In his first Epistle John writes: "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boasting of life, does not come from the Father, but from the world" (2:16). In these words, which clearly reflect the temptation of Eve (Gen. 3: 6), John defines what is of the world. Everything that can be included under concupiscence or primitive desire, everything that excites the excessive ambition and everything that awakens in us the pride or charm of life, all these things are "part of the satanic system. to consider the first two but think for a moment about the third, all that awakens pride in us is of the world Distinction, riches, deeds: the world applauds these things.
Men are justly proud of success, but
John depict everything that produces this sense of success as "of the world".
Therefore every success we experience (and I am not suggesting that we must fail!), Must produce in us instantly a humble confession of its inherent sinfulness, for when we achieve success we have made contact in some degree with the system of the world.
When we feel complacency for something we have achieved, we know, instantly, that we have had contact with the world. We can also know that we have placed ourselves under the judgment of God, because do we not agree that everyone is under judgment? Now then (and let's try to understand this fact) those who realize this and confess their need are safeguarded.
But the problem is: how many of us are aware of this? Even those of us who live in our homes are as prone to fall, victims of the pride of life, as those who have great public success. A woman in a humble kitchen can come in contact with the world and her complacency even when she is cooking the daily meal or when serving the guests. All glory that is not glory to God is vainglory, and it is amazing how small successes can produce great vainglory. When we face pride we are confronted with the world and immediately there is a loss in our communion with God. Oh, may God open our eyes to see clearly what the world really is! Not only bad things but everything that moves us away from God, albeit gently, are part of that system that is antagonistic to Him. Satisfaction in the achievement of something legitimate has the power to be instantaneously placed between ourselves and God Himself. For if it awakens in us the pride of life and not the praise of God we can know with all certainty that we have had contact with the world. There is therefore a constant need to watch and pray if we are to keep our communion with God immaculate. How can we then escape from this bond that the devil has tended for the people of God? First of all we must emphatically point out that we will not succeed in getting away. Many think we can escape the world by trying to abstain from the things of the world.
This is foolishness. How could we escape from the world system using methods that are ultimately little more than mundane? Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 11: 18,19: "For John came, who neither ate nor drank, and they say, He has a demon." The Son of Man came, who eats and drinks, and they say, "Behold, a gluttonous man, and drinker of wine, friend of publicans and sinners. "
Some think that John the Baptist offers us here a recipe to escape from the world but the "not to eat or drink" is not Christianity, Christ came eating and drinking and this is Christianity! The Apostle Paul speaks of the
"rudiments of the world" and defines them like this: "Do not drive, do not like, or even touch (in accordance with the commandments and doctrines of men) ..." (Col. 2: 20-22). So abstinence is merely mundane and nothing else, and what hope is there to escape the system of this world using worldly elements? However, how many sincere believers are leaving all kinds of worldly pleasures, hoping that in this way they will be delivered from the world! We can build a hermit's ranch in some remote place and think that living there we will escape from the world, but the world will still follow us there. It will follow our footsteps and find us wherever we want to hide.
There is no way of saving the world that does not begin with such a revelation. We just need to try to escape the world away from him to discover how much we love him, and how much he loves us. We can flee trying to avoid it but with certainty that it will find us.
Inevitably we lose all interest in the world and it loses its power over us as soon as we understand that it is condemned. Seeing this automatically means being cut off completely from Satan's economy.
At the end of his letter to the Galatians Paul says this very clearly: "Far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world" (6:14). . What is highlighted in this verse? As for the world, it speaks of the two aspects of the work of the cross. "I have been crucified to the world" is a statement that we can easily frame within our understanding of what it means to be crucified with Christ as defined in other passages such as Romans 6. But here he also specifically says that "the world is crucified to me. " When God approaches us with the revelation of the finished work of Christ, he not only shows us there on the cross, but makes us see that our world is also there. If you and I can not escape the judgment of the cross, then neither can the world. Have we actually seen this?
This is the core of the subject. When I understand this then I will not try to repudiate a world that I love; I see, on the other hand, that the cross has already repudiated it. Do not try to escape from a world that clings to me; I see, on the other hand, that through the cross I have already escaped.
Consider now the words that Jesus addressed to the Jews in John 8:23: "You are from below, I am from above, you are of this world, I am not of this world." I would like us to note especially the use of the word "de *." The Greek word is ek, which can be translated remove from, extract from, or extract from, and imply the origin or provenance from which it is extracted. Ek ou kosmos is the expression used: "From, or from, or from, the world".
So the meaning of the passage is as follows:
Your place of origin is below, my place of origin is above, your place of origin is this world, my place of origin is not this world." The core of the case is not: Are you a good or a bad person? but: What is your place of origin? We do not ask ourselves: Is this or that correct? but: Where did it originate? It is the origin that determines everything else. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3: 6).
So when Jesus addresses his disciples he can say, using the same Greek preposition:
If you were from the world (ek tou kosmos), the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, before I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you (John 15:19). Let us read here the same expression:" You are not of the world ", but there is also another stronger expression: "I chose you
(ek) of the world "(implying 'extracted from the world).
In this last instance there is a double emphasis. As in the previous quote there is an ek, "del"; but in addition to this the verb 'choose', eklego, contains another ek. Indeed. Jesus is saying that-HIS disciples have been chosen from the world to be taken out of the world.
Without fear of being challenged Jesus could say, "I am the light of the world" (1 John 8:12). This does not cause us any surprise. What is truly amazing is that He told his disciples and by implication we also:
"You are the light of the world" (Mt 5:14). For He does not exhort us to be that light but it clearly says that we are the light of the world, either shining or hiding it from men. The divine life implanted in us, which in itself is completely foreign to the whole world that surrounds it, is a source of light designed to reveal to humanity the true character of the world emphasizing by contrast its inherent darkness.
Therefore Jesus continues: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:16). From this it is clear that separating us from the world today and thus depriving it of its only light does not glorify God in any way. It simply hinders its purpose in us and in humanity.
At the end of his letter to the Galatians Paul says this very clearly: "Far be it from me to glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world"(6:14). . What is highlighted in this verse? As for the world, it speaks of the two aspects of the work of the cross. "I have been crucified to the world" is a statement that we can easily frame within our understanding of what it means to be crucified with Christ as defined in other passages such asRomans 6. But here he also specifically says that "the world is crucified to me. " When God approaches us with the revelation of the finished work of Christ, he not only shows us there on the cross, but makes us see that our world is also there. If you and I can not escape the judgment of the cross, then neither can the world. Have we actually seen this?
This is the core of the subject. When I understand this then I will not try to repudiate a world that I love; I see, on the other hand, that the cross has already repudiated it. Do not try to escape from a world that clings to me; I see, on the other hand, that through the cross I have already escaped.
Consider now the words that Jesus addressed to the Jews in John 8:23: "You are from below, I am from above, you are of this world, I am not of this world. " I would like us to note especially the use of the word" .
"The Greek word is ek, which can be translated remove from, extract from, or extract from, and imply the origin or provenance from which it is extracted. Ek ou kosmos is the expression used: "From, or from, or from, the world".
So the meaning of the passage is as follows:
"Your place of origin is below, my place of origin is above, your place of origin is this world, my place of origin is not this world." The core of the case is not: Are you a good or a bad person? but: What is your place of origin? We do not ask ourselves: Is this or that correct? but: Where did it originate? It is the origin that determines everything else. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3: 6).
So when Jesus addresses his disciples he can say, using the same Greek preposition:
If you were from the world (ek tou kosmos), the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, before chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you "(John 15:19). Let us read here the same expression:" You are not of the world ", but there is also another stronger expression: "I chose you
(ek) of the world "(implying 'extracted from the world).
In this last instance there is a double emphasis. As in the previous quote there is an ek, "del"; but in addition to this the verb 'choose', eklego, contains another ek. Indeed. Jesus is saying that-HIS disciples have been chosen from the world to be taken out of the world.
Without fear of being challenged Jesus could say, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). This does not cause us any surprise. What is truly amazing is that He told his disciples and by implication we also:
"You are the light of the world" (Mt 5:14). For He does not exhort us to be that light but it clearly says that we are the light of the world, either shining or hiding it from men. The divine life implanted in us, which in itself is completely foreign to the whole world that surrounds it, is a source of light designed to reveal to humanity the true character of the world emphasizing by contrast its inherent darkness.
Therefore Jesus continues: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:16). From this it is clear that separating us from the world today and thus depriving it of its only light does not glorify God in any way. It simply hinders its purpose in us and in humanity.
