Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Having all people speak well of a person is a spiritual danger, not a proof of faithfulness to God, and such universal approval can itself mark a message as false. The reason lies in the pattern behind the warning: in earlier generations the fathers praised, welcomed, spoke well of, and treated well the false prophets, and their contemporaries praised them. Those who faithfully present God's truth should therefore not expect greater favor from the world than earlier reformers received. The spirit of the world remains opposed to Christ, and its hostility and antagonism toward His faithful witnesses and toward truth will continue to the end of time and to the end of the world's history.
Those who reject God will not love His children, so faithful followers may instead face hatred, rejection, and reproach for Christ's sake as Christ did. That rejection is contrasted with being spoken well of, and it carries blessing and heavenly reward. Loving the unbelieving world and desiring its good opinion tempts a person to hide or compromise the truth in order to avoid reproach. The desire to be spoken well of conflicts with wholehearted service to Christ and weakens faith, while faithfulness may instead bring reproach.
Human honor, prosperity, trust, and influence test faith and can weaken humility and spirituality by leading a person to forget dependence on God. When everyone speaks well of a person, that person must be on guard, because public favor and approval bring spiritual danger. Such standing is safe, and spiritual growth continues, only through complete dependence on God for wisdom and character and through using honor, trust, and influence for His glory.
Having all people speak well of a person is a spiritual danger, not a proof of faithfulness to God, and such universal approval can itself mark a message as false. The reason lies in the pattern behind the warning: in earlier generations the fathers praised, welcomed, spoke well of, and treated well the false prophets, and their contemporaries praised them. Those who faithfully present God's truth should therefore not expect greater favor from the world than earlier reformers received. The spirit of the world remains opposed to Christ, and its hostility and antagonism toward His faithful witnesses and toward truth will continue to the end of time and to the end of the world's history.
Those who reject God will not love His children, so faithful followers may instead face hatred, rejection, and reproach for Christ's sake as Christ did. That rejection is contrasted with being spoken well of, and it carries blessing and heavenly reward. Loving the unbelieving world and desiring its good opinion tempts a person to hide or compromise the truth in order to avoid reproach. The desire to be spoken well of conflicts with wholehearted service to Christ and weakens faith, while faithfulness may instead bring reproach.
Human honor, prosperity, trust, and influence test faith and can weaken humility and spirituality by leading a person to forget dependence on God. When everyone speaks well of a person, that person must be on guard, because public favor and approval bring spiritual danger. Such standing is safe, and spiritual growth continues, only through complete dependence on God for wisdom and character and through using honor, trust, and influence for His glory.