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Saturday, September 17, 2011

Worldliness ( and its definition)

"The Biblical idea of the believer's separation from the World ( i.e. Society, Pop Culture etc in the negative sense*) is not to be isolated from it but rather to be insulated from it by the Holy Spirit and our pursuit of personal holiness."

Adapted from William MacDonald

(Please see below for further definition of the term "world" as used in the Bible and Koine Greek)


Jhn 17:13 "But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. 


Jhn 17:14 "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 


Jhn 17:15 "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 

Jhn 17:16 "They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 

Jhn 17:17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 

Jhn 17:18 "As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

Jhn 17:19 "And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Jhn 17:20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will 
 believe in Me through their word;

Jhn 17:21 "that they all may be one, as You, Father, [are] in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.    

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Further definition of the term "world" as used in the Bible and Koine Greek



Personal note:  I do not think it is wrong to use an appropriate "Pop Culture" reference in order to illustrate a Biblical point - Paul, himself, does this in his Mars Hill address when he quotes a famous poet off the day (Acts 17:28) 


*  Strong's:  Kosmos


1) an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government


2) ornament, decoration, adornment, i.e. the arrangement of the stars, 'the heavenly hosts', as the ornament of the heavens. 1 Pet. 3:3

3) the world, the universe


4) the circle of the earth, the earth

5) the inhabitants of the earth, men, the human family

  As in:  Jhn 3:16 "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.



Negatively:

6) the ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ


7) world affairs, the aggregate of things earthly

a) the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ

As in John 17 (above) and 

Jam 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

 
Also note: 

There are several different words in the original New Testament  that are translated in the common version by this one English word, WORLD; the two principal ones are æon  and kosmos. Though both of these words are usually rendered world, yet they are really very distinct, and different in their meaning, and ought to have been rendered respectively age and world. 
 



Worldliness 1

Definition: The quality of being worldly; a predominant passion for obtaining the good things of this life; covetousness; addictedness to gain and temporal enjoyments; worldly-mindedness. 

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