“ 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 God abides forever.” 1 John 2:15-17

According to God's Word, what ought to be the relation of the Christian to the world we live in? It is abundantly clear from the above verses that this world, which has evolved into a system used by the enemy of God to subtly attack and to draw away people from God's kingdom, is diametrically opposed to God and the living out of the love of God in our lives. Are we Christians sheltered from the sins and enticements of today’s worldly system? It appears that most Christians just integrate the worldly standards and pursuits into their Christian life rather than taking a stand to reject and repudiate this evil worldly system that is seeking its best to draw us and occupy us away from God. As Christians, we are called by the Lord to live in the world but “not of the world” (Jn 17:14-16). Even those who boldly profess that the Bible is the infallible rule of their lives are not beyond the reach of the charm of the gospel of self-seeking and self-fulfillment, which is so pervasive in this generation. The gospel of self-fulfillment caters directly to our self-centered old nature.

In this "Me-Decade" we may think that the teachings of Christ about self-denial, about losing one’s life to find it, and about dying to our self-life are fanatical or old-fashioned. We are urged in this society to show a high tolerance for the indulgence of the flesh, for the so-called “different life-style,” whether we encounter it in the viewing of television programs or encounter it close at hand. When we are flooded with the sight of the abnormal living that's opposed to God's love, which is a selfless and sacrificial love as opposed to a selfish love, we gradually and imperceptibly come to accept that kind of abnormal living and behavior as the norm. It is possible for us to strive to make our lives comfortable and to forget about the pain and needs of our fellow Christians and neighbors. In the name of cheap grace it is possible for us to minimize Biblical passages that speak of God’s judgment of pride, sexual impurity, and covetousness. Thus, it is possible for us to accept more of the false gospel’s values than we realize. Not that we disbelieve or overtly turn our back on the Bible or the love of the Father per se, but we simply about the value of a Christ-centered and a Spirit-controlled life. The supreme commandment to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength drops from our consciousness without our knowing it. We want to be model Christians, but the culture has infiltrated the way we think and live. The temptation to compartmentalize what we say we believe from what we actually do is almost irresistible. In a growing number of circumstances, we cease to make the God's Word our rule of faith and practice. Rather than experiencing the abundant Christian life that Christ has come to bring us(Jn 10:10b), we dutifully struggle with feelings of guilt and self-recrimination for our spiritual failures. We wonder why we suffer from such a shortage of spiritual power. Praise the Lord! We are shown clearly where our deliverance can be found.

By God’s grace, there are many of our brothers and sisters in Christ who do demonstrate deeds with words even in this narcissistic age of self-love. They are salt-and-light Christians. They express the self-denying and self-sacrificial love of God in all that they do. They make sacrifices for their family members, for fellow Christians, and for the poor and sick. They find their ultimate fulfillment in pleasing God and doing His will, not in satisfying their personal desires and goals. These are the Christians who “does the will of God” (1Jn 2:17) and who stands in contrast with this world. They enjoy the gifts of life by doing the will of God, which they found to be what really fulfills and satisfy them (Jn 4:34). They understand that the material blessings they received of God are not to be hoarded but that they are simply stewards entrusted with these goods which belong to God to be ministered to the needy. Most importantly, they found their life transformed from a sordid selfish self-centered life into a sanctified selfless life by drawing their life, strength, and sustenance from God's Word (Jn 17:17). Thus, they found deliverance from this evil and narcissistic world.

Since this worldly system is so subtle in its approach in luring us away from God and to immerse us into it, how can a Christian tell if he is drifting toward an unhealthy fascination with self-fulfillment in place of self-denial? Our answers to the following questions will give us some indications of where we are and where we stand:

Is our tolerance level for the evil, perverted and selfish generation so high that we are hardly ever offended by anything you read, hear, or see? What is the ratio between the amount of time you devote to watching, listening to, or reading materials that contribute to your spiritual growth and the time you give to other fare? If the ratio favors non-Christian materials, you may be feeding the old nature and starving the new. The psalmist reminds us that the “blessed” man delights in the law of God, which is God's Word, and “meditates day and night” on them (Psa 1:2).

Are we willing to be a disciple of Christ at the cost of rejecting and even “hate ... our father , mother, wife, children, brother and sisters, and moreover, his(our) own sould life also” (Luk 14:26), or does that idea strike you as being fanatical? Do we find our true joy and satisfaction in doing God's will or do we still seek to do our own will and set aside God's will? Thus, Jesus said, "Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matt 7:21).

Has your Christian faith ever cost you anything? If your faith has caused you to become the world's contempt in recent months or years, we should call into question whether we are actually bearing your cross daily and following Christ? Because Jesus said in John 15 that the world will hate us just as it has hated Him if we are truly His disciples. Furthermore, Jesus said, "If anyone will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it; but whoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it" (Matt 16:24-25). If our life remains intact and perfectly whole, that may be a sign that we've refused to lose our soul-life.

In closing, we acknowledge that our strength comes from the Lord alone. He is our strength and victory (Jn 15:5). With the empowerment of the Spirit and the Word to guard our minds and our hearts in Christ Jesus, we can resist the attacks of the evil one and his system of usurpation and destruction in this world. Riding on the wave of Christ's triumph over the world (Jn 16:33), we can make advances for His Church in these days of vanishing true testimony of Christ and God's love. In the might of Christ's Strength and His supply through the Word, we can live as those who are in the world but “not of the world.”