John 17:14-16 “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them
because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world,
but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”
A further explanation for this
alienation between the world and the child of God is introduced by the
concluding [hoti] (“because”) clause. The world does not understand the child
of God because it did not understand Him. Opinions vary as to the antecedent of
this pronoun. Suggestions include (1) God the Father, (2) Jesus Christ, or (3)
God in Christ. Looking back, the near antecedent is the Father. It would be
easy to see a reference to Christ, however, and the reception he received at
his first coming. At the same time, the hostile attitude of the world toward
both the Father and the Son cannot be overlooked. In either case in light of
the world’s natural depravity and opposition to God, the child of God should
anticipate rejection and hatred. Such rejection by the world attests to the
reality that the rejected are indeed children of God. Christ warned his
disciples (including John) of the world’s natural animosity toward his
followers (John 15:18–16:4), and now the apostle communicates that same word of
warning and encouragement to his audience. To be one of his is to be treated as
he was treated, but to be treated in such a manner is to have assurance that we
are his children.
Akin, Daniel
L. Vol. 38, 1, 2, 3 John. The New American Commentary. Nashville
3)Also check out the following blog post regarding "in
and not of" from John 17 @ http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/let-s-revise-the-popular-phrase-in-but-not-of
4)My thoughts:
I like
Akin's words from the New American Commentary, in this verse “world” (kosmos)
refers to the evil humanistic system that dominates the society around us, a
hostile order that stands in opposition to God. We should look and
be like Christ; to such a degree that we are going into and through the world
on mission. While doing this we live with such a kingdom mentality that
is counter intuitive to the ways of the world. If we are being winsome and
gracious we can be confident that the rejection we experience is ultimately a
rejection of Jesus and His way. If we are being self-righteous then we
can be sure the world is rejecting us for our own sake and not Christ.
Nonetheless, we should never be surprised when we experience persecution.
If our 'sins yell crucify' then a sinful world will likely yell the same
to us.
Let me know if you want more on the ‘word study’
side. “World” (kosmos) is
the most common usage and then it is modified by the context of the
verse. It appears 186 times in 151 verses in the ESV.
Hope this helps! Blessings.
In Christ, Pastor Rick
1 comment:
Hi Brian,
I would love to read, time permitting, more on this study. Thank you for sharing. :)
Blessings,
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