If Jesus Is King, Why Do Christians Speak With Contempt?

If Jesus Is King, Why Do Christians Speak With Contempt?

Truth Without Contempt: A Christian Discernment Test

If Jesus Is King...

Christians say they love Jesus. But many speak with contempt about Jews and Catholics. What does the Bible actually say? Join the POWERFUL LIVE finale' 6:30 PM EST: “If Jesus Is King, Why Do Christians Speak With Contempt?”  WATCH on True Word Faith for LIFE! with Dr. Shawn YouTube!

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Have you ever closed your phone and felt dirty inside? Not because of what someone else said, but because of what you said, or what you almost said. The clip was provocative. The comments were blazing. The accusations sounded confident. And for a moment it felt like discernment. But when you stepped away, it did not feel like the Spirit. It felt like contempt. And contempt never leaves the heart clean.

That is why this finale matters. True discernment is not suspicion with a Bible verse taped to it. Discernment is spiritual clarity that produces holiness. It produces humility. It produces self control. It produces love that does not lie, and truth that does not dehumanize. That is the test.

Here is the tension we have to face as followers of the Way. If Jesus is King, why do so many Christians speak with contempt?

In the Ancient Near Eastern world where the Bible was written, covenant loyalty was not a decorative theme. Covenant was identity. Covenant was allegiance. Covenant was life. When a king bound himself to a people, loyalty to that covenant was the highest moral expectation. Betrayal was not just disagreement. Betrayal was a violation of allegiance. That matters because the Bible’s story is covenant shaped from Genesis onward, and the church’s speech is never neutral. Our words are covenant words. They either reflect covenant faithfulness or covenant betrayal.

That is why Romans 11 lands with such force.

Romans 11:17–18

LEB: But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although you are a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and became a sharer of the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you boast, you do not support the root, but the root supports you.[20]

CJSB: But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, then do not boast as if you were better than the branches. However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you.[21]

Paul wrote these words to believers in Rome. He was not writing to a fantasy audience. He was writing into a real conflict. Jewish believers and Gentile believers were trying to live as one body. Under Claudius, Jews were expelled from Rome, and when Jewish believers returned, the congregation had changed. Some Gentile believers had begun acting like God was finished with Israel. Paul confronts this arrogance with a metaphor that cannot be missed. Gentiles are not the root. We are wild branches grafted in. The root supports us. Humility is not optional.

Then Jesus Himself takes us even deeper. In John 4, speaking in the middle of ethnic tension and religious dispute, the Messiah says something that should stop every Christian who flirts with contempt.

John 4:22

LEB: You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.[22]

CJSB: You don’t know what you are worshiping, we do know what we are worshiping, because salvation comes from the Jews.[23]

Jesus does not distance Himself from Israel. He locates redemption within the covenant story. This is not politics. This is theological reality. The Messiah came through Israel. The prophets came through Israel. The Bible came through Israel. And that means Christian contempt toward Jews is not only sinful, it is incoherent. You cannot despise the covenant storyline and claim loyalty to the King who stands at the center of it.

Genesis 12 is part of the same foundation.

Genesis 12:3

LEB: And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who treats you lightly I will curse, and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you.[24]

CJSB: I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you, and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.[25]

This promise to Abraham was never meant to shrink God’s love for the nations. It was meant to deliver God’s blessing to the nations through covenant. The Messiah is the fulfillment of that covenant mission. Gentiles do not get invited in to erase Israel. We get brought near to share the covenant life of the root.

Paul says it plainly in Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:12–13

LEB: that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you, who once were far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.[26]

CJSB: that at that time you were separate from the Messiah. You were excluded from citizenship in Isra’el, you were foreigners to the covenants embodying God’s promise, you were in this world without hope and without God. But now you who were once far off have been brought near through the shedding of the Messiah’s blood.[27]

If you were brought near by mercy, you do not get to speak as if you own the covenant. Mercy produces humility. Humility produces careful speech.

Now bring this into daily life. Outrage is a discipleship system. It trains your nervous system to react. It trains you to assume the worst. It trains you to spread claims before you verify them. It trains you to turn people into symbols. And once you turn people into symbols, contempt becomes easy.

That is why the Bible gives us a diagnostic. Fruit reveals formation.

Galatians 5:22–23

LEB: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, against such things there is no law.[28]

CJSB: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things.[29]

Ask yourself, does my “discernment” produce love and self control, or does it produce suspicion and contempt? Does it make me careful with truth, or does it make me reckless with accusations? Does it make me more like Jesus, or more like the outrage machine?

This is where the conversation touches Catholics too. You can critique doctrine without slander. You can disagree without dehumanizing. You can seek truth without turning millions of people into a caricature. The ninth commandment still stands. False witness is still sin. Confident tone does not equal verified truth. And likes do not equal righteousness.

So here is a simple practice you can take into this week. Before you share a claim, ask three questions. Is it true, can I verify it. Is it necessary, or am I feeding outrage. Is it loving, meaning does it honor the image of God while still holding to truth.

That is not weakness. That is holiness.

Challenge and Choice

Here is the choice in front of you. You can live inside the outrage machine, or you can walk in the way of the King. One path produces endless anger. The other produces clean courage. One path produces suspicion. The other produces wisdom. One path divides. The other reflects Jesus.

If Jesus is King, your mouth is not your own.

If this post challenged you, tell me in the comments: what is one change you will make this week in how you speak about people you disagree with, online, in your home, or in your church?

Shalom b’Shem Yeshua

© 2026 Dr. Shawn M. Greener. All Rights Reserved.

True Word, Faith for LIFE!

STUDY GUIDE

If Jesus Is King, Why Do Christians Speak With Contempt?

Truth Without Contempt: A Christian Discernment Test

Episode Focus: If Jesus Is King, Why Do Christians Speak With Contempt?

Series: You Cannot Love Jesus and Hate Jews and Catholics

SUMMARY

This finale confronts a crisis inside modern Christianity: contempt disguised as discernment. The Bible does not authorize slander, caricature, or tribal rage as signs of spiritual maturity. Covenant faithfulness under King Jesus demands truth spoken with courage and verified integrity, without contempt. This study guide grounds that claim in the covenant storyline of Israel, Paul’s olive tree metaphor in Romans 11, the historical situation of the believers in Rome, and the Messiah’s own declaration that salvation comes from the Jews. We then apply a diagnostic from Galatians 5: fruit reveals formation. If your so called discernment produces contempt, suspicion, and dehumanization, it is not the Spirit. It is a rival discipleship system.1

PRIMARY BIBLE TEXTS, SIDE BY SIDE

Romans 11:17–18

LEB: But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although you are a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and became a sharer of the rich root of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you boast, you do not support the root, but the root supports you.2

CJSB: But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, then do not boast as if you were better than the branches. However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you.3

John 4:22

LEB: You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.4

CJSB: You don’t know what you are worshiping, we do know what we are worshiping, because salvation comes from the Jews.5

Genesis 12:3

LEB: And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who treats you lightly I will curse, and all the families of the earth will be blessed in you.6

CJSB: I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you, and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.7

Ephesians 2:12–13

LEB: that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you, who once were far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.8

CJSB: that at that time you were separate from the Messiah. You were excluded from citizenship in Isra’el, you were foreigners to the covenants embodying God’s promise, you were in this world without hope and without God. But now you who were once far off have been brought near through the shedding of the Messiah’s blood.9

Galatians 5:22–23

LEB: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, against such things there is no law.10

CJSB: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Nothing in the Torah stands against such things.11

KEY HEBREW AND GREEK TERMS

Chesed, חֶסֶד, steadfast covenant love, loyal love, covenant faithfulness. Chesed is not sentimental warmth. It is loyalty expressed in concrete faithfulness inside an oath bound relationship. In the Ancient Near Eastern covenant world, loyalty was a moral demand, and betrayal was understood as an act of treachery, not merely a different opinion. When believers claim covenant loyalty to King Jesus while practicing contempt, they violate the very logic of covenant faithfulness.12

Berit, בְּרִית, covenant. Covenant in the Bible is not a casual contract. It establishes identity, obligation, and future. From Abraham forward, God’s purposes move through covenant. The Messiah enters history through the covenant line, and Gentile believers are brought near to share covenant life, not to replace the covenant people.13

Olive tree, Romans 11. Paul’s olive tree metaphor is a direct correction to Gentile arrogance. The wild branches do not become the root. They are grafted in to share the life of the root. The command is humility. The warning is against boasting. The theological point is identity. Gentiles participate by mercy and grafting, not by superiority.14

Fruit, Galatians 5. Fruit is the visible evidence of formation over time. It is not a mood and it is not a brand. It is a spiritual diagnostic. If a person’s speech consistently produces contempt, suspicion, and cruelty, then the Spirit’s fruit is not governing that person’s tongue, regardless of how correct their vocabulary may sound.15

HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND ANE BACKDROP

The Roman congregation and Paul’s purpose in Romans 9–11. Romans is written to real communities facing real tension. Paul addresses the place of Israel in God’s covenant purposes and confronts Gentile boasting. Acts 18:2 refers to Claudius ordering Jews to leave Rome, which likely contributed to the lived disruption in Roman house churches, even though the precise sociological dynamics require careful handling.16 Regardless, Paul’s rhetorical and pastoral aim in Romans includes unity, humility, and the renunciation of superiority over Jewish believers. Romans 11 is not a detachable metaphor. It is a rebuke to arrogance and a call to covenant accurate humility.17

Covenant loyalty in the Ancient Near East. The Bible’s covenant language is not decorative. It reflects an ANE world where covenant shaped identity, allegiance, and moral obligation. Honor and shame dynamics, kinship loyalty, and treaty expectations formed the air people breathed. In that context, contempt is not a casual attitude. It is an honor violating posture. When the church normalizes contempt, it trains believers in disloyalty while claiming loyalty to the King.18

Israel, the Messiah, and the nonnegotiable storyline. Jesus Himself locates salvation within the Jewish covenant story in John 4:22. That statement is theological, not political. The Messiah, the apostles, and the Bible’s covenant promises are inseparable from Israel. This means Christian speech that turns Jews into a target for contempt is not only sinful. It is incoherent, because it speaks against the storyline that delivered the Gospel.19

A brief note on supersessionism and church failure. Throughout history, theological errors that treat Israel as permanently rejected have fueled contempt, and contempt has often produced real harm. This does not call for performative guilt. It calls for sober repentance and disciplined truth telling. What the church refuses to name, it will repeat. The path forward is covenant faithfulness expressed through humble truth, verified speech, and the refusal to dehumanize.20

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. When you hear the phrase truth without contempt, what specific kinds of speech come to mind in your daily life, online and offline?

2. In Romans 11:17–18, what exactly is Paul warning Gentile believers against? How does this confront modern Christian arrogance?

3. How does John 4:22 challenge common Christian speech about Jews and the covenant story of the Bible?

4. What happens inside your heart when your daily diet is outrage, reaction content, and suspicion?

5. Which fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22–23 is most obviously missing when Christians speak with contempt?

6. Have you ever repeated a claim about a group, Jews, Catholics, or anyone else, that you did not verify? What would repentance look like in that situation?

7. What is the difference between confronting error and dehumanizing people? Give one example of each from real life.

8. What guardrails can you put in place this week to keep your speech clean and accurate?

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

A three question verification rule. Before you share any accusation, clip, or claim about any group, ask three questions. Is it true, and can I verify it from credible sources? Is it necessary, or am I feeding outrage? Is it loving, meaning does it honor the image of God in the person while still holding to truth? This is not softness. It is holiness. It is obedience to the ninth commandment and submission to the King who loves truth.21

A covenant speech practice for seven days. For one week, treat your speech as covenant stewardship. Each day, choose one space where you tend to be reactive, comment sections, family conversations, church debates, or political talk. Pray for discipline. Slow down. Verify before you speak. Replace mockery with clarity. Replace vague accusation with evidence. Replace contempt with measured courage. Your mouth is not your own if Jesus is King.22

A repentance step. If you have shared slander, remove it. Correct it if needed. Ask the Lord to cleanse your speech and re form your habits. Repentance is not weakness. It is the doorway back to covenant integrity. It is how the church becomes clean again.23

Closing challenge. This week, choose one change that proves Jesus is King over your tongue. If your faith produces contempt, it is not mature. If your faith produces humility and clean courage, it is being formed by the Spirit.24

FOOTNOTES

9. Galatians 5:22–23, LEB and CJSB; see also Douglas J. Moo, Galatians, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013).

10. Lexham English Bible, Romans 11:17–18.

11. Complete Jewish Study Bible, Romans 11:17–18.

12. Lexham English Bible, John 4:22.

13. Complete Jewish Study Bible, John 4:22.

14. Lexham English Bible, Genesis 12:3.

15. Complete Jewish Study Bible, Genesis 12:3.

16. Lexham English Bible, Ephesians 2:12–13.

17. Complete Jewish Study Bible, Ephesians 2:12–13.

18. Lexham English Bible, Galatians 5:22–23.

19. Complete Jewish Study Bible, Galatians 5:22–23.

20. For covenant loyal love as a controlling category for biblical ethics and relational obligation, see Skip Moen, Biblical Hebrew studies and teachings on chesed in At God’s Table resources (Seattle, WA: At God’s Table, ongoing), and for ANE covenant context see John H. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006).

21. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament; see also Michael S. Heiser, The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015), on covenant storyline and Israel’s role in the Bible’s theological architecture.

22. Robert Jewett, Romans: A Commentary (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007), on Romans as pastoral theology aimed at unity and humility in a divided congregation; see also N. T. Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013).

23. Moo, Galatians, on Spirit produced ethical formation and the diagnostic nature of fruit.

24. Acts 18:2; see also Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars, “Claudius” 25.4, for an ancient reference often discussed in connection with disturbances involving Jews in Rome, noting scholarly debate about details.

25. Jewett, Romans: A Commentary; Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God.

26. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, on covenant, identity, and cultural assumptions that shaped how biblical audiences heard loyalty and betrayal language.

27. Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary, 2 vols. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003), on John 4 and the theological force of Jesus locating salvation within Israel’s covenant story.

28. R. Kendall Soulen, The God of Israel and Christian Theology (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996); David Nirenberg, Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition (New York: W. W. Norton, 2013).

29. Exodus 20:16; Galatians 5:22–23; see also Moo, Galatians.

30. Romans 11:17–18; Ephesians 2:12–13; Jewett, Romans: A Commentary.

31. Matthew 12:36–37 for the moral seriousness of speech; see also Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, on covenant obligation and consequences.

32. Galatians 5:22–23; John 4:22; Romans 11:17–18.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Complete Jewish Study Bible. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

Heiser, Michael S. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015.

Jewett, Robert. Romans: A Commentary. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John: A Commentary. 2 vols. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003.

Lexham English Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Moo, Douglas J. Galatians. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013.

Moen, Skip. At God’s Table resources and Biblical Hebrew teachings on chesed. Seattle, WA: At God’s Table. Ongoing.

Nirenberg, David. Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition. New York: W. W. Norton, 2013.

Soulen, R. Kendall. The God of Israel and Christian Theology. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.

Suetonius. The Lives of the Caesars. “Claudius.” Various editions and translations.

Walton, John H. Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006.

Wright, N. T. Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013.

© 2026 Dr. Shawn M. Greener. All Rights Reserved.

True Word, Faith for LIFE!