by Franklin Graham
Why is
there so much hatred for Christians? Why are followers of Christ who seek to
serve the poor, care for the sick, feed the hungry, and emulate the Savior so
denigrated and disparaged around the world?
Ultimately,
it is because men hate the Name of Jesus Christ. They love darkness rather than
light. They love their sin rather than the only One who can forgive their sin.
They refuse to let go of their pride and self-sufficiency and admit there is
only one way for sinful men to be reconciled to a holy God.
Jesus Himself said that “if the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated
you … A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they
will also persecute you” (John 15:18, 20).
Jesus
demands that we come to Him on His non-negotiable terms. He tells us that we
are vile sinners in need of a Savior. To receive the gift of salvation, we must
strip ourselves of any claim to merit before God, and come to Jesus in genuine
repentance and faith. Only then can the bad news of our sinful state be washed
away in the Good News of forgiveness and everlasting life.
