To be “in the world and not of the world,” is a very common phrase in Christian culture. It basically means that we should be in the world, but not look like the rest of the world. But as a society that is so flooded with the culture of “my truth is whatever I want it to be,” what does living out that phrase really look like?
Let’s Look at the Context…
The phrase originates from a conversation between Jesus and his disciples and is recorded by one of those disciples, John.
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
John 15: 18-19 NIV
This idea is reiterated a few chapters later, when Jesus prays for his disciples.
“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. 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. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”
John 17: 13-18 NIV
His prayer demonstrates that there is a difference between being on earth and being of the earth and as followers of Christ, we are called to be ambassadors for Heaven while on earth. Jesus is praying that God protects His disciples while they live out this calling because he knows that the world will say they don’t belong. He knows that they will experience the hatred that He experienced before the cross and that even the association with Him would bring them discrimination. But despite this rejection, the command is the same: Be in the world, not of the world. Jesus knows what we will face and he commands us anyway.
Be In the World…
I want to take a minute to really dive into the part of the phrase, to “be in the world.” When Jesus was saying this about Himself, he was foretelling that He would in fact be in the world for a time and then no longer be in the world. In other words, when He would die on the cross, He would be leaving his disciples. His prayer makes it clear that He is not asking God to remove his people from the world. He wants his disciples to be IN the world.
So what does that mean for us today?
That means that as Christians, we can’t shy away from the world. I know for myself, the world can get very discouraging. It seems like every year, the world gets uglier and uglier and it makes you just want to go off the grid and start your own commune in the woods. I get it! But we can’t be affective disciples, spreading the Good News of Jesus to the lost and broken if we hide away in our perfect Christian bubbles.
Jesus didn’t act like He was better than everyone and keep Himself from the lowest of the low according to society. He embraced the outcasts and welcomed the sinners, fully knowing the extent of their damaged pasts. He accepted those who were considered unacceptable and He’s calling us to do the same. Sin is sin and if we are going to remove the plank from our own eye before pointing out the speck in our neighbors, then we need to love people like Jesus did.
Not Of the World
So we know that we are to be in the world, but that does not mean that we should look how the world looks. Obviously, I’m not talking physically, but our lives should reflect our greater calling to those around us. I think there are two major areas to look at here: how we act and how we think.
How We Act
To know how to act like Jesus, we often ask ourselves things like “what would Jesus do?” and other cultural catch phrases that have become cliche over the years. Funny enough, if you asked Christians and non-Christians alike about what it looks like to be a good person, they would probably both rattle off a list like the Ten Commandments: don’t steal, don’t cheat and don’t lie, etc. But the problem comes in when Christians stop at the cultural norm. They think that by not doing these things, they are doing what they are supposed to be doing, but our calling is so much more than that. For more on this, check out this post: Being Good Vs. Doing Good.
To REALLY know Jesus, we must get to know His word. Once you begin to study scripture and truly understand the big picture of what God did for us, you start to fall in love with the Savior of the universe who gave His life for our sins. Our lives and our actions become a reflection of that gratitude and we can’t help but act like Jesus did. And no, we won’t always get it right. After all, Nobody’s Perfect. But the more we stay focused on His word and continue to dive deeper into that love story, the more it will come out in our daily lives.
How We Think
How we think is an important distinction from how we act in this scenario. We can make a to-do list of things we should or should not do as Christians and live it out every day and still not understand the whole picture of what it looks like to be a disciple. Again, to THINK like Jesus, we need to learn from His word.
Let me try to explain this concept with an example. If you were to see a dirty, smelly homeless person laying on the sidewalk, you may think, “Oh, this person is filthy and smells horrible, maybe they’re going through a rough time, but I am going to be the bigger person and help them so I can be like Jesus.” And maybe you buy them a meal or give them some money. To any other person, they would probably think you did a great thing and acted like Jesus toward them, not that there was anything wrong with doing this. But according to scripture, if we are looking at how Jesus would think about these people, the thoughts about them being filthy or smelly wouldn’t even have entered His mind. This isn’t because Jesus was ignorant, but because when God looks at us, He sees us as precious. WE ARE HIS CHILDREN. And I don’t know about you, but when I look at my children, it wouldn’t matter if they were messy or covered in stinky mud, I would still look at them as my precious children.
I know the example may be a stretch and trying to think like Jesus is mind-blowing in and of itself, but it’s an important thing to think about as we grow closer to God and try to be more like Jesus every day. Jesus clarified this idea in Matthew:
“Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: “‘ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22: 34-40 NIV
God didn’t give us a full to-do list that would spell out every situation we would ever face because He doesn’t want robots who follow commands, he wants relationships with his children! He wants us to have to go back to Him, read His word, pray to Him and ask for direction regularly BECAUSE He loves us and wants us to spend time with him.
Paul explains this in Romans:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2 NIV
When we are grounded in God’s word, and transformed by the renewing of our minds, it’s almost like looking at the world through a “God filter.” We start to understand what our priorities should be, we start thinking about our life ambitions differently and we automatically start acting differently because our focus has shifted. If we don’t stay grounded in His word though, and don’t constantly study scripture and let God reveal new things to us regularly, we can’t stay in that place of renewal.
You will be going against the current. The pathway to heaven is a narrow one so it makes sense that we have to work that much harder to stay close to Jesus when we are a part of a world that is run by sin and ruled by darkness.
Don’t Be Afraid
Finally, I just want to touch on this because I know it can be very daunting, especially for new Christians. Being a Christian isn’t typically the “cool” or popular thing to do. It’s not a life of glitz and glam, and it’s not smooth sailing once you become a believer. In fact, it’s quite often the opposite. When you start to take a stand for Jesus, it’s like Satan puts a big target right on your back and often, life gets that much harder.
But I want to encourage you, friends, to be strong and courageous. Do not fear because God is always with you. If you know He fights your battles and the war is already won, then you can stand against the culture current and truly become more like Jesus every day. He knows what your tomorrow holds and He called you to “be in the world but not of it” anyway. Trust Him because no matter what you face in this world, He is always in control, He is always with you and He works all things together for your good.
