What does that phrase mean? I've heard a lot of interpretations. One is that we, as Christians, should shy away from any and all influences of this world. We should not listen to any non-Christian music, we should not watch TV shows that do not have a "redeeming" purpose, and so on. While this is a worthy idea, it's not exactly sustainable. It also does not give us the ability to be "in this world" and instead creates a wall between Christians and "the world." This divides us from all others. If we are divided, separated, from the rest of the world, how can we possibly serve it?
I've recently come to believe that "in the world, not of it" has a much deeper meaning than simply avoiding the sinful influences of the world. The world, especially now, will have us believe that we are in constant danger. There is a continual bombardment of messages telling us how bad the world is now. We are told that Muslims are the enemy. Immigrants are stealing jobs. People are abusing welfare so that they can be lazy and get paid to literally do nothing. Men will abuse the open policy that places like Target have announced - the one that states transgender people can use whichever bathroom they need/want. There is danger lurking around every corner and we must be afraid. Allow me to drop a Yoda quote here:
Let's use this as an allegory, wherein "the dark side" stands in for "that which is opposed to God." So now, Master Yoda's quote reads: Fear is the path to that which is opposed to God. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. But, why suffering? If we allow ourselves to succumb to the fear that the world is telling us to have, and that fear leads to anger and then to hate, hate is "that which is opposed to God." Because, you see, God is love. When we are led to hate, we become separated from God. When we are separated from God, we suffer - spiritually most of all, but also in mind and body. We simply cannot live apart from God.
If we are of this world, we allow the fear of this world to take over. When we are afraid of something, it makes us angry. Anger, when left unchecked or when stirred enough, turns to hate. Hate is "that which is opposed to God", love. (I'm repeating myself, but this is something that bears repeating)
How do we remain "in this world, not of it" in the face of so much telling us to be afraid? We remember that God has continually told people "do not be afraid" in the Bible. God still speaks to us and tells us to not be afraid. You can find some form of the phrase "don't be afraid" in the Bible over 100 times!
Every bit of me believes that when God says "don't be afraid! I have this," that God really does have it. What do I have to be afraid of if God is in charge of everything? If we allow fear to take over, then we head down a dark path. We begin heading down a path that leads us away from God. It may be bit by bit, slowly but surely, but we are being led away nonetheless. For once we hold onto fear, we have placed our treasures on earth, we have lost sight of our true home. The Christian life is not one of ease and comfort, but it shouldn't be a life of fear, and definitely not one of anger or hate.
We are all in this world. We need to turn our trust and hope to the Lord, fear not, and resist being of this world.
I've recently come to believe that "in the world, not of it" has a much deeper meaning than simply avoiding the sinful influences of the world. The world, especially now, will have us believe that we are in constant danger. There is a continual bombardment of messages telling us how bad the world is now. We are told that Muslims are the enemy. Immigrants are stealing jobs. People are abusing welfare so that they can be lazy and get paid to literally do nothing. Men will abuse the open policy that places like Target have announced - the one that states transgender people can use whichever bathroom they need/want. There is danger lurking around every corner and we must be afraid. Allow me to drop a Yoda quote here:
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| Photo source |
Let's use this as an allegory, wherein "the dark side" stands in for "that which is opposed to God." So now, Master Yoda's quote reads: Fear is the path to that which is opposed to God. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. But, why suffering? If we allow ourselves to succumb to the fear that the world is telling us to have, and that fear leads to anger and then to hate, hate is "that which is opposed to God." Because, you see, God is love. When we are led to hate, we become separated from God. When we are separated from God, we suffer - spiritually most of all, but also in mind and body. We simply cannot live apart from God.
If we are of this world, we allow the fear of this world to take over. When we are afraid of something, it makes us angry. Anger, when left unchecked or when stirred enough, turns to hate. Hate is "that which is opposed to God", love. (I'm repeating myself, but this is something that bears repeating)
How do we remain "in this world, not of it" in the face of so much telling us to be afraid? We remember that God has continually told people "do not be afraid" in the Bible. God still speaks to us and tells us to not be afraid. You can find some form of the phrase "don't be afraid" in the Bible over 100 times!
 |
| Photo source |
Every bit of me believes that when God says "don't be afraid! I have this," that God really does have it. What do I have to be afraid of if God is in charge of everything? If we allow fear to take over, then we head down a dark path. We begin heading down a path that leads us away from God. It may be bit by bit, slowly but surely, but we are being led away nonetheless. For once we hold onto fear, we have placed our treasures on earth, we have lost sight of our true home. The Christian life is not one of ease and comfort, but it shouldn't be a life of fear, and definitely not one of anger or hate.
We are all in this world. We need to turn our trust and hope to the Lord, fear not, and resist being of this world.
Go, Beth, Go!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! :)
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