Worldly/worldliness

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Worldliness is being more concerned with the physical or temporal aspects of life, pleasing the flesh (oneself) while neglecting the eternal or spiritual dimension. It is the exact opposite of godliness and can be termed spiritual immaturity with the Bible stating, “Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (1 Cor 3:1-3; Rom 8:8; Gal 6:8). As the world is under the control of Satan, friendship with the world is hatred to God so trying to have a foot in both camps doesn’t work (Jas 4:4; 1 Jn 5:19).

When we become believers we are ‘born again’ (Jn 3:3,7). Placed ‘in Christ’ or the family of God, we are “new creations; the old has gone, the new has come” – it is essential to keep this description in our mind to govern our attitudes, thoughts,

Consider the outcomes – a godly life is ‘more to be desired’ that a worldly one

words and actions as Satan desires to draw us back into the old ungodly lifestyle (2 Cor 2:11, 5:17; Eph 6:11). However, that route will strangle our Christian life, making us ineffective for the Kingdom (Mt 13:7,22). Living by the world’s value system, requires compromise and we risk being squeezed into its mould of fleshly desires (Rom 12:2). Instead, we should be living in obedience to the Spirit, while involved in the marketplace (wider world) and relating to those who as yet do not know Jesus by being effective “salt and light” witnesses for Christ, without being tainted or being controlled by its values (Mt 5:13-16).

Although Jesus came to this world He was not influenced by its principles; we too should consider the flesh dead yet our spirit alive in Christ (Jn 8:23, 14:30; Rom 6:6,11-22, 8:10). “God’s grace teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright lives…” (Tit 2:11,12). We are not to copy the behaviour of the world but instead have a different lifestyle and a renewed mind; although we are in the literal world we are not controlled by it's moral or philosophical values (Rom 12:1,2; 1 Pet 1:14). God doesn’t take us out of this world immediately but wants the world taken out of us! This requires us to make godly choices and intentionally walk in His ways.

Resist being influenced by or yielding to its subtle pressures and temptations; instead consider yourselves dead to the world’s ways, being alive with Christ as overcomers through living by a different set of principles. God's values are: self-control of the bodily desires; Godliness with contentment, understanding our life doesn’t just consist of amassing possessions; respect for others, humbly considering them better than ourselves (Lk 12:15; 1 Cor 9:27; Gal 5:22,23; Phil 2:3; 1 Thes 4:3-5; 1 Tim 6:6).

The world’s way is to look after number one (myself) however this leads downwards in degradation and sin, as opposed to God’s way of truth, light and thinking of others, which leads into greater freedom day by day. The world’s characteristics can be summed up as:

Walk in Godliness not worldliness

lust – the desire to gratify physical desires; possessions – the craving and accumulating of things; pride – obsession with power, position and self-effort accomplishments. Worldliness appeals to the carnal flesh not the godly. "Worldly sorrow" originates from a love of self that has experienced disgrace, disappointment or loss in some form and yet when circumstances alter this distress disappears (2 Cor 7:9,10). In contrast Godly sorrow is the result of the Holy Spirit working within and is only alleviated by getting the issue resolved with the Lord, whether initially at salvation or throughout our Christian walk.

Christians love God in response to what He has done for them and seek to serve Him wholeheartedly. In comparison with non-believers we “Do not love the world or anything in the world” as this is submitting to the wrong people, systems and standards of conduct and even thinking (Mk 12:30; 2 Cor 10:5; 1 Jn 2:15). By walking in the Spirit, rejecting opportunities for temptation, we won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh which can never restore us to holiness (Rom 13:14; Gal 1:4, 3:3, 5:16-21; 1 Pet 2:24). Are my activities bringing me closer to or taking me further from Jesus?