The Danger Of Worldliness
Call it blurring the lines. Call it watering down faith. Call it failing to accurately project the image of Jesus. Call it compromise. No matter what you call it, when we mingle worldliness with the sanctity of Christ we lose our
distinctiveness as Christians and shame the name of our Lord.
Do not love the world nor 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 and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from
the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17
Worldliness in the body of Christ is a grave danger. It poses as serious of threat as false doctrine and is more insidious than gross immorality. Since much of what must be called worldliness is comprised of attitudes, principles, and
shady practices it is not as easy to scripturally identify and condemn. This proves to be a problem only when Christians lack the ardent desire to be as morally and behaviorally pure as possible. when children of God crave the pleasures of the world
they reject the clear instruction of the Lord as to their desired nature and outlook on life. The apostles Paul and Peter were both clear about what our perspective on worldliness should be. Please note:
Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but
for the will of God. For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles... 1 Peter 4:1-3
Jesus died that we may be saved. This is a statement few would argue with. Our permissiveness of worldliness in the church seems to show a limited understanding of how precious and powerful the cleansing blood of Jesus was. In his sermon
on the day of Pentecost, Peter urged the crowd to repent and be baptized. This we know and this we teach. What we have failed to emphasize is the part of Peter's message (found in Acts 2:40) that encouraged the crowd to, "Be saved from this perverse
generation." Their salvation wasn't reserved until eternity. It began that day when they were changed from people of the world to people of Christ. This is the portion of salvation we neglect when we cling to and enjoy worldliness.
In our liberty as Christians we enjoy the freedom to explore the boundless opportunities to please God as we grow into His Son's image. This liberty is swiftly perverted when we use it as an excuse to flirt with worldly pleasures while, at
the same time, we claim the name of Christ. The more we fill our mind with worldly thoughts the more we corrode the image of Jesus we have been blessed to carry. It is our responsibility to reject all worldliness; to recognize the dangers of permissive
and liberal trends among us. More brethren are relaxing standards. The conservative standards which once earmarked the children of God cannot be allowed to slip into extinction. Rather, we must resurrect the resolve of our parents to rise above the
moral erosion of society and stand out as the unique children of God.
The apostle Paul addressed worldliness in the timely words of Galatians 5:16-17: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please." In a world where doing what you want is expected and endorsed it goes against the grain to deny physical desires and walk according to a higher
standard. Refusing to enjoy worldly entertainment, participate in worldly activities, indulge in worldly pastimes, and pursue worldly relationships makes one look extreme. So be it. We are called to be different. we are expected to stand out. We are
endowed with the name and image of Jesus Christ and may we be damned in eternity if we smudge His precious name in our selfish desire to fit in.
How does your dabbling in worldliness impact on the local congregation? That's really the question here. Let's put it this way. The influence a congregation has without the collective influence of individual members is minimal. It might
consist of the way the building and grounds are maintained, the message on the sign-board, a newspaper column, etc. The real influence a congregation-thus the Lord's church in your community-has is made by your conduct. If your attitude is worldly, the
church will be seen as worldly. If your activities are sensual and self oriented the church will be seen as earthly and selfish. If your life is weakened by worldly distractions, the church will be seen as weak. If enough members in one congregation
are worldly minded these perceptions of worldliness will be accurate. For no congregation can be more spiritually minded than her members. The Lord's church that is your spiritual home is only as spiritually pure, devout and strong as her
membership.
What are you doing to help? What are you doing to hurt?
Robert Hudson