What is friendship with the world?

K

ktomalty Aug 31, 2007

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
(Jam 4:4)

What does it mean to be a friend of the world? Merriam-Webster online defines a friend as,
"1 a: one attached to another by affection or esteem
b: acquaintance
2 a: one that is not hostile b: one that is of the same nation, party, or group
3: one that favors or promotes something (as a charity)
4: a favored companion

So what does it mean for someone to be a friend of the world? We know James was writing to a Church when he wrote his epistle so we know that just because someone is a Christian does not mean they cannot become a friend of the world. How far does one have to go before they would be considered (by God) to be a friend of the world? I think this is an important question in light of the worldliness of the Church today. . .

sermonindex Sep 1, 2007

The world doesn't give a rip about the church.
The world doesn't give a rip about the Lord.
The world only cared about themselves.
The world is deceived by the devil and his lies.
The world hates God's Word and is trying everything to keep HIS WORD from going forth to the lost.
The world does not want to identify what sin is.
The world has been taught by their Father the devil how to spread his recthoric in what sounds like good things.
The world is lost people.
Jesus came into the world that through HIM they might be saved.
The world denies God made the world and everything in it.
John 7:7
7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.
The world thinks they will live forever on earth.
The world is looking for happiness in all the wrong places.
The world teaches marriage and family the way God designed is not important.
The world teaches God has no power.
The world wants to blend into the church but not make Jesus Lord of their life.
The world teaches obedience is not important.
John 14:17
The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
John 14:30-31
31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
John 15:18-19
19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
John 17:6-18:1
6 "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-the name you gave me-so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13 "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. 20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26 I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

sermonindex Sep 1, 2007

Rather than discussing worldiness, it may be helpful to look at godliness, or, the kind of things which would mark out a Christian from the world.

In essence, Jesus put the answer to your question in terms of 'where your heart is'. What do you 'treasure'?

The verse which comes to mind is Hebrews 13:13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. [14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.]

Jesus also said that the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and there is a strong implication that such people who allow themselves to be entangled with the things of this world, (No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of ~~[i]~~this[/i] life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. 2 Tim 2:4) don't bear any fruit at all...

Which brings me to Romans 6, and the necessity to yield ourselves to righteousness, that we may no longer serve sin. See... again, it's all about attitude and what do we ~~[i]~~serve?[/i]

K

ktomalty Sep 1, 2007

Part of the reason I am asking this question is because of a conference I went to last spring. This Christian leadership training organization trains leaders using these things called habitudes (for example: iceberg, river or flood, thermometer and others). I asked the leader of the organization who spoke to us afterwards why they did not use the Bible instead of these other things. He explained to me that the reason was because they often did "Christian" leadership training for non-Christians. So my question is coming from that perspective. . . if there is co-operation with the world, for example the way this organization does their training, is that friendship with the world? Should non-Christians be able to co-operate with us in that way at all?

sermonindex Sep 1, 2007

There is a big difference between a training organisation and a church leadership.

If a church leadership introduced such anti-scriptural devices with its flock, I'd be most concerned! But, for a Christian training organisation to not burden non-Christians with what would be to them merely 'religious' terminology, seems okay to me.

You asked

Should non-Christians be able to co-operate with us in that way at all?

Why shouldn't they?

We were all non-Christians once, and if we had been excluded from every possible contact with Christians because we were not, how could we have been saved?

It's surprisingly easy, once one is 'in' the Church, to forget... the love and grace, the patience and time given us by 'Christians' who were assured enough of their salvation, not to be threatened by our 'worldiness'.

R

RobertW Sep 1, 2007

What does it mean to be a friend of the world?

There are several biblical concepts that seem to indicate personal ~~[i]~~relationship[/i] with the world. Three passages come to mind:

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5: 10, 11).

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (I John 2:15)

I see here:

1)Fellowship (that leads to)
2)Friendship (that leads to)
3)Companionship (Love ~~[i]~~agape[/i])

A good definition of whoredom is ~~[i]~~to take the love that belongs to the one and give it to another[/i]. Eternal life is restoration of our relationship with God (John 17:3). God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. That is, His objective was to restore man back into fellowship (communion) God through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

The world is the enemy of God. When men find their fulfillment in the things of this world they have exchanged fellowship with God for fellowship with this world. This is a most important thing to understand. Heaven is Heaven because God is there and when we get there we will have face to face communion with Him in a greater sense than we could possibly know here. The world will not be in heaven. Heaven is a place for people wholong to be with Christ and to know Him. The competing 'foe' for our affection is this world and the things of the world.

All of our devotion and affection is due to God beyond our essential relationships. We are to love God, our neighbor, our family. our friends and even our enemies. But we must NOT love this world. Love here in the Greek is agape. It is unconditional love. It is loving in the face of adversity.

If one befriends the world long enough they will suffer many abuses. The world knocks folk around with all manor of pain and destruction. And when it knocks people down- they keep loving it. I guess agape is about the only way a person could ever love the world- had it been any love short of that- they had forsaken the world long ago.

K

ktomalty Sep 2, 2007

Is it okay for us to put forth our Christian teaching to non-Christians in light of the verse, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." Matt 7:6. If we teach non-Christians Biblical doctrine are we giving the dogs (Gentiles or non-believers) that which is holy?
I am not convicted of this, but I am seeking answers to the limits of association, co-operation and friendship with the world and those in it...

R

RobertW Sep 4, 2007

Is it okay for us to put forth our Christian teaching to non-Christians in light of the verse, "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you." Matt 7:6.

I think some of these situations require specific discernment. Acts is an example of preaching the Gospel to folk that did not want to hear the message. I think of the passage... he that is an heretic after the first and second admonishion reject... In other words, when it becomes clear that the person is plainly rejecting truth there will come a time to simply leave off.

If we teach non-Christians Biblical doctrine are we giving the dogs (Gentiles or non-believers) that which is holy?
I am not convicted of this, but I am seeking answers to the limits of association, co-operation and friendship with the world and those in it...

I don't think so. If the only folks that ever hear the Gospel are believers it would be impossible to evangelize.