These are plain declarative texts. It is not meant by them that Christians do not love sinners and can not be friends to them. Christ loved and died for sinners. He visited them in their homes while here on earth, but never did he approve of their sinful ways. He never participated with them in anything that was worldly. He was not influenced by the world into any spirit of worldly merriment. He loved the souls of men, but he did not love the world. He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. Heb. 7:26. Christians, like Christ, love mankind, and are friendly and treat with respect and kindness the sinner, but never participate with him, nor become influenced in sinful, worldly ways. The affections of the Christian are set on things above. Col. 3:1. Persecutions. In the early ministry of the Savior there is an intimation that the righteous shall be persecuted. It is found in these words: “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” Mat. 5:10, 11. From whence may the righteous expect these persecutions? We learned in the preceding subject that Christians were not of the world. We learn also by the Scriptures that they are hated by the world. Jesus was hated by the world because of the light of Christian virtue and righteousness that shone through him. Those that glorify God by reflecting the righteousness of Christ to the world will be regarded with the same feeling. “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.” John 15:18. In every age of the world, from the days of Cain and Abel to the present, true Christians have been hated and persecuted by the wicked, and especially by false worshipers.