“The pride of life, then, could be described as an arrogant pride that one places in one’s possessions or overall situation in this present life. It is a satisfaction in temporary possessions and the benefits they afford instead of satisfaction in knowing, loving, and obeying God” - P&D
“You cannot drive down a road without encountering it in bumper stickers, billboards, license plates, and advertising signs…. making media an inescapable part of our world. The New Testament makes clear that the world presents a problem for believers. Understanding this requires grappling with what worldliness means.” - Don Johnson
“One Christian might recognize worldly elements in something that another Christian finds acceptable. While this reality calls for charity toward one another, the central point remains—people who are born again possess an inherent sense that things in the world do not align with God’s will.” - Don Johnson
“Paul commands us to set our minds on things above (Col. 3:1–4), and one reason for this instruction is that it’s so much easier not to. All sorts of diversions come more naturally.” - TGC
Read the series.
What is a definition of the term “the world” or “worldliness?” Romans 12:2 says, “Be not conformed to this world.” That passage of Scripture really describes the whole matter. In 1 John 2:15 we find, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” In both passages, God is saying there is something out there which we as Christians are not to love. A true Christian is contrary to it. We are not to love the world because we are contrary to it.
From Voice, Mar/Apr 2014. Used by permission.
Recently I read an article which began with these words:
Some time ago a man said to me, “I drink beer in the pub in my spare time. Some guys I know go out chasing women. So what’s the difference? Your hobby is Christianity.” To think that a man could look at me and say that Christianity was just a pleasant spare time occupation like collecting stamps or yachting. Is that my definition of Christianity? Do I put it second, or do I put it first?
This quotation points out the fact that if our faith does not change our lives, even the world questions the genuineness of our profession.
“Ironically, the intellectual heft of historic Catholicism and its enviable aesthetic achievements seem to be the very things that the pope regards with indifference. And both of these seem to connect to that telltale sign that always presages trouble in Christian circles: a loss of the transcendent in favor of the immanent.” - Carl Trueman
“Trueman is correct that moral sensibilities have profoundly shifted both within the church and without in recent decades. The church is generally ill-equipped even to begin formulating rationale to address the complex ethical questions it is confronted with.” - Mere Orthodoxy
“Something is seriously wrong when Christians crave cultural popularity and acceptance. That’s why I greatly appreciated the points made in this article by Brett McCracken” - Randy Alcorn
“Now that I look back on that way of life, I’m not ashamed of it. Our legalism and separation from all ‘worldliness’ kept me from falling into many dangers.” - Olson
