Saying the world is the enemy of the Christian is sometimes hard to believe. Do you mean this beautiful world? But then again the world and its system of operation are under the control of the devil. Eph 2:1 -3 aptly describes him as the prince of the power of the air. Compare John 12:31
The Christian however has been delivered from this world and the wrath which is to come – Gal 1:4. He is no longer conditioned to walk according to the course of this world because he has been set free – 1st John 5:4. It is in this glorious state of freedom that we are able like John to identify the true state of this world.
What do we mean by the world? I John 2:15-16 (MSG) – “Don’t love the world’s ways. Don’t love the world’s goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world–wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important–has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him”.
You cannot live meaningfully as a Christian when you seek to use the world order as a guiding light -Rom 12:2, Gal 6:14. This is because all that is in the world is enmity to God.
These values of the world have been woven into every fibre of its system. It may sound farfetched: and I assure you it is not, when you fail to realise that there is no zone of comfort. God’s perspective of science, education, finance, health, politics, entertainment, etc is different. Let’s use love as an example. Besides being built on a sensual foundation, love in the world does an assessment of the object that would be benefited using various measures e.g. wealth, fame, profitability, beauty, etc But the love of God is the volition of God expressed irrespective of the object that would benefit nor it’s attribute. This is also how the Christian has been called to love. This however is stupidity to any person in this world.
But you are not of this world anymore – 1st John 2:6. Finance sees constant giving as leakages but God thinks differently. Health says it is impossible but God thinks differently. Education determines wisdom, God thinks differently. Till you realise the standards of this world are not the standards of God, you would live short of who God has called you.
Realise that in all this we have not talked about the people in this world because it is not primarily people or what they have done as much as the thinking that has influenced him/her to do what he has done. This is only identified and done away with in Christ Jesus. 2nd Cor 10:4 – 6
Only a believer conscious of his heavenly citizenship upholding the values of the country that He belongs to would shine in this crooked and perverse generation – Phil 2:15 – 16. I leave you with this advice from Paul under inspiration of the Holy Ghost….those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For the world in its present form is passing away.1st Cor. 7:31
Dr. bolaji akanni