For those who confess that they are strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Love Not the World System – part II –

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” 1 John 2¹⁵

In the last issue of TPN we discussed the New Testament use of the word “world” (Greek kosmos). When the Lord Jesus speaks of the world and its relation to His disciples in John 17¹⁴, He says, “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.”  Jesus isn’t speaking here of the world as a physical location, for surely the earth itself is God’s creation and therefore something given to Believers for their use and enjoyment. The world that Jesus refers to is also not in this case simply the inhabitants of the earth. It is true that many non-believers do indeed hate those who seek God’s holiness, but that hatred stems from the fact that they themselves are intertwined in the fabric of the world system. It is this system that Jesus states He is not a part of. He was the one “sent into the world” from above. His origin was heaven. This “present evil world” which Paul calls it, and that John says “lieth in wickedness”, represents an intricately woven web designed by Satan who is “the prince of the power of the air”. Jesus successfully entered into this world system and remained untainted by it. Even though He was in contact with all aspects of the world, He did not bow to it, compromise with it, or yield to its influence.

          It is unfortunate that many professing Christians hide behind the excuse that since Jesus was the perfect Son of God, He alone was able to overcome the world. It is true that apart from Him “ye can do nothing”, but we mustn’t forget that by abiding in Jesus, “the works that I do shall he [all believers] do also”. The Lord Jesus is not just our example, He is an abiding presence: “because I live, ye shall live also”. When He states “Be ye therefore perfect”, it is no mere ideal or unattainable expectation. It is a command that God fully intends for us to carry out. The resounding message of the New Testament is that in Christ, all of the Bible’s commands are within our reach to follow. Let us never fall into the error of thinking that by our own efforts this is possible. But let is also never allow ourselves to be persuaded that God is a harsh taskmaster who demands of us what He knows we can’t do. It is only by faith that the life of Christ is manifested within a person. Salvation is a dying with Christ to sin, and just as truly, it is a resurrection from a sinful, self-pleasing life to a life lived in the power of the resurrected Lord Jesus. “The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” This new life in Christ is an overcoming life.

          This is why Jesus says of His disciples, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” His origin is heaven, and the new birth makes it ours as well. This world is no more the Believer’s home than it was for Jesus. But we do have a responsibility to uphold as long as God allows the world to be our temporary dwelling place. The incarnation (God becoming man) was nothing less than God stepping into the midst of sinful society. Jesus was born in a barn, raised in a village, and a friend of society’s shunned. He didn’t avoid the world system, he overcame it. Jesus didn’t condemn buying or selling, or working for a living in a “secular” profession. He acknowledged the government’s authority, but didn’t attend social movement rallies, or try to influence the political scene. He didn’t avoid people, but made Himself available to those who truly sought Him out. In essence, He walked in love and daily seized opportunities to do God’s will in reaching the world around Him. Satan’s system is strong and deceitful, but not impenetrable. As Believers, our duty is no less than our Lord’s—to manifest God’s presence in an evil age. We have to make the effort to do so.

Jesus said in John 17¹⁵, “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil [one].” God’s desire is for Believers to be in the world. This isn’t a frightening proposition, for Jesus who intercedes at the Father’s right hand prays for us asking that God would protect us from Satan and his system. We can confidently plant ourselves in the world and trust God to keep us pure, for His promise stands firm. A word of caution is due here. It is the trend of contemporary Christianity to approach the world as a friend; to experiment with its passing trends and embrace its carefree mindset. The Church continues to lose ground on the slippery slope of believing that somehow the world will serve our God if we present Him as fashionable and in style. So the Church steals entertainment gimmicks and borrows popular music in an attempt to entice the world to join its ranks. But it’s not the world who’s fooled, only the Christians who in reality still desire things of the flesh and hide behind the guise of “ministry”. The mistake is to treat God as if He changes with the times. God is neither “old-fashioned” nor a follower of the newest cultural trends. He says of Himself, “I AM WHO I AM”, which at least in part means He has never changed to suit men’s fancy. But He is timelessly relevant to the repentant heart.

          When the Believer mimics the world in an attempt to reach it, he loses his spiritual influence. The Lord Jesus will not empower a person to be “of the world”, only to live godly within it. There is a grave problem if the world that Jesus says will hate us somehow loves us. As we in obedience venture into the world’s system, armed with the promises of God and the Spirit of Christ within, we will face two reactions. There will be those who will respond to the love we show and truth we bear and also choose to make heaven their home and Christ their life. But rest assured that not all will have ears to hear. The world system is appealing, but deadly. James 4⁴ says, “Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” As Believers and friends of God, let us consider Satan’s world system our enemy. Let us never lose sight of or shirk our sacred responsibility to proclaim and live out the Gospel that overcomes the world.

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