CHRISTIANS:
IN THE WORLD; OPPOSITION; PERSECUTION; CHRISTLIKENESS

Sometimes we Christians are opposed and persecuted for reasons other than our godliness. We like to think it is our spirituality that irritates people, when in reality, it may be our personality.…

It might be a shock to some of us if we could know why we are disliked and why our testimony is rejected so violently. Could it be that we are guilty of a deep sinfulness of disposition that we just cannot keep hidden? Arrogance, lack of charity, contempt, self-righteousness, religious snobbery, fault-finding—and all this kept under careful restraint and disguised by a pious smile and synthetic good humor. This sort of thing is felt rather than understood by those who touch us in everyday life. They do not know why they cannot stand us, but we are sure that the reason is our exalted state of spirituality! Perilous comfort. Deep heart searching and prolonged repentance would be better.

1 Corinthians 13:1–3; 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12; 1 Peter 3:16–17; 1 Peter 4:15–16

We Travel an Appointed Way, 35, 36.