A Fish Out of Water

John 15:19 ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

There are many believers today who feel “if I live according to the Bible, then I will not be able to fit into this world. Biblical Christianity cannot fit into my lifestyle; therefore, I need to adapt my Christianity to this world”. Some of these who have this thought are genuine believers who seek to live by the faith of Christ, yet finding no middle ground, create some of their own. The Bible tells us that those who will live according to the word of God will be different! Notice the Lord’s words.

We are not of this world
As a genuine believer, we no longer belong to this world. We were originally born in this world, but by faith in the Lord Jesus, we have been born again (John 3:3) and made the children of God by faith (John 1:12). We therefore have a different nature from the people of this world, and we operate by different principles – heavenly principles. We are not of this world.

We are chosen to be out of this world
In our salvation, the Lord Jesus did a marvellous work of setting us out of this world. He elected us by His grace and mercy through the work of the cross and by our obedience to the faith. We are chosen in Him to live separate from the world. This is the current platform of every believer: they belong to Christ, because He had chosen them.

Therefore the world hateth you
The word hate has the idea of loving less to the point of dislike, detest and persecution. This world will hate the principles that the Christian stands for. In a culture of lying, people will hate those who tell the truth. In a society of compromise, those who hold a standard for Christ will be despised and other will shun those who will live biblically moral lives

Christians who love the Lord, realise that when we follow Christ, the world will hate us. If the world does not hate us, then it may show that we do not belong to Christ, because there is nothing to demonstrate a change of our life. The goal is not to be be weird, but to be different from the world and for the Lord. There is a purpose for being different.

But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1 Peter 2:9

Christians, do you feel like fish out of water? You are in good company, for the disciples of old were!

Evangelist-Pastor Johnny Tan
Ambassador Baptist Church