“‘All these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me’” (John 15:21).

“但他们因我的名要向你们行这一切的事，因为他们不认识那差我来的。”（约翰福音15：21）

The world, in its general hatred of the truth and ignorance of God, will also hate believers.

世界上的人普遍恨恶真理，否认上帝，也恨恶信徒。

The religious leaders of Jesus’ time hated Him intensely. If we are committed to following Him wholeheartedly today, we can’t expect to avoid persecution and hardship any more than He did. In John 15:20 our Lord tells us what to expect: “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”

耶稣时代的宗教领袖们非常恨恶耶稣。今天的我们全心委身跟随主耶稣的话，也不可避免的像耶稣一样要遭受迫害和难处。在约翰福音15章20节中我们的主告诉我们：“你们要记念我从前对你们所说的话：“仆人不能大于主人。”他们若逼迫了我，也要逼迫你们；若遵守了我的话，也要遵守你们的话。”

If our perspective is right, however, this expectation should actually make us happy and even provide a certain sense of security. Receiving persecution from the world because we are Christ’s representatives means we have an opportunity to experience what Paul called “the fellowship of His sufferings” (Phil. 3:10). As one commentator has said, Christian suffering “is the very means God uses to transform us into the image of His Son.” Troubles and pains can be great reassurances that we have been united with Christ.

然而，如果我们的视角是正确的，这样的期望实际上让我们觉得高兴，并且在某种程度上让我们有安全感。因是基督的门徒而遭受世人的逼迫意味着我们有机会经历保罗所说的“与他一同受苦”（腓利比书3：10）。有人曾说过基督徒的苦难“是上帝使用来转变我们有祂儿子形象的工具”。麻烦和痛苦是我们可以与基督联合的很好保障。

As we saw yesterday, it’s no surprise that the world hates us. It despises our general opposition to its system, but aside from that, the world hates believers simply because it doesn’t know God.
正如昨天所说的，世人恨我们并不奇怪。因为他们鄙视我们不能接受他们的系统，但除这之外，世人恨基督徒仅仅是因为他们不认识上帝。

This basic ignorance of God usually appears in one of two ways. Either it shows up as apathy and religious superstition (Acts 17:22-23) or as more glaring actions and attitudes of moral and spiritual deviation (Romans 1:18—2:2). Whatever the case, people in the world are just doing what is natural for them because of their sin and depravity.

通常对上帝的无知无非是以下两种方式之一。要么是冷漠和宗教迷信（使徒行传17：22-23），要么是有明显的道德和精神偏差的行为和态度（罗马书1：18-2：2）。无论哪种情况，世人们都是按照自己的罪性和堕落而行。

As a Christian, what should your response be? You should not be indifferent or accommodate the serious challenges you’ll face from the world. Instead, you ought to, by faith, realistically accept the truth of John 15:21, comfortably rest in the teaching of Philippians 3:10, and confidently seek to minister to the world “because the foolishness of God [the gospel] is wiser than men, and the weakness of God [the cross] is stronger than men” (1 Cor. 1:25).

作为基督徒，我们的反应当如何呢？我们不应该漠不关心或是容忍那些将要面对的来自世界的严峻挑战。相反，我们应该，靠着信心，切实接受约翰福音15章21节的真理，在腓利比书3章10节的教导中享受安息，并且满有信心地服侍世人“因 神的愚拙【福音】总比人智慧， 神的软弱【十字架】总比人强壮。”（哥林多前书1：25）