How Can Christians Patiently Endure the Hatred of the World?

Scripture tells Christians that the world will hate us just as it hated the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:18). Today, Voddie Bauchum describes how we can lean on our Savior when we face hatred from the world.

NATHAN W. BINGHAM: Joining us this week on the Ask Ligonier podcast is Dr. Voddie Baucham. We’re recording live from Ligonier’s 2023 National Conference. Now, Dr. Baucham, how can Christians patiently endure the hatred of the world?

DR. VODDIE BAUCHAM: Wow, I think there are a couple of things. One, we need to recognize that we are in the world and not of the world. It becomes harder to endure the hatred of the world when you expect otherwise, when you expect the world to love you. But when you recognize that we’re in the world and not of the world—when you recognize, secondly, that the world hated Jesus—here is the God-man, the Savior, and the world hated Him.

When you recognize, thirdly, that evil is real, that Satan is real, then you put yourself in a position where you recognize the need to endure that hatred. And then the way we do that is to lean in. Lean in to the One whom they hated, right? Lean in to the One who endured that hate because of His love for us.

I think in those ways, we endure. It doesn’t make it easy, but it gives us strength to endure.