Reflection - John 15:19

The World

"Not of this world" was a clothing brand when I was a kid that made emo-styled clothing so edgy teens could be reminded to live a moral life. This was at least how I took the phrase "Not of this world" for most of my life...

The phrase shouldn't be trivialized. But as it was to me (not to blame that clothing brand) it turned one of the most freeing truths about Yahweh's sovereignty into a list of do's and don't's. It actually moralizes Jesus in pretty much the same way anyone does who brings him up when it's convenient for their political argument.

That irony is actually kind of funny to me right now... Jesus explicitly tells his disciples that they are not of this world, because God has chosen them (see helkyo-what-is-it-for-god-to-draw-man-to-him for some thoughts on it). And here we go, doing exactly what the world would otherwise do with his teaching.

Reflection

I almost feel like my reflections have all been the same thing in recent weeks... The freedom offered by Jesus to those chosen from before the beginning of time is beautiful. It's beautiful because that freedom, which is actually freedom to follow Jesus, is what leads to human flourishing. Not necessarily the fastest technological advancements (but according to the story of Genesis 6 and the Watchers, technology can enable humans to do much more harm than good), but the most-human life we can live is one in community with God and his people.

The highest calling of man is to glorify God and honor him - and of course that calling is only actually achievable by those he calls. It has nothing to do with why he calls them, no one in God's family can claim to have earned their place. That's the beauty. And for Christians, that ought to drive us to interact with non-believers perhaps differently...

Too many Christians do I know who have Christian-expectations for non-Christians... I have been to plenty of small groups where a topic becomes the ridiculous level of debauchery celebrated in the public square. My fellow Christian brothers may rightly point out evil and wickedness but often it's paired with disappointment... To that I always say "why?".

It's precisely because the Father chose the believers and gives them to Jesus that they/we should live how humans were designed to live - in accordance with Yahweh's kingship of the world. In submitting to Yahweh, by his own election, the world (which celebrates debauchery) will inevitably hate the believer. The believer should also come to hate the debauchery. But nowhere in this logical line of thinking here do I see reason to be disappointed or surprised in the world... once again, if the Father has not chosen you out of it then what else would any believer expect?

So what about me? Reflections aren't meant for focusing on "them"... So, Jesus says that I'm "not of this world" and that the world will hate me. I've certainly faced anger and hatred over my faith, but what else would I expect?! However, I don't think that Jesus means here that we should strive to be hated by the world, or that being hated is confirmation that we're doing things right. No, it's not about behavior - it's about reality. The reality that the believer has, that I have, been chosen.

To that reality I echo Spurgeon's words

If Jesus undertook to bring me to glory, and if the Father promised that he would give me to the Son to be a part of the infinite reward of the travail of his soul; then, my soul, till God himself shall be unfaithful, till Jesus shall cease to be the truth, thou art safe.

My soul, thou art safe.