely different than what he was preaching.
What happened to the love?
Today Christians seem to worship the economic system of capitalism over Christ. They preach the prosperity gospel. They also have this "We vs. them" mentality not to mention the marriage between the Republican Party and christianity.
Where did Jesus' message go? How did the radical religious right take it? More importantly how do we get it back.
If you look at Jesus when he was alive and put him in the socio-cultural context of his day you will see that Jesus himself was a liberal. His views and the things he was saying shocked the religious establishment of his day.
His views on family was seen as anti-family (telling people to leave their families, to give away everything they had to the poor, and come follow him, etc).
I think if Christ was alive and on earth today most modern Americacn Christians wouldn't follow him.
I also think that a lot of present day christians in America follow other parts of the bible over Christ's own words from the Bible.
For me personally I think what Christ said and did trumps other parts of the Bible.
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Permalink Reply by Fred Holland on -
Well, when Jesus said all that He was reffering to the "chosen people of God" who would hate and persecute anybody that did not match their view of the Christ or what it means to be a child of the promise. I have seen good done by both "conservatives" and "liberals". I have heard the written word of God preached by both and I have seen it distorted by both. Fact is I've done some distorting in my lifetime as well. I even had a ton of "proof texts" such as you have quoted here.
I even participated in Bible Asassination Squads where we would canvas an area of a city, setting up Bible study's with people. But we weren't there to study WITH people. That suggests we would have an open discussion and there was NO open discussion. Just us, telling the poor souls what to think about the Bible and how they were probably in eternal trouble for not believing correctly. I even had one poor woman in tears because her church did not teach what my church did about baptism. Not a proud moment in my life.
I'm absolutly sure Jesus caused the Pharasee's(the ultra conservatives) to cry when he showed a prostitute the mercy they certainly would not show. Or the woman caught in adultry, or the crooked tax collector or Simon the Zealot(a murderer). It was commonly said of Jesus that he befriended "sinners". Kind of goes against the grain of the seething hatred coming out of SOME conservatives mouths(and some liberals for that matter).
I claim to be a liberal(free) and I still proclaim the word of God. Although I use only about as many "proof texts" as my older brother, Jesus, used. I still upset those who think the Bible applys to everybody, except themselves. And I make sure to befriend "sinners" and very few preachers as they kind of make me sick. Above all, I am a disciple and a litteral son of what the world calls God. And so far the only people who hate me are the same types that called out for Jesus' execution. They quote lots of Bible also.
Fred
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