Navigating the Paradox of Christian Perception

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"Good Friday to you I know many of you listen to the podcast on your way to school or work uh commuting by car or bus or bike or train or on foot blessings to you on your day ahead or maybe you listen on your way home from work or school either way today's question hits on that intersection where the people of God live out their faith in a faithless world." [00:00:04]

"There are many apparent contradictions in the Bible and my experience over 60 years of love in the Bible looking at the Bible studying the Bible praying the Bible is that apparent contradictions resolve themselves if we are right in our heart and our mind is awake and we are patiently studying the context and availing ourselves of the best thinking about the Bible in the last two thousand years." [00:01:21]

"The best thing about lingering over an apparent contradiction and penetrating to the root of the unity is that these seemingly conflicting texts almost always reveal something wonderful something deeper a better insight for having struggled with the apparent contradiction contradiction rather than having given up and called the Bible contradictory which is why I think that's um faithful Evangelical Believers in inerrancy over the last centuries have had the deeper insight into the reality behind the Bible than liberal Scholars who just give up and say ovet all bunch of contradictions and they don't even work on it." [00:02:08]

"Paul said in second Timothy 3 12 indeed all who desire to live a Godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted so I infer from that that Paul does not mean in first Timothy 3 7 that an elder candidate must be well thought of by everyone he's going to be persecuted his godliness is going to make some people angry at him slander him persecute him." [00:05:01]

"Christians are good workers they do not become a burden for other people in his mind most non-christians would find that a praiseworthy trait in Titus 210 he speaks of Christians adorning the doctrine of God by their good deeds and faithful service in Social setting social roles so Paul did not mean to communicate by being well spoken of by Outsiders that Outsiders would approve of the Christian faith per se or even that they would necessarily like Christians or even that they would treat them kindly but rather that there would be enough overlap between what Christians consider good behavior and what Outsiders consider good behavior that in general at least some Outsiders would concede and testify that Christians are acting responsibly in society and contributing to the common good." [00:06:26]

"Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 10 22 you will be hated by all for my name's sake but the one who endures to the end will be saved he says virtue of the same thing in Matthew 24 9 you will be hated by All Nations for my name's sake again John 15 18. if the world hates you know that it has hated me before it hated you First John 3 13 do not be surprised brothers that the world hates you those are sweeping statements all will hate you all nations will hate you the world will hate you." [00:03:01]

"Well in Matthew 5 right after saying that his disciples will be persecuted for Jesus sake he said that his followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world and then he added that we should let our light so shine before men that they may see our good deeds and what that the men may glorify Our Father in Heaven hmm so even though persecution happens there is also the expectation that by our salty bright and in the context joyful verse 12 loving verse 16 response through it all people would be converted in other words not everyone is going on hating us." [00:08:00]

"So when he said in Matthew 24 9 that we should we would be hated by All Nations Nations hated by All Nations the natural way to understand him is that we are going to meet with hate wherever we go among the Nations but that will not be the only response we get because he said Go Make Disciples hate from All Nations but also disciples made from All Nations." [00:09:09]

"Now way back at at his birth remember old Simeon prophesied in Luke 2 34 behold this child is appointed for the fall and the rising of many in Israel so not just the fall of many many will stumble over him and fall but the rise of many not everyone will hate him he had disciples then there was a following there were 120 in the upper room when he was done so how then shall we understand you will be hated by all." [00:09:41]

"In all these uses and more the word all does not mean every single individual in the group it means that this is the general widespread response and in the case of hated by all in Matthew 10 22 we have the the parallel text in Matthew 24 9 hated by All Nations so we can conclude that hatred will be a widespread General response to Christian evangelism and that it will hold true wherever you go among the Nations." [00:11:17]

"So putting it all together I would say there is no contradiction between what Paul said about Elders being well thought of by Outsiders and Jesus saying that he would be hated by all being hated for Christ's sake is a normal widespread General experience among all peoples but it's not so constant it's not so uniform as to rule out that many unbelievers seeing the good lives of Christians and admitting that they are reputable contributors to society is in fact the case which is what Paul had in mind." [00:11:59]

"Think about Mr John appreciated by some unappreciated by most and uh one of those hated by all texts Matthew 10 22 came up in an episode that you may be interested in if you want more on this topic should I care at all what people think of me that's abj708 should I care at all what people think of me abj708 IT addresses the the balance of of not going out of our way to offend the world unnecessarily and being unafraid to offend the world when necessary check it out for more apj 708 find abj708 at askmasterjohn.com." [00:12:46]

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