SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/19/2021 10:41 AM
My Worship Time
Focus: The Hatred (“By Society”)
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference:
Matthew 10:22
Message of the verse: “22 “And you will
be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the
end who will be saved.”
Sometimes
we have to look at the word “all” and do a little digging into what it really means,
for the all is obviously not an absolute term in this context. Believers will not be hated by every single
unbeliever on earth. So the idea here is
that of all people in general, society as a whole will be involved. We can look at the last two thousand years,
and we will see that believers find they are hated by all classes, races, and
nationalities of mankind, but certainly not everyone in all of those groups.
MacArthur
writes “Some believers live lives of almost constant conflict with the world,
while others seem to escape it entirely.
Some Christians are not persecuted simply because their testimony is so
weak it goes unnoticed by the world.
When biblical doctrine and standards are compromised to accommodate
fallen human nature, society has little argument with that kind of Christianity
and will give little opposition to Christians.”
This
last paragraph shows a sad commentary for true believers unlike that of what
the Apostle Paul did while he was ministering the Word of God in his day. He wrote that “the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress
the truth in unrighteousness” found in Romans 1:18 and this is to guarantee
society’s wrath against the gospel and those who preach it. Paul did not have a problem with writing the
truth as much of what he wrote we find in our New Testament, and those first
three chapters of Romans have some great truths in them to show us that man
indeed is a sinner and in great need of
a Savior, and then he will go on and talk about Jesus Christ the Savior that
God sent into the world.
Paul
knew the outcome of his life as he wrote the following about himself and his
fellow apostles who were “men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle
to the world, both to angels and to men.
We are fools for Christ’s sake…weak,…without honor,…both hungry and
thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless” (1
Cor. 4:9-11).
There
is a picture of what Paul is talking about from the Roman world as when a Roman
general won a great battle he would parade his captives through the streets in
a grand triumphal procession, purposely making a spectacle of his conquered
foes, especially those officers in the opposing army. This is the sort of spectacle the ancient
world figuratively made of the apostles.
MacArthur
writes “In summary, false religion reacts against believers because it is
generated by Satan. Government reacts
against believers because it is under the control of the prince of the power of
the air, the rulers of this world.
Ungodly families and society react against believers because they cannot
tolerate righteous people in their midst.”
There
is still a little bit more to write about from this verse which, Lord willing
we will do in our next SD.
10/19/2021 11:04 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment