The result of abiding in Jesus is that we are not abiding in the world. The contrast is sharply black and white - no gray allowed. The result of not abiding in the world is that the world hates us. Jesus said, "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before you" (John 15:18). The word "know" could be a command instead of a statement (Bernard, 2:491). Facing the hatred of the world, Jesus commands us to know they hated Him first (πρωτον), either first in time or first in importance. Our union with Jesus establishes a fault line with the world leading us to expect persecution from the world.
Jesus states two reasons why the world hates us. The first reason is because Jesus chose us for Himself (εξελεξαμην - middle voice). "I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you" (John 15:19). Three times Jesus uses the same prepositional clause "out of the world" (εκ του κοσμου) in this one verse. "If you were out of the world the world would love its own; but because you are not out of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you."
The preposition "out of" (εκ) can indicate either origin or separation (BAGD, p. 234). The first clause expresses origin - often used in the sense of family origin. If our birth family is the world, the world would love us. We are part of the world so why would they not love us? However, we are not out of the world in terms of our birth family any longer. We originate from Jesus. We have a new birth family (point of origin) as those who abide in Jesus. Our birth family rests in His choice - electing love. He chose us "out of the world." The final clause indicates separation. The world is the place from which Jesus separates us by His choice to become part of His birth family. The world hates us because Jesus chose us for Himself.
The second reason the world hates us is because they do not know God the Father. "But all these things they will do to you for My names sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me" (John 15:21). Ignorance of God the Father leads to persecution of the Son and His followers. Ignorance of the nature of God leads to failure in recognizing Jesus. When people don't know who God is they cannot know who Jesus is. Jesus has said that to know God the Father you must know Jesus (John 14:6, 9). Now Jesus reverses the truth - to know Jesus you must know God the Father.
Intimacy with Jesus precludes intimacy with the world. If I am intimate with the world I cannot be intimate with Jesus. If I am intimate with Jesus I cannot be intimate with the world. The world will notice the difference and hate me for it. The question is: If I am not hated by the world is it because they do not see any difference in me?!
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