"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him." (John 1:10)
The reason the “world” did not recognize Jesus as God was that even though He was “in” the world, he was not “of” the world. He entered our reality, but He never became compromised by it.
In this sense, it could be said that Jesus was leading a counter-cultural movement: That is, His life went counter to the culture He entered. This was certainly true regarding the Jewish culture, but it has been proven to be true of all cultures. Whenever any of Jesus’ disciples have followed His teachings literally and radically, they have upset the status quo – and have been branded as anti-social and disruptive.
Why is this the case? The very men who eventually condemned Jesus to death supply the answer:
If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.” (John 11:48)
In other words, their entire life’s work, all the wealth and power they had acquired, would be lost – for it had been gained in ways that the Bible condemns.
This is still the reason why Christianity continues to be persecuted and compromised in nations around the world. The implications of truly living the Gospel are so radical that they inevitably upset the cultures they enter. Therefore, Christians are given an ultimatum: Compromise or get out.
Sadly, Christians find it easiest to compromise in regards to the two commands that are the most defining – and therefore essential – and the hardest to keep: Loving and Forgiving others. Yet, if our message is to ring true, we must prayerful ask God to empower us to do both, faithfully!
We can’t do one without the other; and we can’t do it on our own. To love our enemies and to forgive those who have wounded us takes the power of the Holy Spirit. And that usually comes through a prayer of confession: God I don’t love and I don’t forgive. Change my heart! You may have to pray these things over a long time and you may have to pray them often. But don’t content yourself with a blockage to your love – don’t rationalize your lack of forgiveness. Only by being loving and forgiving can God's people remain open channels through which God’s love and forgiveness can flow to a hurting and hopeless world.
What a man desires is unfailing love…(Proverbs 19:22)