John 17:13-19; Romans 12:1, 2

The last couple of weeks we have addressed the question, “What is wrong with the church?” The world seems to be going to Hell in the proverbial hand basket and the church seems content to let it go, or in many instances to accompany it on the journey. It is not a pretty picture as we analyze the state of our society. Seeking to be faithful one hardly knows how to effectively respond. If one opts to follow the leading of many in the mainline church they are guilty of compromise and accommodation, but if they resist they are accused of being intolerant and unloving. One can hardly blame Christians for laboring in confusion when it seems that they are going against the grain of the majority of believers they know and perhaps, even their church.

While the church in the first century was not guilty of massive compromise, some were and are judged accordingly. We can learn much from their experience because while science and technology has progressed, human nature has not changed. The struggle for how to live as committed Christians in an unbelieving world is just as relevant today as it was in the first century. The key to understanding how to answer this question rests in properly interpreting scripture.

Many have, no doubt, heard it said that Christians are called to live in the world but are not to be part of it. There is no exact verse in scripture from which this phrase is quoted, but it can be extrapolated from multiple texts, two of which are referenced here. The key to understanding what Jesus meant lies in the translation. The word ‘world’ is the Greek word cosmos, which generally refers to the uninhabited earth and the people who live on it, which functions apart from God. Satan is the ruler of this ‘cosmos’, and so by simple definition the word ‘world’ refers to a system ruled by the devil. Christians, by virtue of their redemption through the blood of Jesus are no longer ruled by the sin or bound by the principles that characterize this world system. Yet they are still physically present in it. How do we reconcile the two? How do we live in this present darkness without becoming consumed by it?

1. Resist immersing ourselves in what the world values (vs. 16). We are not of the world. We can enjoy the things of the world without being consumed by them. This system not only hates God, it hates the people of God.

2. Resist chasing after worldly pleasures (vs. 17). Pleasure is no longer our calling in life, as it once was, but rather the worship of God.

3. Resist conforming to the standards of this world system (Romans 12:2). Meaning do not mold or model yourselves after this world system.

4. Live as resident aliens (Romans 12:2). The patriarchs of old lived as aliens and strangers here on earth. They understood that they were no longer identified from where they had come but were looking for a better country.

Obviously, living with this dichotomy is no easy feat. Thankfully, Jesus prays for us just as He prayed for His disciples. He understands our weaknesses. He understands our temptations. He understands the pressures we endure to conform. He understands our natural proclivities to pursue those things that lead to acceptance. He is not caught off guard by our struggles. He knows the agenda of our enemy, the devil. He knows the weakness of our flesh, and understanding it He has given us the resources to overcome. He has already defeated out enemy and put him on notice that we are no longer victims but victors. Let’s make a decision today to love God more than we love the world, to love God more than we love the things this world system has to offer, to love God more than our very lives.

We cannot afford to endanger our testimony by compromise. Jesus, the Light of the world, shines in us so we can be a light in the midst of this present darkness. We are to live in such a way that those outside the faith see our good deeds and our manner, and know that there is something “different” about us. We have to make every effort to live, think and act like those who do not know Christ do Him a great disservice. Even those who do not believe know that one knows a tree by the fruit it bears. If we want make a difference in our world we have no choice but to live as resident aliens.