Foundations of Faith
NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD (I)
One of the criteria for knowing God’s will (Apr00) is not being “conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). We are also told in Scripture:”Love not the world” (1 John 2:15); “whosoever … will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Jas. 4:4); “keep … unspotted from the world” (Jas. 1:27).
What does it mean to be conformed to the world? What is the world?
I could list a great many things that have been taught over the years as being of “the world.” Here are a few:Going to movies, drinking, dancing, gambling, playing cards, playing pool, having television in the home, wearing earrings, wearing lipstick, going to ball games, and listening to rock music. The problem with lists is that they only provoke arguments, such as:”The Bible doesn’t say anything about it”; “lots of other Christians do it”; “what about the things you do?”; and so forth.
Instead of giving a list of do’s and don’t’s, it would be better to consider some principles that relate to the world:
1. “The world” is all that is not of the Father (1 John 2:15).
2. “The world” is that which hates the Lord Jesus Christ and does not “esteem [or value] Him” (Isa. 53:3).
3. “The world” includes all those things that are passing away and will be burned up (1 John 2:17; 2 Pet. 3:10).
4. “The world” is the collection of things, activities, and entertainments that man has put together to make himself happy without God. (See Assignment 8)
5. “The world” includes recreation that is not for the purpose of re-creating, refreshing, or re-equipping the body and mind for service for the Lord (1 Tim. 4:7,8; 2 Tim. 3:17).
The three major elements of the world-“the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16)-are all found in Satan’s temptation of Eve (Gen. 3:6) and in his temptation of Christ in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1-10).
The lust of the flesh. We usually connect this with sexual lusts, and Satan indeed tempts us to think that sex is okay if we love each other or if we are to be married soon (1 Cor. 6:18). But there is more. Satan tempted Eve with a food that she had never tried before, and he tempted Christ to provide food for Himself. He tempts us to eat quantities and types of food that are not good for our bodies (1 Cor. 6:19). He tempts us to allow into our minds visual images, words, and music that will only distract us from our communion with the Lord. It is well to pray often to know and to do the Lord’s will in our relationships, eating, TV and video watching, Internet surfing, etc. Often the Lord’s will about these things is a “no-brainer.”
The lust of the eyes. Satan tempted Eve with food that was pleasant to the eyes, and he tempted Christ by showing Him “all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.” Satan tempts us by showing us things:fashionable clothes, sporty cars and trucks, beautiful homes and furnishings, electronic toys, etc. In the process, he reminds us that we must not let our friends and neighbors get ahead of us in the possession of these things. He seduces us by showing us the almost unlimited buying power of small plastic cards.
Once again, let us pray for wisdom and knowledge of God’s will when spending our money-oops … I mean to say, His money. (See Assignment 9)
Satan also is very skillful in tempting us to save out as little as possible for the Lord. If you tend to emphasize that “we are not under the law but under grace” (Rom. 6:15), then you may be tempted to give just the “left-overs” from your pay check to the Lord. If you tend to follow the law of Moses, then you may be perfectly satisfied in giving only a tenth of your income to the Lord, and thinking that you are free to do with the rest whatever you please. However, we should rather pray that we will honor and glorify God in the expenditure of every dollar that He entrusts to our care.
The pride of life. Satan tempted Eve with becoming like God Himself through eating the fruit, and he tempted Christ with instant fame by jumping off the peak of the temple. He tempts us to put all of our mental and/or physical energies into being “numero uno,” winning the game or contest or debate or argument, getting the promotion, or being the most attractive. He tempts us to deny rather than confess our sins against one another, to hold grudges, to get even. He tempts us to avoid saying or doing anything (even if God wants us to) that might hurt our reputation or our friendship with others.
Running the Race
THE LANGUAGE OF PRIDE
Here are a few examples of the language of pride:
1. “I am not going to let him get away with saying that to me.”
2. “I am going to get an A in history if it kills me!”
3. “I didn’t do anything wrong. He started it!”
4. “I hope Aaron likes my new hair-do.”
5. (After pronouncing a word incorrectly): “I wish I could just crawl into a big hole! What will people think of me?”
6. (In an assembly meeting): “I am going to keep my mouth shut so I won’t say anything wrong.”
7. (After defeating your opponent in tennis): “What’s the matter? You didn’t do so well today, did you!”
8. (After losing the tennis match): “You sure are lucky; you got all the good bounces.”
In contrast, here is some of the language of humility:
1. (When criticized): “Yes, you are right; I was wrong.”
2. (After being called out in a close play at first base): “Wow, what a great catch!”
3. (After receiving a compliment or an award): “Praise the Lord! He gave me the ability, and besides, lots of others helped me.”
4. “What can I do to show the love of Christ to my school mate who often says nasty things to me?”
5. (After saying or doing something stupid in public): “Lord, help me to be more wise and careful; and help me not to crawl into a shell just because I made a mistake.”
Assignment 8: Write out some verses in Genesis 4 that illustrate the point just made.
Assignment 9: Write out a verse in each of Luke 6, 16, and 19 that suggest that our money and possessions all belong to the Lord.