John 15:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

NIV: If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

NASB: If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

CSB: If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own. However, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of it, the world hates you.

NLT: The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.

First Peter 4:4 gives a parallel explanation of this idea. The unbelieving world prefers selfishness and pleasure over honoring God. Part of our sin nature is seeking approval in our sin, especially by reassuring ourselves that "other people do it, too." The contrasting feeling is conviction, which our sin nature responds to with anger. In the modern era, biblical faith is slandered as evil, hateful, fearful, closed-minded, or ignorant—all deeply ironic and hypocritical criticisms. Despite their own demands to "tolerate," the non-believing world levies hate at Christians who don't conform (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

The idea of being called out by God as separated people (1 Peter 2:9), chosen for something more honorable than sin (2 Timothy 1:8–9), makes Christians offensive to the unbelieving world. When Christian believers don't join in worldly sins, the world responds with hatred and mockery. Choosing to honor God shines an uncomfortable light on sin, and that "earns" the hatred of the world. Jesus' words here are meant to reassure Christians that persecution for faith is a sign that we're identified with Him. When we act in truly Christlike ways, and suffer for it, we can take comfort in knowing that it's further proof of the validity of our beliefs (Acts 5:41).

In this passage, Jesus speaks only of hardships that come as a result of following His teachings (John 15:20). Christians who act in unChristlike ways, and suffer the natural consequences as a result, can't interpret those consequences in the same way (1 Peter 4:14–15).

John 15:18–27 predicts that those who follow Christ faithfully will experience hatred and persecution from the world. The intensity of this experience has varied according to time and culture, but the non-believing world is generally hostile to authentic faith. Jesus reminds His followers this is due to sin and rejection of God by those unbelievers. Just as Christians are never "too good" to serve as Christ served, they are never "too good" to suffer as Christ suffered. In the following passage, Jesus emphasizes that this warning is meant to bolster faith when those hard times come.

This passage begins with a celebrated analogy from Christ: the vine and the branches. This includes the seventh and final "I Am" statement of the gospel of John. Jesus uses this metaphor to explain how our spiritual life, as born-again believers, is drawn from His life. God's intent for our lives is to progress from barrenness to fruitfulness, to spiritual abundance. Jesus also repeats His command for believers to love each other. In this context, He goes so far as to refer to those who follow His teachings as His "friends."

Jesus is in the middle of a long discourse given to the disciples, which began during the last supper. He presents the analogy of a vine and branches, then repeats His command for believers to love each other. Jesus also warns about how the unbelieving world will hate and persecute Christians. This leads into the teachings of chapter 16, which focus on perseverance in the face of trials.

The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles—which he calls “signs”—in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.