In John 12:25, Jesus informs us of the necessity that we hate our life in this world if we are to gain eternal life, the glorious life with God for which mankind was created. Hate is an emotionally charged word that has a broad range of usage throughout the Bible. It ranges from having enmity, animosity or hostility toward something or someone such that we desire its/their hurt or demise, to having a strong aversion to that which is disturbing (loud noises) disgusting (Broccoli) or dangerous (snakes). The term hate is also used by Jesus to compare how our love for Him must significantly exceed our love for those who are the objects of our deepest affections in this world if we are to be His true disciples (Luke 14:25-26).
So, as I explore in this post various aspects regarding what Jesus may mean when He calls us to hate our life in this world, I believe we will see elements of all three usages.
Let me begin first with what Jesus does not mean. I do not believe that He means that we are to hate life, which in itself is a precious gift from God, which He gave us that we might share in His glorious existence as His beloved children, experiencing our greatest joy, our greatest pleasure, our ultimate satisfaction and fulfilment in knowing, loving and being loved by God and one another as image bearers of God (Genesis 1:26-28). The emphasis in verse 25 is on hating our life in this world – a world that is filled with misery, sorrow and death as a result of being populated by people and nations living in opposition to God’s purpose for and rule over our lives (Romans 3:9-18) (Romans 3:23) (Psalm 2:1-3).
He also is not referring to hating our life in this world in response to our failing to obtain or achieve the things of this world which we see as necessary to our happiness in this world, or like King Solomon, find little satisfaction or fulfillment when we do obtain or achieve them, and thus become bitter and resentful, angry and depressed in response (Ecclesiastes 2:1-17). In this state of mind, you are still a lover of your life in this world, though a frustrated one – and will still lose forever the glorious life God created you to have with Him. This is the type of hatred of the world and our life in it that brings about the cynicism, anger, hopelessness and despair that leads to drug addiction, mass killings and suicide (despair deaths).
One practical reason I believe Jesus calls us to hate our life in this world is that this world is nothing close to the glorious world that God created and called good in the beginning. And despite the marred remnants of that world which daily remind us of the glory of its Creator, ours is a world that has been cursed by God because of sin, and thus is a world filled with pain, sorrow, misery, ugliness, conflict/strife, futility, frustration, injustice, despair and death (Psalm 19:1-6) (Genesis 3:17-19).
Life begins in the pain and joy of childbirth. It proceeds through times of struggle and travail, loneliness and sorrow, that are mixed with various pleasures, joys and moments of true happiness that God graciously grants in varying degrees to all (Psalm 145:8-9) (Psalm 145:14-16) (James 1:17) (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10). Unfortunately, despite all of our efforts to sustain the good times, this life will always be a mix of the bitter and sweet. For a brief time, it may seem like it is progressing to brighter and better days, but for each of us this life will come to an end. For some the end will come early, suddenly, unexpectantly, tragically, while for others it will fade into the manifold trials of old age, which always end in death (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8).
Another essential reason Jesus calls us to hate our life in this world, is because it is a world that is under the spiritual control of Satan/the devil, a rebellious fallen angel who works within the spiritual realm to promote rebellion against God, inciting and promoting the evil and wickedness that is already in men’s hearts (Isaiah 14:12-15) (Genesis 6:5) (Jeremiah 17:9) (Mark 7:21-23).
Jesus, in John 14:30, refers to Satan as the prince or ruler of this world, and the Apostle Paul refers to him as the god of this world, revealing the significant influence he is allowed by God to wield in this present age (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). 1 John 5:19 reveals the fact that the whole world lies under Satan’s influence, as He and his demon army operate unseen, spreading their God dishonoring lies and deadly deceptions through our news and entertainment media, through our educational, political and religious institutions as well as through our own sin corrupted human nature, with the goal of bringing ruin and destruction to God’s glorious creation, frustrating God’s good and gracious purposes in creation, and obtaining the worship from man that is due God alone (Ephesians 2:1-3) (Revelation 12:7-9) (Ephesians 6:10-13) (John 10:10) (Matthew 4:8-10).
The most essential reason, however, we are to hate our life in this world, to flee from identifying our life with its ideals, values, and philosophies for human flourishing and individual happiness, is because it is a world filled with people who are at enmity with God, who hate God and proved it by murdering the Son of God, who in love had come into this world to save us from the wrath and judgement of God, which is due all mankind. (Romans 8:5-7) (John 15:18-25) (John 7:6-7) (Philippians 3:18) (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
Christian theologian and author John Piper helps us see why hating our life in this world is the only rational response to such a world when he writes how this is a world where the glory of God is not proclaimed, the greatness of God is not praised and admired, the love of God is not treasured, and the goodness of God is not acknowledged with gratitude and thanksgiving. It is a world where the wisdom and word of God are not valued/esteemed, the law of God is not obeyed, and the promises of God not believed. It is a world where the grace and mercy of God are not cherished, which is because the justice of God is not revered, nor the judgement of God feared.
And most tellingly, it is a world where the presence of God is not prized, and the person of God is not loved and adored above all else in His creation (Romans 1:18-23) (Psalm 10:3-4).
Instead, the most, glorious, most desirable, most excellent, most essential, most valuable, most awesome being in all of the universe, the creator and sovereign ruler of that universe, is despised and disdained, disrespected and dishonored, disobeyed and disbelieved by all of mankind, to varying degrees (Romans 3:23) (Romans 3:9-18).
Thus, the world that God is calling us not to love, not be a friend of and to hate our life in, is a world that stands in direct opposition to God and His order and design for human flourishing and happiness. It is a world that offers us everything we think we want, but nothing we will ever need to satisfy the deepest needs of our heart and most noble longings of our soul, which only God can satisfy (Psalm 65:4) (Psalm 37:4). And therefore, it is a world that will have its end in the total destruction of all that has been corrupted by man’s sin, including all who loved their lives in it (Revelation 6:12-17) (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10).
It will be replaced one day with a world that eye has not seen, nor ear heard of, nor has the glory and magnificence of it ever entered into the imaginations of the most creative minds; a world we can and will love, where we will love and be loved by God and one another as God intended. It is a world that will be populated by those who truly hated their life in this world, enabled to do so by the expulsive power of love for our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; a love that delivers us from the allurements of this present evil world, and makes us long to be with Him forever. (1 Corinthians 2:9) (Luke 10:25-28) (John 17:24-26) (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) (Revelation 21:1-3).
“COME LORD JESUS”
Grace and Peace ×
All of creation groans,
even ourselves ?