WE SHOULD NOT BE SURPRISED -- 1 JOHN 3:13

 

Verse 13: Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.

In this verse, John continues with the subject of hatred and how it is a force to be reckoned with in the world. Every new and old believer should thoroughly understand its significance and how it impacts their life of faith.

The Surprise

The Greek lexicon discloses that the word for surprise means “wonder, marvel, be astonished.”1 Throughout Greek literature it is used of “the human reaction to the working of a deity in the revelation of its divine power.”2 This word has a variety of inferences where the context determines in what sense it is used. The best examples are found in Luke’s writings, since he uses this word more than any other New Testament writer:

Luke 2:33 - Mary and Joseph “were amazed at the things which were being said about Him [Jesus]”— they were overwhelmed;

Luke 4:22 - those who heard Jesus in the synagogue were “wondering at the gracious words” saying “Is this not Joseph’s son?”—they were incredulous;

Luke 8:25 - His disciples were both “fearful and amazed” when Jesus calmed the storm—they were astonished at His power.

Luke 11:14 - “the crowds were amazed” when He cast out a demon—they were dazzled;

Luke 11:38 - the Pharisee was “surprised that He had not first ceremonially washed before the meal”—they were arrogantly indignant;

Luke 24:41 - the disciples’ “joy and amazement” at Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearance—they were happily overwhelmed;

Acts 2:7 - the “astonished” Jews when the Spirit came upon the disciples—they were incredulous because they were Galileans!

Our Lord also used this word in His discussion with Nicodemus when He stated: “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again’” (John 3:7). Here Our Lord is telling Nicodemus not to be perplexed mentally at what appears to be impossible.

This phrase “do not be surprised” in our passage literally means stop being surprised for the Greek grammar of the text “demands the cessation of some act that is already in progress.”3 It is obvious that many in John’s day were amazed that the world would regard them with such hatred. What John is implying is that his readers may be incredulously thinking: “how could the world hate God’s people?”

In order to fully understand this, we must examine the world and hatred. Only then will the student of Scripture be left without any doubt of the malevolent demeanor of the world towards believers in Jesus Christ.

The World

You may recall in 1 John 2:15, where it was explained that Biblical scholars were inclined to agree that world (cosmos) in Scripture describes an orderly arrangement, specifically one that is in opposition to God:

The world, and everything that belongs to it, appears as that which is hostile to God, i.e. lost in sin, wholly at odds with anything divine, ruined and depraved.4

Note Dr. L.S. Chafer’s summary:

The cosmos is a vast order or system that Satan has promoted, which conforms to his ideals, aims, and methods. It is civilization now functioning apart from God—a civilization in which none of its promoters really expect God to share, who assign to God no consideration in respect to their projects...This system embraces its godless governments, conflicts, armaments, jealousies, its education, culture, religions of morality, and pride. It is that sphere in which man lives. It is what he sees, what he employs. To the uncounted multitude it is all they ever know so long as they live on this earth. It is properly styled the satanic system, which phrase is in many instances a justified interpretation of the so-meaningful word, cosmos.5

It is important to note that this orderly arrangement is not leaderless. John has already mentioned its ruler as the evil one (1 John 2:13, 14)—Satan. And the Apostle Paul distinguishes him as “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2).

The Hatred

The hatred of the world towards believers has its root in Satan. And if Satan were to write believers a poem, it would be titled “Why do I hate thee?” and comprise one simple phrase: “Because I hate God and you are God’s child.”

 John fully understands the basis of Satan’s hatred, for Our Lord declared that “He who hates Me hates My Father also” (John 15:23); therefore John can confidently state “that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). This is indeed the world we reside in today. The Apostle Paul alerts us that it is a spiritual battleground “against the world forces of this darkness” (Ephesians 6:6)—Satanic darkness. John’s predominant desire expressed in this epistle is that believers walk in the sphere of light (1:7) and avoid walking in darkness. And yet, to live in the sphere of light means that we are by necessity a prime target for the world’s hatred.6

The fundamental reason for the world’s hatred towards believers is aptly explained by William MacDonald:

It is a basic principle in human life that wickedness hates righteousness, and this explains why the world hates the believer. The righteous life of the Christian throws the wickedness of the unbeliever into sharp relief. The latter hates this exposure and instead of changing his wicked behavior, he seeks to destroy what shows it up so clearly.7

The Challenge

The world’s hatred of believers is oftentimes indistinct and sometimes blatantly obvious. Therefore, Christians need to walk a fine line in this world. On the one side of that line, we “are not of the world” (John 17:14, 16), that the true significance of our existence has its source from God (1 John 4:4, “You are from God”).

But on the other side of that line, we “are in the world” (John 17:11) and still need to be effective witnesses for Christ, making it essential that we follow the Apostle Paul’s advice to Titus:

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age (Titus 2:12).

Therefore, examine yourselves: do we embrace the world in friendship by partaking of its ungodly value system (1 John 2:16)? If we do, then we must seriously consider what James declares:

Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (James 4:4b).

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[1] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1979). In A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 2^nd Ed.. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 352.

[2] Beetham, Christopher A. (Ed.) (2021). The Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, p. 368.

[3] Dana, H.E. & Mantey, Julius R. (1957). A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, Toronto, Ontario: Macmillan Co., p. 302.

[4] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., Danker, F. W., & Bauer, W., p.446.

[5] Chafer, L.S., (1976). Systematic Theology, Dallas, TX: Dallas Seminary Press, 2.77-78.

[6] Michel, Otto (1964–). μισέω. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.), Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 4.691-692.

[7] MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments (A. Farstad, Ed.), Nashville: Thomas Nelson, p. 2318.

 

© 2025 David M. Rossi

WHAT IS TRUTH?

On the next day the large crowd who had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” (John 12:12–13)

The Lenten season is coming to a close as Palm Sunday (April 13) observes Our Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and the beginning of what has come to be known as Holy Week. The week concludes with Good Friday, the Passion of Our Lord, followed by Easter Sunday which commemorates Our Lord’s Resurrection from the dead.

That Fateful Day

But it is Good Friday which has always been an important day for me because of its stark reminder of the reality of the Passion of Jesus Christ. I recall from my youth, when my older brother and sister and I, at our father’s direction, would pause on that day between noon and three o’clock and together read aloud from our Catholic Bible History1 book and quietly reflect upon those solemn events.

In the years since, I have studied these events in more detail. I am intrigued at the number of trials that Jesus had to endure, especially the one with the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate. Luke sets the scene where the Sanhedrin, the Jews chief priest and scribes, bring Jesus before Pilate:

 And they began to accuse Him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.” (Luke 23:2)

In the Gospel of John 18:28-19:16 contains the entire account of Jesus before Pilate. In 18:33 Pilate questions Jesus concerning this charge against Him, asking: “Are you the King of the Jews?” While Jesus avoided answering yes or no, in verse 36 He assured Pilate that His kingdom was not of this world; for the intention of His accusers was to characterize Jesus as a threat against the Roman Government and the Emperor Caesar (19:12). Pilate answered as if annoyed, “So you are a King?” (18:37), for which Jesus replied:

 “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (John 18:37)

In apparent frustration, Pilate asked: “What is truth?” How tragic could this be? Pilate was totally “unaware that he had been in the presence of the King, who is the God of all truth.”2 Nevertheless, even though Pilate found no guilt in Jesus and because of political expediency, he sent Our Lord to be scourged and crucified (John 19:1, 16).

What Is Truth?

This question of Pilate’s has reverberated throughout the ages: What is truth? Theologians have suggested various ideas of what Pilate meant by his question, although the context shows that Pilate was certainly perplexed by the situation that confronted him. For he must have deliberated: was there truth in Jesus’ testimony? Or was there truth in the statement of His accusers? But none of this mattered to him, because the truth he was really concerned with was how this unpleasant incident could affect his political standing with Rome. And while Jesus spoke the truth to him, Pilate was confused and would not or could not comprehend the truth of what he heard from Jesus.

Even today it is very difficult to separate fact from fiction, the truth from the lie. We have trouble differentiating what is truth within every segment of society: in the workplace, our government, the media, entertainment, and even within the Church. How are we to know what is truth? And are we even able to know what is truth?  Thankfully we can. For there is a standard which God has provided mankind—His Word. God’s Word can enable us to determine fact from fiction and therefore to discern absolute truth.

John wrote with reference to Jesus Christ in the opening verses of his Gospel account:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1, 14)

Standing before Pilate was the embodiment of truth in the person of the Son of God. Jesus Christ himself testified to this fact when He stated: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Maintaining as He prayed to His Father: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).  Pilate literally had a close encounter with the “Truth” and rejected Him. He did exactly the same as the Jewish leaders, who enraged the crowd and demanded that Jesus be crucified (John 19:15). Instead Pilate turned to his own wisdom and his own self-interests.

The truth of God, revealed in His Son, Jesus Christ, and explained by His written Word, is what is being rejected today by our own culture. His truth is intended to provide significant meaning and purpose of this life for all mankind and to provide eternal life for those who “believe in the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 16:31). It is the reason for the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on behalf of the whole world for the forgiveness of sin (1 John 2:2, 4:14). We Christians should endeavor to make known this truth, by engaging in a close and personal encounter with His truth—Jesus Christ; so that the truth of His gospel of salvation permeates into every area of our present culture.

Our Challenge

It now becomes the responsibility of all believers to faithfully make every effort to ensure that no one ever asks: “What is truth?”

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[1] Gilmour, Richard (1936). Bible History, New York,NY: Benziger Brothers, Inc., pp. 200-215.

[2] McClain, Alva J. (2009). The Greatness of the Kingdom. Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books, p. 382.

 

 © 2025 David M. Rossi

 

WE SHOULD LOVE ONE ANOTHER - 1 JOHN 3:11-12

Verses 11-12: For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.

This is the 8^th and final time in his epistle that John uses this phrase from the beginning. It is a phrase he uses variously fourteen times in his writings. Here he is reminding us of a particular message that we have heard from the beginning of our Christian experience.1

Love One Another

John indicates that they cannot deny the fact that they indeed have heard this message, and it was supplied to them at the very beginning of their Christian lives. It is instructive to note that in the early days of the Apostolic Church, the apostles had accurately spread the gospel that men should believe in Jesus Christ for salvation (Acts 16:31). And in the training of new converts, they emphasized the commands of Our Lord’s as the guidelines for believers to live a productive life of righteousness.

In this instance, what we have heard is a command that comes directly from Our Lord Himself:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34–35)

There are two lessons to learn from this command. First, believers do not live in a vacuum. It was Shakespeare who wrote: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women [are] merely players.”2 The Christian’s life is on full display for all to see. Therefore, we must fully realize that we are on God’s stage and we are not autonomous players. How we interact with each other will determine if we are glorifying God. Paul explained this concept to the Corinthians:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20—emphasis added)

Second, Our Lord’s command to love one another is reciprocal. This means that it requires active cooperation amongst all believers. Beginning with each one of us individually, we are to demonstrate an observable love for each other. John is restating Our Lord’s command in order to emphasize the importance for believers to achieve this challenge. And in doing so it allows all men the right to determine if we are indeed obedient disciples of Christ’s. Believers who fail at this principle of love for fellow believers have tarnished the Christian witness before the world and have provided the world a reason to reject the reality of this life of faith in Christ.

Since it is virtually impossible to personally love everyone, John must be indicating that our reciprocal love is impersonal—an unconditional relaxed mental attitude towards others. This was explained in previous studies: 1 John 2:7 and 1 John 2:9-11. The following by R.B. Thieme, Jr. develops this concept further:

God does not command His children to have personal agreement or admiration for all people (an impossible task among imperfect creatures), but He does command them to demonstrate virtue toward all, believer and unbeliever, known and unknown. Impersonal love in the soul is the only way to fulfill the divine mandates to “love one another” (John 13:34–35), “love your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14), and even to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43–46).3

Cain of the Evil One

Next, to demonstrate the contrast of reciprocal love towards fellow believers, John draws upon the historical tragedy of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-16). In the Genesis account we find the origin of the conflict between these two brothers that resulted in the murder of Abel.

So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. (Genesis 4:3–5)

We are not told the specific details of these offerings, but it may be that since God must have slain animals in order to provide garments for Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:21) that animal sacrifice was the approved offering. Additionally to be noted, Abel appeared to be going about with man’s original purpose of having dominion over life (Genesis 1:28); while Cain engaged himself with the curse of working the soil (Gen. 4:2; cf. 3:17).4

However, the author of Hebrews by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit provided the definitive reason why God regarded Abel’s offering. For Abel by faith had offered “a better sacrifice”:

By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks. (Hebrews 11:4)

This is the evidence by which John is able to assess that Abel’s deeds were righteous—his production of righteousness.

Then what John tells us about Cain is that his beliefs and attitudes had their source from the evil one, the devil. And it wasn’t just that he slew his brother, but that all his deeds were based upon the evil influence of the devil. This is borne out by his reaction to the Lord’s rejection of his offering: “he became very angry” (Genesis 4:6). And since he could not strike out at the invisible God, he slew the one who bore His image—his brother Abel.

The Legacy of Cain and Abel

 Just as Cain rejected God’s required mode of sacrifice, Jude states that the false teachers also “have gone the way of Cain” (Jude 11). They like the antichrists of John’s day have rejected God’s acceptable directives of faith and practice, therefore demonstrating their hatred for His righteousness. It is regrettable that there are many included in this category today.

But for Abel, Our Lord commemorated his righteous character, when He charged the Jewish leaders:

“So that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” (Matthew 23:35; cf. Luke 11:51)

The writer of Hebrews provides a stark contrast between the deaths of Abel and the Lord Jesus Christ. That Christ as the mediator of a new covenant, His shed blood “speaks better than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24). Both Abel and Our Lord died being innocent, but the difference is pointed out by W.E. Vine:

The blood of Christ was shed on earth as Abel’s had been, but instead of crying out for vengeance it cries with the voice of mercy, for pardon even for the murderers.5

Concluding Thought

A paramount command from Our Lord Himself is for brothers in Christ to love one another. It establishes proof to a watching world that obedient Christians are truly His disciples (John 13:35).

We need to examine ourselves to determine if we actively endeavor to display the opposite example of Cain’s hatred for his brother.

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[1] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 13.118.

[2] Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). As You like It (B. A. Mowat & P. Werstine, Eds.). Folger Shakespeare Library, p. 83.

[3] Thieme, R.B., Jr. (2022). Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, Houston, TX: R.B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, pp. 136-137.

[4] Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck Eds.). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1.34.

[5] Vine, W. E. (1996). Collected Writings of W.E. Vine. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Hebrews 12:24.

 

© David M. Rossi