The World (Part 2)
Have you ever walked into a movie right in the middle of a fight scene? If you have, you know the feeling of not knowing what is going on. “What are they fighting over?” “Who are the good guys… who are the bad guys?” This confusion is how some of us feel when we are bombarded by difficult, hurtful, or troubling situations. At some point, all of us will ask, ‘Where in the world did that come from? Why now… and why me?’
While we may never know all the reasons these situations occur, Scripture clearly says that as followers of Jesus Christ, we will be opposed (see 1 Peter 4:12). We must remember that the “bad guys” in the movie of life are the world, the flesh, and the devil. Last week, we looked at the flesh, the inner battle of our tendency to operate independently from God. This week, we will look at the outer battle, the world.
So, what does “the world” mean in the scriptures? The Apostle John wrote, “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” (1 John 2:15).
The New Testament contains three primary meanings of “the world.” One is the round planet we inhabit (definitely not the enemy). A second meaning refers to the people on the planet. People are not the enemy; “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) and commanded us to go on mission to reach ‘the world’ (Matthew 28:19-20). The third meaning refers to the cultural systems marked by rebellion against God. That’s what 1 John 2:16 addresses: “For everything in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not from the Father, but is from the world.” This world is our enemy.
The lust of the flesh is the craving to do whatever we desire. The lust of the eyes is the craving to get what we think will satisfy us. The pride of life is an arrogant boasting of one's possessions and achievements. The world seeks to lure us away from loyalty to our worthy Savior by promising to meet our needs through these three avenues of temptation.
The world attempts to form you (disciple you in a way) by the ideas, values, and norms it teaches. These are in opposition to God’s word and God’s desire for your life. The world comes at us through various forms and is impossible to avoid. As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us to be in the world but not of the world. We are warned against following the world’s system, but we’re also told not to go into hiding. We live with this tension daily and feel it, especially in our losses, disappointments, and temptations.
While this sounds ominous, there is good news. While Adam and Eve succumbed to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (see Genesis 3:6), these temptations were also used against Jesus, and he triumphed (see Matthew 4:1-11)! Where we fail, Jesus did not. This was the great reversal, where the enemy thought he had won, Jesus overcame by ‘the power of an indestructible life’ (Hebrews 7:16 & 25) and his selfless sacrifice. And when Jesus returned to his rightful throne, he sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to be in the world but not of the world. We can only do this (overcoming the world) through HIS power.
I find prayer and community to be extremely helpful in fighting this battle against the world system. First, ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you regarding areas where the world is tempting you. We must be willing to hear the answer and be courageous enough to act on what we hear. What do you need to eliminate to protect yourself from unwarranted temptation? Second, who do you need to confide in (family, friend, mentor) who can walk beside you in this battle? I pray you have the courage to embrace this concept and walk in healthy vulnerability with other followers of Jesus. Friends can definitely help us identify the bad guys in this battle!
Dear Saints, when we fight against the love of the world through prayer and community, we bring God’s Kingdom to bear in our families, churches, and communities. “The world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17, ESV) Where God abides, His Kingdom advances. I encourage you to battle against the world’s system and advance the Kingdom of God!