This truth is one of the most difficult ones for Christians to accept. We don’t desire confrontation. We want people to like us. We may pride ourselves in getting along with others. It may grieve us that there are those who are hostile toward us. Our conscience may even be alarmed that the source of our conflict may stem from some offense we have committed against others.
The truth is that if you are like Christ, the world will treat you as it related to Him. The sinful world hated Jesus because it was in darkness and He was the light. Darkness is fundamentally and irrevocably opposed to light! The two cannot co-habitate. Darkness must inevitably yield to light. Darkness understands this innately and so it resists light with all of its might.
When unbelievers encounter your life, the light within you will shine on the darkness contained in them. It is inevitable. They may not even know why they are offended at you, but they will be. Your life stands in condemnation of them. Your two worldviews cannot both be correct. One must be in error. You ought not to look for confrontation. But neither should you be surprised when it comes. The more like Christ you become, the more the darkness around you will hate you.