Even Jesus had to deal with people who hated him--so we shouldn't be surprised when people are unhappy with us. Sometimes everybody knows why somebody has it "in" for us; sometimes we have no idea what the issue is. There was a girl in our high school youth group that I had been good friends with for several years, and somehow I started hearing from other people that she was trying to sabotage me for no good reason that I could ever find out. At a recent high school reunion she was my friend again.. This seems to be life in this world; we can't please everybody all the time.
There are different attitudes behind different people. There are some people who have no idea of right and wrong; and if we get in their way we can't predict the result. Sometimes we can apologize and clear the air; sometimes there is no way to explain why something is unacceptable to someone who doesn't have the concept. About all we can do is stay out of the situation as much as possible and pray hard (and privately)against the evil we see. And of course be open to the other person to mellow out and listen--it can happen. One thing that doesn't help is arguing--this sets up a defensive reaction that can make things worse.
Another kind of person we can have to deal with is someone who does "know the rules", but is determined to do it themselves. On one hand they can be very judgmental about other people, but convinced that they've got it all together by themselves and don't need anything from anybody--not even God. (Remember those Paul mentions in Galatians 2 who were so sure they could be justified by the Law?) Sometimes we find these folks inside the church, so sure they know what everybody should be doing; and sometimes we find them on the outside;,convinced that they don't need us.
What makes the difference between the self-sufficient believer and the one who is truly justified in Christ is accepting the knowledge that we cannot live the "good life" on our own; that it requires our dependence on Christ and the presence of the Spirit to forgive each other and truly know His forgiveness. Yes, we are still living in an imperfect world, and will be imperfect on occasion, but we have the answer in Jesus's sacrifice and the power that we have in Him to truly seek forgiveness for our own missteps and to truly forgive those who have tripped us up.
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