(43-46a)
For this week’s study:
- Whenever you read or study the Bible, always begin with prayer, asking God to guide you so you understand God’s message and learn His methods for living.
- Read John 15:18–16:4 several times using your Bible and the two translations provided below to understand the boundaries, content, and flow of the study passage. (Reading the passage once a day from any of those translations is recommended.)
- Read and respond to the “Study Guide” and use the “Study Resources” provided below to learn more from this study passage.
Read the Passage
Berean Standard Bible
(BSB)
The Hatred of the World
<18>If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. <19>If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.
<20>Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’1 If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well. <21>But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me. <22>If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin. Now, however, they have no excuse for their sin.
<23>Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well. <24>If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father. <25>But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’2
<26>When the Advocate 3 comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—He will testify about Me. <27>And you also must testify, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
Persecution Foretold
(Acts 23:12–22)
16 <1>“I have told you these things so that you will not fall away. <2>They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. <3>They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me. <4>But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them.
Word Come Alive
(WCA)
(An extended translation)*
<18>‘When the people who reject me show they hate you because you acknowledge me, don’t be surprised or discouraged. Remember that they hated me first. <19>If you were like the people who are against me, they would love you because you would be like them. The reality, however, is that you’re not like those who reject me, because I’ve chosen you to be different from them. You are to lead distinctive lives that reflect who I am—that is why those people hate you. <20>Don’t forget my words to you, “Servants aren’t more important than their master.”4 If they persecuted me, then don’t expect to be treated differently: they will persecute you too. You won’t be spared that experience. If they obeyed my teaching, then they will also obey yours. <21>They will treat you like this, doing bad things to you, because you recognise who I am and also because they don’t know the One who sent me.
‘You must declare my message’
<22>**‘If I had not come and spoken God’s message to them, they would not be guilty of rejecting me and my message. But now I have come and told them God’s message, so they will have no excuse when God judges them for their sin. <23>Whoever hates me also hates my Father because we are one. <24>**If I had not done among them the miracles that no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of the sin of rejecting me. But now, although they have seen those miracles, they have hated both me and my Father. <25>Actually, their actions fulfil the words of the law, “They had no reason to hate me.”5
<26>‘I will send the Mentor to you from the Father. He is the Spirit who reveals the truth about God. He comes from the Father. When he comes, he will declare and confirm what I am like and why I have come. <27>Your task is this: you too must also declare my message to others because you’ve been with me ever since I began to teach you.’
John 16
‘The Mentor will come in fresh power’
<1>‘I’ve told you all these things so that you won’t be surprised when your faith is shaken so much that you might stop trusting in me. <2>People will even throw you out of your faith communities. In fact, the time is coming when someone who kills you will think they’re doing right and offering a service to God. <3>They will act in this way because they’ve never acknowledged the Father or me. <4>Now I’ve told you all this so that when the time comes for these things to happen, you will remember that I warned you about them in advance.
* Words in italics are not translated from the original Greek text. They have been added to explain and at times apply the text, much as a preacher does on a Sunday or notes do at the foot of the page in a study Bible. These additions are integrated with the text itself, and are in italics, so readers can see what has been explained, changed or added.
** Verses 22 and 24 are from T4T (The Holy Bible: A Translation for Translators ), “a special translation of the Bible designed to help translators know implicit information in the original languages.”
Study the Passage
Study Guide
In John 15:18–21, Jesus warns that the world hates His followers. Why does the world treat Christians with hate?
Read verses 22–25 from the Word Come Alive translation above. What do these verses suggest about the connection between sin and the knowledge of Christ’s teachings?
According to verses 26–27, how should we respond to this persecution?
How can understanding these warnings from Jesus impact our daily interactions with non-believers?
In what ways can we prepare ourselves for spiritual rejection or persecution in our lives?
Study Resources
To learn more about this study passage, go to
https://www.bibleref.com/John/15/John-15-18.html. Read the commentary for each verse in the study passage. (Also read the Context Summary and the Chapter Summary.)
If you have any questions about this passage, type the verse reference or your question in the search box at the top of
https://www.gotquestions.org/ and explore the results.
If you have a study Bible, read the footnotes and study notes and see how they help you understand this passage. Also, check out any maps, charts, and articles related to the study passage.
Thessalonian Faith 