What Is Worldliness?

• ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. John‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • If God loves the world and sent his son to save it, then what is worldliness and why are we warned about it?
• ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. ‭‭I John‬ ‭2:15-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • LAW OF NONCONTRADICTION: two contradictory statements cannot both be true at the same time, in the same sense.
  • metonymy [məˈtänəmē]: NOUN. The substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the track for horse racing.
synonyms:
 simile, metaphor, figure of speech; One stands for a person, one stands for the activity.
• In John 3:16 the people are in view–Jesus died for people. God loves people who are born into a fallen world.  Sin is bondage.
  • ⁸ He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. ‭‭I John‬ ‭3:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • Loosed: immune; i. e. not bound by, not binding; releasement
  • It is in the world BUT we have been loosed, we don’t have to have it.
• So what’s in view in 1 John 2?
  • ¹⁵ 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. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. ‭‭I John‬ ‭2:15-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • The World: (Greek) “kosmos;” the present condition of human affairs, in alienation from and opposition to God.
• Worldliness is a love of this fallen world’s system, which is under the control of Satan,  the “god of the fallen world.”
  • ^15-17 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. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity. ‭‭1 John‬ ‭2:15-17‬ ‭MSG‬‬
    • Sinning people aren’t the enemy. They’re in bondage.
    • You can’t save people from quicksand by jumping into it with them–but you also can’t be salt and be separate.
• Viewing sin as bondage and people as bound:
  • ³ But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, ⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. ⁵ For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake. ‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭4:3-5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
• ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
  • It’s not a power struggle: it’s a truth struggle.
• The SALT Principle:
  • Say something
  • Ask questions
  • Listen well
  • Take your turn
• ‭‭¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love… Colossians‬ ‭1:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬