In a previous issue I promised to try and answer the question, “why is the world afraid of Christians?” If you remember, we talked about the tragic and bloody history of Christian people through the ages, even going back to the prophets. There is no doubt therefore, that the world of the ungodly does hate and fear the people of God. The Lord Jesus warned us in John 3:20; “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” And again in John 15:19; “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.”
The world hates and fears Christians because we represent the holiness and righteousness of the Almighty. Human nature despises any kind of restraint or regulation upon its habits and practices. Mankind, by nature is unbelieving and therefore, condemned. Mankind, being depraved by nature loves sin and those things associated with sin. Jesus stated in John 3:18-19; “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
Dear reader, if you can get a grasp on the truth that man is, by nature, a depraved, wicked sinner, it would change your whole prospective on the matter of salvation by grace and why grace is so significant in the scheme of redemption. You would understand why it is that a person cannot and will not, casually decide by himself and on his own to just believe and be saved. If you understand why a horse doesn’t eat stake, why a fish doesn’t breath air, why a cow moos instead of bark, and why a corpse does not get up and walk, you have the idea why mankind will never in a trillion years accept Jesus as his Savior unless the Holy Ghost regenerates his dead soul. It is that; to do so is 180 degrees from his human nature.
Sinners will feel perfectly comfortable around you unless you talk about heavenly matters, talk about the Lord Jesus Christ, practice righteousness. “Men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” Perhaps the reason today that you cannot tell the difference between some “so-called Christians” and the world is because they would rather have the praises of men than the praises of God. If you talk about and act like what you profess, you would find that many of your so-called friends would depart from you. You see, they would rather part with your company than part with their own sin. The world fears Christians because, in their heart, they fear God. Notwithstanding, according to Romans chapter one through three, there is no fear of God before their eyes because they do not like to retain God in their thoughts. Our Lord Jesus promised, John 16:33; “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” E-mail, johnpruitt@frontiernet.net.