The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because
I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.
~John. 7:7
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There's plenty of commentary on The Duck Dynasty affair, but I think this excerpt from D. A. Carson's For the Love of God is very timely:
"Rather naively, some of us think that if Jesus were alive today, our tolerant culture would not give Him a really rough time, much less crucify Him. We would simply marginalize Him, treat Him as if He were a harmless eccentric. Is that true? Not according to John. The issues are bound up with the nature of fallenness and its response to holiness.
Both by His flawless character and by His candid speech, Jesus makes 'the world' horribly uncomfortable. How long would Jesus have lasted in Stalin's Russia? In Hitler's Germany? Or in Northern Ireland? Or the Balkans? Or in the United States? The least we would do, I imagine, is have Him committed for psychiatric evaluation. But I doubt that it would end there. Consider just one small arena: Some of my friends have had their lives repeatedly threatened because they publicly oppose homosexual marriages. These are not homophobes or gay bashers. Some of them have proven wonderfully fruitful and loving in their ministries to gays and straights alike. Were Jesus ministering among us today, I have no doubt that such death threats would have become assassination.
The implication of 7:7 is that Jesus' brothers belong to the world. That is why they fit in so well. Are we being faithful if no one hates us? This candid exposure of the world is not smug one-upmanship, disgusting self-righteousness. Jesus is righteous; He is holy. Where sin and holiness collide, there will always be an explosion. And we sinners must come to recognize our deep sinfulness, or we will never turn to the Savior for help."
~D. A. Carson, For the Love of God, Vol. 2, December 17th
Fascinating commentary. Thank you for posting it. I'm thinking it applies to blogging generally as well, and friendship evangelism,... There are times when we must speak the hard truths, or we haven't spoken truth at all and therefore been fair and loving to those to whom we reach out. This "For the Love of God"--is it a devotional or a journal or multi-volume book? I have a little exposure to Carson but have been impressed and interested to read more.
ReplyDeleteBlessed Christmas to you and yours. I have your son's post on Chesterton and Robertson open to read later too. You are blessed to have a son pursuing the Lord and His truth so faithfully.
Thank you for your prayers for my youngest sister with the memorable name. There's too much for words, especially here, but I'm grateful for your ongoing prayers as often as the Lord should remind you.
Grace and peace of our incarnate Lord Jesus Christ be with you and yours. May you know His nearness as you celebrate.
You are right--it applies to so much more! I love the quote by Ed Welch, "The fear of the Lord simplifies life." Oh, for the boldness to fear God and not man! For the Love of God comes in two volumes. It is a yearly Bible reading commentary, and I've very much enjoyed using Volume 2 this year. I appreciate that the commentary doesn't try to trump the Bible reading. :) Merry Christmas to you, too, and I'd love for you to send me an e-mail and let me know what great things the Lord is doing for your sister. {{HUGS}}
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