The world hates you

John 15:19-20
19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
20 Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.

As Christians, we are in the world but not of the world. There is a big difference between what is of the world and what is of God and His kingdom. 

For example, the world says, "If you want more money, work harder and save more." But God says, "Tithe and give to others." The world says, "By this age, expect to have this disease." God says, "By Jesus’ stripes you have been healed."

An element of hate in worldly systems

I find it interesting that Jesus said, "The world hates you." To me, this means that it is not just a matter of different systems and beliefs, but that there is also an element of hate for the Christian in the world's systems. In other words, the systems of the world are not designed to love God's people, but to "hate" them, and as Christians, we must bear that in mind when we use the world's systems. [I know that in the context of the verse quoted, Jesus was talking about hate in terms of being persecuted. (Verse 20) But I believe that it goes beyond that.]

Let me illustrate. When you are sick and you go to a hospital for treatment, though the procedures, treatments and policies may have been designed to help you, bear in mind that they are still of the world, and hence there exists an element of hate for the believer.

Am I being extreme here?

Well, doesn't the Bible say that Satan is the god of this world? (2 Corinthians 4:4, KJV) And if he is the god of this world and its systems, surely he does not have your best interests at heart. In fact, his job is to steal, kill and destroy. (John 10:10)

A reminder of sickness

So what is the element of hate in my hospital example?

The element of hate is a consciousness of sickness. As long as you are still going to the doctor, still taking medicine, still undergoing medical procedures, you will have a consciousness of sickness instead of health. Every visit to the doctor or every pill you take is a reminder of sickness, just as every sacrifice in the Old Testament was a reminder of sins. (Hebrews 10:3)

This system of the world keeps you in a consciousness of sickness. Its newspaper reports, magazines, TV programmes and the like make you very conscious of sickness. Singaporeans are thus not health conscious but sickness conscious. Remember that when man first sinned, a new consciousness entered, and from henceforth, all the ill effects of that negative consciousness.

Am I against, doctors, hospitals and medicine? Yes and no. Yes, because there still exists the element of hate. And no, because of obvious reasons, one being that most of us are not at a level of faith where we can confidently exclude doctors and medicine.