Be in the world but be not of the world

The New Living Translation Concordance defines the world as the Earth and its inhabitants - the human race as well as the current age and its value system.

John 3:16 says: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’

This verse explains that God loved the world so much that He gave it His Son.

According to this verse, therefore, the world refers to the sinful state of the Earth and the fallen state of man. All this originates from the Garden of Eden. Since then, the world represents sin or evil.

Jesus came to put things right by offering Himself as an offering for the redemption of man. 1st John 3:8 says: ‘He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.’
 
This, He accomplished when He said: “It is finished.”
The world remains, but we have those who have been drawn out of the world through their faith in Jesus Christ.

John 17:6 says: “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the World:  Thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.”

John 17:14 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.’
John 17:16 says: ‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.’

The major reason why believers are here on Earth is to impact the world with the Word of God, but not blending in with it. Jesus says that he has given believers his word with which to change the World. John 17:18 says: ‘As thou hast sent me into the World, even so have I also sent them into the World.’

We have two groups of people in the world; those belonging to the world and those living in the world, but not of the World. Since the world is evil, it is full of lusts.

1st John 2:15-16 say: ‘Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.   16: 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 we know that the prince of air or the World is the devil. He is crafty and the author of sin. He was cast out of heaven into the World.

Devil stands for deception, excesses, vileness, intrigue and lawlessness. The devil is the master of all the above and the author of every lust.
Lust stands for living under satanic ties. Satan ties human eyes and flesh to draw people away from God.

Pride stands for puffed-up righteousness in destructive end. Proud people are puffed up with self-righteousness.
The lust of the eye and flesh plus the pride of life are slow, but sure killers.

John Owor,
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