Worldliness poses a great threat to the child of God. There as been an alarming trend in recent years as many in the Lord’s church have shown greater acceptance of worldliness and sin. Many seek to justify their sin with argument, yet they are only arguing against God’s divine word. There are no “loop-holes” in the book of God! The Pharisees sought a “loop-hole” and were condemned for it. Notice Matthew 15: 3-6:
He answered and said to them, “why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and ‘he who curses father and mother, let him be put to death.’ ‘but you say ‘whoever says to his father or mother , whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift of God.’ ‘Then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus, you have made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”
They sought out a way to get around God’s commandment and were subsequently rebuked. It is sad to see so many brethren attempt the same thing when it comes to social drinking, immodest dress, dancing, gambling, and other types of worldliness. There are many brethren who stand strong on the institutional question; you will never get a human institution or sponsoring church arrangement in on them. They stand firmly against the social gospel, and many stand for the truth on divorce and remarriage, but, Satan has taken grip on them through worldliness. Worldliness poses a great danger! Thus, it does people a great service to consider what God’s word has to say on the subject.
Worldliness has always posed a great threat. Jesus said, in his explanation of the parable of the sower, “now he who received the seed among the thorns, is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22). We must be sure to not allow the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches to choke us out! Jesus also said “but take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and the Day come on you unexpectedly” (Luke 21:34). Jesus instructs in this passage, that we are not to be “weighed down” with the cares of this life, and with worldliness, but rather we should live our lives in such a way that we are ready for his return. Peter wrote. “Therefore since all these things will be dissolved [the earth and works that are in it] what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11). Worldliness poses a great threat to our eternity, thus “holy conduct and godliness” should characterize the manner in which we, as Christians live our lives.
Further, we should note that as members of the Lord’s church, we live in the world, but we do not need to participate with the world. In fact, Jesus points out that we should not be surprised if the world “hates” us because of our godly life. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world… the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). Jesus told his apostles that the world would hate them because it hated Christ. Why did the world hate Christ and his apostles? Because, they were not “of the world” they lived a life that was contrary to the way of the world, as Christians should today. It is true that before we became Christians we lived in the world, and were part of the world. Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus ” You he made alive, you who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).
At one time we allowed our fleshly desires to rule our lives. We did not seek to do the will of God, before we obeyed the gospel. But he made us alive, when we obeyed the truth. Paul also points out that that happened when we where baptized “knowing this that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin….Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our lord” (Romans 6:7-11). Peter, through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, shows that it would be better for us not to have known the truth, than to know it and then turn from it (c.f. 2 Peter 2:20-22).
As we noticed, when we obey the gospel, we put off the old man of sin, and are made alive to the Lord. We become partakers of the divine nature “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:3-4). As partakers of the “divine nature” we are to live above the sins of the flesh. Paul wrote ” I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Our lives are to be led according to the directives from Christ, which are found in His divine word. Paul wrote to the church of Christ in Rome “and do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you my approve what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). Our minds are to be “renewed” as children of God. Christians are to live according to the precepts, principals, and purposes of Christ. There should be a great contrast in what people see in Christians and what they see in the world. We should dress differently (modestly), use clean language, keep ourselves from fornication, be honest in our dealings, be honest in our speech, abstain form social drinking and dancing, stay away from questionable places, etc.
The book of God gives warning and instructions concerning worldliness. We are taught to follow the way of righteousness, to live godly lives. Paul warns “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life” (Galatians 6:6-7). It is clear that Paul wants attention to be directed at this truth. “Do not be deceived,” he writes. There seems to be a tendency in man to think that his particular case is different than others. “Oh I know in general a man reaps what he sows, but my case has extenuation circumstances.” Paul says do not believe it; do not be deceived by it. If we live a life of disobedience to God, a life of worldliness and sin, then we will reap the consequences of such a life. Our live upon this earth will be harder, but more importantly we will lose our souls! Yet, the blessings of living a righteous life are what we will reap if we “sow to the Spirit. Further, we will have “everlasting life.”
Based upon this great truth, we are taught, by the gospel, that we must live a righteous life and sow to the Spirit now. Consider Paul’s writing to the young evangelist Titus, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age” (Titus 2:11-12). The gospel teaches us how to live above “worldly lusts” by living “soberly righteously and godly” Paul also taught the church at Philippi to “only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ…” (Philippians 1:27). The Bible is clear, we are taught by it to have clean conduct that is worthy of the gospel.
While, the Bible teaches to live a godly life, and this is enough to cause us to deny worldliness, but it also adds prohibitions of the desires and lusts of the world. John writes “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away and the Lust of it; but he who does the will of the father abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). Here the inspired apostles shows a clear and distinct difference between the desires of the world i.e. lust of the eyes, and flesh and the pride of life, and the things of the Father. He points out that those who love the world do not have the love of the Father. Jesus said “No one can serve two masters; either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). James writes “Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world, makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). There is no way that a person can love the Father, be a faithful child of God, and be engaged in worldliness. If we love the world, or are “friends” of the world, we are enemies of God! Brethren and friends, we must remember this when we seek to justify a worldly practice.
John also shows in this text that “the world is passing away, and the lust of it.” Why would we put our desire in that which is passing away, that which is not eternal in its nature? All of the worldly things we seek after will be destroyed. Yet, if we “[do] the will of the father [we will] abide forever!
Paul writes “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind, that you my prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2). Paul gives some clear instruction here. First we note that we are to present our bodies a “living sacrifice, holy acceptable to God.” we are to keep ourselves free from sin and wickedness, that we might present our bodies as such. Also, it is pointed out that it is our “reasonable service.” The Lord is not requiring anything irrational, or unreasonable, when he says we should remain free form worldliness such as dancing, immodest dress, gambling, social drinking, etc… It is completely reasonable for the Lord to require this of us. He then commands that we “be not conformed to this world.” Christians should not look line, seem like, or be like the world! But rather Christians should be “transformed by the renewing of [their] mind[s] that they may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God,” as we noted before.
How is “worldliness” defined? To say that for the purposes of this study that there is a rigid definition would be false. But, we can understand what it is, based upon principals in God’s word. Paul instructed Christians “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2). It should follow that worldliness is allowing the world to set the pattern, that to which people conform themselves. There are certain things that are characteristic of the world, and while the whims and “fads” of the world are fleeting and change often, the standard of God is solid and sure. It never changes. It is sometimes easy to allow the world to define what is acceptable to wear, to say, to do. Yet the standard of the world often falls short of God’s decree. We must never allow the world to set the pattern.
The reason the world falls short is because it judges according to the flesh. Paul wrote “for the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:17). He had just instructed these Christians to “Walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). We ought to follow the righteous precepts of God rather than the “lust of the flesh.” Paul, continues by showing the sharp distinction between the “works of the flesh” and the “fruit of the Spirit.” He writes:
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.
Look around at the world and notice that each of these things, is in some form or another ,(perhaps many forms) accepted and practiced by the world. They characterize the pursuits of the world, the cares of the world, and the folly of the world. Sadly, however, there are those in the Lord’s church who follow after the works of the flesh in opposition to the fruit of the Spirit! Paul continued, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). These ought to characterize the life of a child of God. Notice how they are in direct opposition to the works of the flesh which centered on selfish ambitions and desires, rather than faithfulness to Christ. Also, notice Paul’s further observation and admonition “and those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:24-25). If we truly are Christ’s then we will forgo our desires for sinfulness, and peruse the righteousness of God. When the temptations to engage in worldliness arise, we will appeal to the word of God recognizing, and knowing that our lives our not our own. “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
