Love
Not the World
David Sain
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.
For all that is in the
world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life,
is not of the Father, but is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (I John 2:15-17)
When was the last time you heard a sermon on worldliness? You know, the kind of sermon in which the preacher speaks boldly and plainly about worldliness, and warns of the dangers of being more worldly-minded. Sadly, is it not the case that we seem to hear very little of such these days?
I remember from childhood how common it was to hear strong preaching about worldliness, in unmistakable language. And I recall hearing many preachers proclaim it to be one of the greatest dangers facing the church. When I began preaching, in my teenage years, one of the first sermons that I preached was about the Christian’s relationship to the world, because I had been taught the importance of separation from the world. I used the classic illustration that I had heard as a child, in which the preacher would say, “The Christian in the world is like a boat in the water. The boat is in the water but the water is not supposed to be in the boat. Likewise, the Christian is in the world but the world is not supposed to be in the Christian.”
Well, dear reader, that illustration and those sermons about worldliness are still needed because worldliness is still one of the greatest threats facing the church. Our world is moving more and more away from God, with a growing disregard for God and his word. The headlines and lead stories in the daily news are sobering reminders of how non-Christian and secular is the world of which we are part.
Although the church faces many real and present dangers, there is no doubt in my mind that the majority of our problems are rooted in worldliness. I believe that the basic cause of things like poor attendance, small contributions, and the lack of spiritual growth is worldliness. To substantiate that conclusion, consider this: Who attends the services of the church faithfully – is it the worldly-minded member of the church? Is the worldly-minded Christian likely to be a generous giver? Is the worldly-minded member likely to be dependable when a good work is undertaken?
What Does the Bible Teach?
The New Testament instructs us about separation from the
world. Representative of that instruction are these scriptures:
I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God. Romans 12:1-2.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27.
Ye
adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is
enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy
of God. James 4:4.
These and similar
scriptures make it emphatically clear that, as God’s people, we must be
different from the world.
What is Worldliness?
In many cases, I think our definition of worldliness has been too limited, and, thereby, we have left the wrong impression upon some people. When we hear the word worldliness most of us immediately think of things like sexual immorality, drunkenness, and stealing. And, obviously these things are worldly in nature, but such an image of worldliness is far from covering everything that should be included in the term. Many members of the church, I am convinced, think that because they do not dance, do not drink alcoholic beverages, and do not dress immodestly, and similar things, they are not worldly. Yet, in God’s sight they may be worldly in other ways.
Of course, I do not mean to suggest that the things mentioned in the previous paragraph are not worldly and that they should not be condemned. Instead, I am saying we should not leave the impression worldliness is confined to such things. When John wrote, “Love not the world,” did he refer only to acts of immorality, or did his words not cover all things that belong to the world?
I believe that worldliness is conforming to the world. Worldliness is anything that is opposed to being godly, or that hinders Christ likeness. Worldliness is anything of this world that comes between a man and God. It is anything that keeps a man from the spiritual life for which God created him. Being worldly-minded is the opposite of being spiritually minded. Worldliness is being obsessed with temporal, material things to the neglect of spiritual growth and spiritual matters. It is that which sidetracks the Christian from faithful Christian living. It is anything of this world that decreases spiritual strength, and supplants godly attitudes and conduct with attitudes and conduct that are ungodly.
To summarize this section of our study, one does not have to be a liar, a thief, or a fornicator to be worldly. The person whose life is centered on material things is, according to the Bible, also a worldly person, because worldliness is anything that leads away from God rather than closer to God.
Why are so many members of the church worldly? Although many things, no doubt, are factors, consider the following.
(1) The influence of materialism. In our materialistic society, the Christian is really challenged to stay spiritually minded, and keep material things in proper perspective. No one can successfully deny that the tendency of our society is to care too much for the things of this world, to the neglect of spiritual matters. Early in life, we are conditioned to set our hearts on obtaining the best things the world has to offer. And, most of us carry this mindset with us into adulthood, measuring and judging self and others by the amount and value of the "things" that we own. And this influence of materialism is strong and affects our behavior, even if we are not always conscious of it.
Of course, a careful examination of the scriptures reveals that having wealth and owning things is not within itself wrong, but the Bible does warn about having the wrong attitude toward what we have or what we want. And, our materialistic society conditions us early in life never to be content, with Satan tempting us on every hand to worship the almighty dollar more than the almighty God. And in such a society some Christians get caught up in the materialism, to the neglect of their spirituality. And, gradually, their worldly pursuits leave less and less time for Bible study, worship, and being active in the works of the church. We must face the reality that as the Christian walks into the church building for worship it is hard for him to leave such worldly influence outside.
(2) Becoming Desensitized Through Entertainment. It is frightening to think about what subtle, incremental, and cumulative effect the world of entertainment is having on our society. If some sudden and drastic change challenges our moral ethics, we usually resist it strongly, but when the morals shift incrementally, our resistance to such change may be broken down incrementally. We must ever be on guard, for, even if we start out despising some evil, we can be influenced to tolerate that same evil. Then, in our tolerance of that evil we can be influenced to accept it, and, finally, embrace it.
As Alexander Pope wrote, in An Essay on Man:
As
to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet
seen too oft, familiar with her face
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
Pope’s words have been illustrated countless times in the lives of Christians.
As a part of a culture that is dumbing down deviant behavior and is redefining what is right and what is wrong, the challenge facing the church is not to allow our minds to become morally desensitized. Regrettably, the influence of the media is so powerful that some in the church compromise their moral convictions and find themselves being entertained by the portrayal of immorality in movies, television, and music.
By the way, mom and dad, do you know the lyrics of the songs young people are listening to today? The message of some songs, including all music genres, but especially the “hip-hop” genre, is so vulgar and debasing that no one (of any age) should choose to hear it. However, there are numerous young people in the church that listen to it often.
We are very foolish if we think that the church is not influenced by the worldliness in television, movies, and music. Consider this: how can we believe that we are influenced by that which advocates godly behavior and then contend that we are not influenced by that which advocates immoral behavior?
The
word of God teaches Christians to be non-conformists in this world. As cited
earlier, we are commanded not to conform to this world (
Of course, Christians may be conformists when truth and righteousness are not compromised. It is not wrong to enjoy this world and enjoy this earthly life to the fullest as long as we do not abandon the holiness to which we are called (I Thes. 4:7), or compromise the truth in the interest of “good relationships.”
All
periods of time have been characterized by strong worldly influences, but there
may never have been a time in this nation when the pressure for conforming to
the world has been greater than they are at the present time. A popular and
growing sentiment is to “go along to get along.” The pressure is seen in all
areas or matters of life – in political matters, in economic matters, in social
matters, in moral matters, and in spiritual matters (including the doctrine of
the church). And, in such a world, it is not surprising that many in the church
strongly resist any effort that makes the church stand out in glaring contrast
to the world. I think this is a major factor in why some have changed their
view about such things as the role of women in the church, the type of music
acceptable in worship, etc. Like
Conforming to the world will destroy the church and it will destroy us as Christians. It is devastating to our relationship with our Father, and it demolishes our Christian influence upon the world. It will cause men to be lost in hell. How important, then, is it to teach the rightness of being different from the world.
Saints, young and old, need to be told again and again what the Bible teaches about the church’s relationship to the world, and about the Christian’s responsibility in the world. And this responsibility for such teaching in the church rests, first and foremost, upon the elders, who must see to it that the church is taught the truth. This responsibility also rests upon preachers and Bible class teachers, who must boldly teach the truth, without fear or favor toward any man.
Elders, preachers, and teachers: teach the truth about these matters! It will not be appreciated by everyone, nor heeded by everyone, but it is the right thing to do!
Finally, the responsibility for teaching children begins with parents. Of course, parents rightfully expect reinforcement from the elders, preachers, and teachers, but the teaching done “at church” does not relieve mom and dad of the personal responsibility to teach them how to live (Eph. 6:4).
All of us
desire to be liked by our peers; we want to be accepted and “fit in” with those
we are around, in every station of life, but we must not allow such social
leanings to sway us in our opposition and resistance to the evil that surrounds
us. For, as the apostle Paul wrote,
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. Ephesians 5:11 (NKJV).
Christians must have no part in that which is wrong. To the contrary, we are to oppose and expose that which is wrong.
Yet, sadly, in this alluring, comfortable, and affluent society, there are Christians who love this world. They like things just the way they are here on earth, and their desire for heaven pales in comparison to their worldly desires. My brethren, these things ought not so to be, and I implore you to personally examine yourself regarding these matters that have eternal consequence.