Preview - As Christians, we are natural citizens of heaven, ambassadors representing God on earth, foreigners with a different culture and standards than the world.
There have been various science-fiction stories and movies about beings from outer space coming to earth. Some of these beings were friendly, some were hostile. Some had bizarre appearances, some looked just like us. Some of these stories were even about people who later proved to be aliens.
I want to describe a true situation that will sound like one of those sci-fi thrillers. There are real people living on earth today who were born and raised here, live normal lives like everyone else, but are in reality aliens. On the outside they look like everyone else, but there is more to them than meets the eye. They belong to a different world, not this planet. And the exciting part of this true story is that you are one of them. Let me explain.
Jesus made a very clear statement to his disciples as recorded in the Gospel of John: "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." (Jn 15:19). You do not belong to this planet or its culture, because God chose you from among its inhabitants to be a citizen of his world. Since you do not belong to this world, its citizens do not love you as one of their own but instead hate you.
Keep in mind that all kinds of people flocked to Jesus and he even became known as a "friend of sinners" (Lk 7:34). Yet he taught that the world hated him and would hate anyone who loved him. Were people attracted to him because he caroused at their parties or indulged himself in the things they enjoyed? No, people were drawn to him because he was the personification of love and excellence of character, because he met their needs and spoke the truth. Once people experienced him first-hand, however, many of them reacted negatively to him and rejected him, maybe even opposed him. His differences attracted them at first, then they rejected him because of his differences.
It is human nature to be prejudiced against those who are different. Your sinful nature's pride believes that you are totally acceptable as you are and that others should be like you, so anyone who is different from you is not as good as you are. In addition, your sinful nature dislikes anyone who makes you look bad or feel bad about yourself. Do you see why people controlled by their sinful natures would hate anyone who lives by a higher standard and lives an exemplary life?
If you are comfortable around non-Christians, if they relate to you and enjoy being with you, beware. You certainly should not be obnoxious or self-righteous around non-Christians, but on the other hand, if you fit in well with their crowd, you need to check your attitudes and lifestyle. If you submit to God and humbly live to please him, "the world hates you."
Sin causes people to hate those who are different. Self-centeredness says, "I am good, and you should be like me." This is the basis of prejudice. If you see a "character fault" in someone, you probably feel the solution is for them to be like you. That is prejudice. Prejudice is a direct result of the sinful nature and cannot be legislated out of existence, as decades of civil rights legislation have shown. We must oppose expressions of prejudice, but we also must recognize that prejudice itself will continue until people experience a spiritual conversion. Only God can change a person's nature.
As a Christian, you should not even be content to live in your physical body. Your satisfaction and fulfillment are not related to your physical existence. In fact, you are actually battling your sinful nature and if you stop resisting your flesh, it will win. In this sense, you are even an alien to your own physical body; it tries to trap you and hold you prisoner.
Later in John's gospel, we read one of Jesus' prayers to the Father that reinforces the idea of alienation from the world.
I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it (Jn 17:14-16).
Many people choose to believe that Jesus was just another man; a very good man, but only human. Those who choose to believe that he is the Son of God know that Jesus came to earth from somewhere else. He did not originate on this planet and therefore is not of the world. The phrase, "of the world," refers to someone who belongs to the world, relates to it, identifies with it, and experiences what happens to it. You originally were of the world, but once you accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord, he changed your citizenship and you are no longer a citizen of this world. You still reside in the world, but you no longer are a citizen of the world. You do not belong here; you are a foreigner, an alien to this culture.
What is the culture of this world? It is a life-style based on human nature, which is intensely self- centered. The emphasis of human existence is on what you want, what you think, how you can be in control. The ultimate satisfaction in the human culture is to take matters into your own hands and be accountable to no one other than yourself.
People approve of those who behave like them and they encourage others to practice what they do. Romans says, "Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them" (Rom 1:32). Peer pressure is an important tool and people sometimes use it very subtly.
I was an engineer on an installation and test team for a mainframe computer system several years ago. After a new computer was installed, we would spend months checking it out, making the necessary revisions and repairs, before we released it for customer use. Because of the critical nature of the computer, our people would stay on-site to assist the customer and monitor the computer during its initial "burn-in" period. As a result, we would spend days in our offices with virtually nothing to do except wait for a system problem.
Imagine the scene: a crew of about 25 men, many of us fresh out of college, sitting around in temporary offices completely isolated from any supervisors and staff. As you might suspect, practical jokes became a favorite pastime and they often took the form of major pranks or booby traps.
I have forgotten most of the pranks, but I still remember people's reactions. Everyone would be quiet and innocent-looking until the victim sprung the trap, then everyone fixed their attention on him to see how he would respond. The victim usually would simply act irritated until his anger built up and he began to swear. As soon as the obscenities began pouring out of his mouth, the group would erupt into laughter and applause. If the victim just became angry without cursing, the gag did not have the same impact. I began to realize that the goal was to provoke obscene language, and when the victim obliged by offering his choicest vulgarities, the group approved and rewarded him.
Peer pressure can be very subtle at times, but its purpose is always to encourage others to conform. You have seen people do this, and maybe have even done it yourself. Have you ever encouraged someone to eat more after they have had enough, for example, then felt pleased because they overate? In essence, you exerted pressure on them to conform to your desire, then felt pleased when you got them to do what you wanted. People encourage others to wear the same clothes they do, calling it stylish or fashionable. They pressure them to use the same language, to smoke, drink, lie, steal, and so on. They applaud people who conform, who do what they do or wish they could do.
It is very common for people not only to encourage others to behave certain ways, but even abuse those who will not. Peter describes such an attitude: "They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you" (1 Pet 4:4). People will pressure others who do not adhere to their standards. If you choose not to indulge in the same behavior someone else does, you can expect them to ridicule you or even become abusive. How often have you contradicted or corrected someone and had them act highly offended and attack your character?
People of this world hate those who have different attitudes, think differently or act differently. They will use extreme pressure to make others conform.
Paul writes, however, that you have "died with Christ to the basic principles of this world," so you should not follow the rules and traditions of the world, "as though you still belonged to it" (Col 2:20). He was referring to "hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ" (v 8). This includes human commands and teachings that require certain types of behavior. If you should not follow human tradition and principles to be pious, you certainly should not follow human tradition and standards to be popular or live "the good life." You do not belong to this world.
This article is an excerpt of a book chapter which addresses the following topics: