Truth Magazine

By Jady W. Copeland

There are some subjects that need constant repetition and this is one of them. The need for such basic lessons is seen as we look about us at the religious division that is evident, while we remember Jesus’ prayer for unity (Jn. 17). Prejudice keeps many from coming to the Christ. Nathanael said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Prejudice toward the city and its reputation nearly kept this good man from believing the Christ. Republicans take “with a grain of salt” anything the Democrats say, and vice versa. In a book by a brother written many years ago, I noted that one reason for his faith was that he wanted to believe. At first, I wondered about this argument, but on further consideration, I realized that if one does not want to believe, he would never believe in God, regardless of the evidences presented. It is true that merely wanting to believe a thing doesn’t make it so, but a failure to desire faith would stand in the way of weighing the evidences with an unprejudiced mind. Why do lawyers screen so many prospective jurors before a case is tried? They want the men and women to be completely unprejudiced in this case. God desires that we look at His word with a mind ready to accept the testimony. “What is truth?” it was asked. The wise man said, “Buy the truth and sell it not” (Prov. 23:23). The Guardian of Truth came out with a special early in 1983 on the word of God, but we need constant reminders of such important matters. We shall not attempt here to enumerate the claims of the Bible itself relative to its inspiration more than to affirm that it does claim to be from Deity, and not from man. If we are to receive from God’s word that which is intended, we truly must have the proper attitudes toward it.

Faith In Its Divinity

By this I mean that we must believe that it came from God; that Diety is responsible for its contents. Paul was thankful that the Thessalonians “received from us the word of the message, even the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13). He was thankful that they did not take it to be the word of men, but the word from God. Paul said, “Every scripture is inspired of God. . . ” (2 Tim. 3:16). That which has been “breathed” of God – that which Diety gave us – is profitable for all spiritual goals and activities. We talk about plenary (full) inspiration in contrast to “thought inspiration. ” We speak of verbal (having to do with words) inspiration. By this we mean that God guarded the words used by the inspired men so that none would be used that did not convey the message intended. Words are expressions of ideas. God makes Himself known to His creatures by intelligent thoughts, expressed in words, rather than by subjective authority (inner feelings of men). In other words, we do not believe in God because we “feel something” in our self; we believe God because He has revealed Himself to us in words understandable to us and received in an intelligent way. That such is true is seen in a close study of such passages as 1 Corinthians 2:6-13 and Ephesians 3:3-4. In other words, Paul says that the “words” he used (as an inspired man) expressed what God wanted him to say. Since words have changed meanings, more accurate translations are needed sometimes to express to us what the original text actually said. English words in some few cases have changed meanings since the King James translation was done, in 1611, and thus more exact translations are helpful in telling us what the original Greek words really mean.

For us to have the proper appreciation and respect for the Bible, we must believe it came from God and not man, since man could not know what is best for us and man could not give us a guide in matters pertaining to our relationship to our Maker.

Faith In Its Completeness

One is ready to say that surely, if an all-wise God gave us the word, then He gave us the complete word; and that’s a good argument. But let us go a bit farther. First we ask I “Is all the information there that God intended us to have?” Since the Bible came from God, and therefore we have no doubt about is source, listen to 2 Peter 1:3: “seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue.” If He gave us all things that pertain unto our life and godliness, then who could doubt its completeness? By that which He gave to the apostles we have the privilege of participating in His divine nature. The word must be complete to do this.

But another question is, “Can I understand it?” What kind of a god would it be that would give us the benefit of his mind, but in such words that could not be understood? “If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples” (Jn. 8:31). It would be ridiculous to think God would give us His word in such language we could not understand, and yet condemn us for not obeying it (2 Thess. 1:9-11). This was the reason it was written in the common man’s language.

“Does it supply man’s needs?” This also deals with completeness. It will save the soul (Rom. 1:16; Jas. 1:21). It will give light to show us the way (Psa. 119:105). It will convert the soul (Psa. 19:7). It is the seed of the kingdom (Lk. 8:11). It will give all things pertaining to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). It will thoroughly furnish a man unto all good works (2 Tim. 3:16-17). What more is needed? God knows our needs, and to deny His ability to supply these needs is to question His power. If we deny His knowledge as to what we need, we impugn His wisdom. If we say that He knows our needs and is able to supply the needs yet refuses to do so, we impugn His mercy and loving kindness. “And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19).

Faith In Its Authority

We assume the reader believes in the unlimited power and wisdom of God. He is our Creator and, therefore, has the right to command. Any authority must have been attained by legitimate means if it is going to rule properly. A governor gets his authority in a properly-designated way. He did not assume his authority. He has certain rights given him by the people of the state. God has authority by right of creation. Since He created the world, and all things therein, He has the right and the power to command. Jesus had power over the sea, the wind and mountains. He was Creator (Heb. 1:2).

The One who made the world (by creation) gave us the word of God and has the right to command. The Father has given into the hands of the Son authority in the spiritual realm as well. Paul said, “and he is the head of the body, the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell.” Note that it was the pleasure of God that in Christ should all the fullness of the Godhead dwell. His authority didn’t come by mistake or usurpation (Matt. 28:18).

While on earth, Jesus prepared the apostles to carry the gospel once He ascended to heaven. He told them He would send another comforter (Jn. 14:16), “even the Spirit of truth” (Jn. 14:17). He must go back to the Father, but the Spirit would guide them into all truth (Jn. 16:13). God made provisions for the apostles to speak as they were directed by the Holy Spirit. When He left, they were to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Spirit, which came on the first Pentecost after the resurrection (Acts 2:14). As Jesus spake from His Father, so the apostles spake as directed by the Spirit. Jesus said, “I have given them thy word. . . ” (John 17:14). Jesus received authority from the Father (Matt. 16:18) and He gave the apostles direction to speak the words of God as they were given them of the Spirit. When these inspired men spake it was the Father, the Son and the Spirit speaking.

From Pentecost, these men went out preaching the gospel. They were later to write down these gospel truths and later generations can read and learn from the inspired words (Eph. 3:1-4). As we read these words today, we are reading the words from the Spirit, and learning what God wants us to know. How else are we to learn from Him? Can we find out what His will is by looking at a flower? We can learn there is a Maker somewhere, but we can’t learn His will to mankind. To say “I feel like I am saved” is to give testimony of myself, not God. Am I my own authority pertaining to God? I must have the attitude that His word came from an all-wise Creator and that it came from one with properly constituted authority, else why should I believe it? If I believe it came from such a source, why would I not obey it?

The Bible came from God. It is complete and will make us perfect in Christ. It came from one with properly constituted authority, having the stamp of approval of one who made us and gave us all that we need to live with Him eternally.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 9, pp. 257, 280
May 1, 1986

By David E, Horton, Jr.

Recently I read an article in Contending for the Faith (January/1986, Vol. XVII, No. 1), concerning “Crossroads’ Devastating, Devious, Deceitful Methods of Religious Entrapment Exposed, Renounced By Bronwen (McClish) Gibson.” The message was clear, alarming, and very helpful in understanding the ruinous activities of this movement. In exposing the error of Crossroadism, Mrs. Gibson quoted Jackie Stearsmen, in an article “A Critique of Crossroadism,” asking, “Where in any of these passages is the authority to divide the ‘confessional’ by the sexes? ” She also is quoted as asking, “By what authority do we emphasize that confessing sins to a self-appointed or ‘priest’ will make us more ‘spiritual’ or ‘totally committed’ to the Lord?” (Ibid., p. 4) It appears that the thrust of the article points to the deceitful way people are

being lured into practicing things for which there is no Bible authority. Based upon the message, those who are truly concerned with having Bible authority for the organization and work of the Church must renounce and stand opposed to the Crossroads Movement. The appeal and courage of Mrs. Gibson is much appreciated.

However at the end of Mrs. Gibson’s speech, Ira Y. Rice, Jr., editor of the periodical, took it upon himself to use the emotional impact of the speech to draw a self-incriminating parallel between Crossroadism and the “Anti-Cooperation Movement.” I do not want to misrepresent Mr. Rice so his own statement is included below.

If Birmingham brethren take no more action than they have so far, they have not heard the last of Crossroadism. It was the same way over 30 years ago when some 40 of the congregations in the Birmingham area were lost to the Anti-Cooperation Movement. Brother Gus Nichols tried to warm them but they would not be warned until it was already too late! (Ibid., p. 10, Editorial Note).

I take exception to the parallel drawn by Mr. Rice. It was not the “Anti-Cooperation” brethren who started a “Movement” over 30 years ago. If there is any parallel at all it would have to be with the brethren who began introducing responsibilities into local churches for which they had no Bible authority. The appeal of those “Anti” brethren was, and still is, Anti-Error motivated. Stand for the Truth and against philosophies and vain deceits of men who were, and still are, attempting to spoil the Lord’s Church through unscriptural practices and teaching (Col. 2:8). Those churches who stood against such unscriptural practices were not lost to anything, but were simply manifested in the Truth as approved by God (1 Cor. 11:19). Those who are lost are those who seize the lead of their own spiritual course and “abide not in the doctrine of Christ” (2 John 9).

Where is the Bible authority for the local church to use its scripturally collected funds to build and support separate benevolent or missionary institutions? Where is the authority for the pooling of resources by several churches and funneling those resources through a “sponsoring church” or separate organization to support a promoted and pre-planned expenditure toward a “brotherhood” program? Where is the scriptural authority for churches to build and support, financially or otherwise, a separate institution focused on the education, spiritual or secular, of its members? Where is the scriptural authority to incorporate social meals and entertainment into the work of the local church?

God’s chosen people, the church, is the only institution authorized by God as the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). This principle is true in any locality. These people in the aggregate are the only local institution ordained by God to propagate the gospel, edify the saints, and to minister to the peculiar needs of the saints (Eph. 4:11-16; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; 1 Tim. 5:16; Phil. 4:14-20). All that has ever been asked, and ever will be asked by the so-called “Anti-cooperation” brethren is: Where is the Bible authority and practice? (Matt. 21:23). Is that not precisely the same ground upon which those in Contending For The Faith have planted their feet in fighting against the Crossroads movement? Let’s be fair and consistent with our actions and affirmations. We must all be “Anti-Cooperation” toward sin. Let us not cooperate with Satan and depart from the doctrine of Christ. Only in Him is there fellowship with the Heavenly Father (2 Cor. 6:16-18; 2 John 9).

Guardian of Truth XXX: 8, p. 245
April 17, 1986

By Mike Willis

Immorality has always been a problem to society. Through the centuries, God has destroyed nations, cities, and the world population because of immorality. The flood (Gen. 6-8), Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19), the Amorites (Gen. 15:16), and Israel (see the prophets) are examples of God’s punishment of immorality.

In America, sexual immorality is widespread. “The latest figures in a highly respected new study by Johns Hopkins University professors Melvin Zelnik and John F. Kantner indicate that nearly 50 per cent of the nation’s 10.3 million young women age 15 to 19 have had premarital sex. The percentage has nearly doubled since Zelnik and Kantner began their surveys in 1971” (Newsweek [1 September 1980], p. 48). The Alfred C. Kinsey report which interviewed 17,500 people between 1938 and 1956 demonstrated that sexual immorality has been commonplace for many years. However, in the last two decades, that which was committed in secret and covered up is now practiced and discussed without shame. “Once chastity was something to be guarded – or lied about when lost. Now an uncommonly virtuous teen-ager lies to protect the dirty little secret that she is still a virgin” (Ibid., p. 49).

American society is troubled by sexual immorality. Not only are our teenagers experimenting with sex, our adult population is also promiscuous. Couples decide to live together without the marriage ceremony and the couples range in age from college students to those on social security. Many marriages are destroyed or damaged by an adulterous affair by one or both marriage partners. If there is ever a time and place for preachers to be preaching against fornication as a danger to the souls of men, now is the time and America is the place. America resembles Israel in Jeremiah’s day. He described his society saying, “the land is full of adulterers” (23:10) and “every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife” (5:8). The situation in America is no better. Perhaps some of us have been reserved in our preaching because of our own reservations associated with modesty; though we must not allow the pulpit to become a place for vulgar speech, we must use the language of Scripture to teach what it says about the sin of fornication.

Fornication Is A Sin

Inasmuch as those who deny that there are absolute standards for ethical conduct have made progress in our society, we need to reemphasize that fornication is sinful. Fornication is sinful today just as it was in the first century; there is no circumstance in which fornication is not sinful. Those who say that “fornication may be sinful for you but it is not for me” are mistaken; fornication is sinful for every man (cf. 1 Cor. 6:9-10; 6-18; Gal. 5:19; etc.).

Fornication is a grievous sin. The punishment for adultery, under the Mosaical law, was death (Lev. 20:10); premarital sexual relations demanded that the man marry the young maiden or pay the dowry (Exod. 22:16-17). In the New Testament, fornication is the only sin which frees the innocent party from the marriage vow and gives him the opportunity for remarriage. Indeed, fornication is a grievous sin.

Fornication Has Disastrous Consequences

The consequences of fornication are so serious that the wise man warned repeatedly of its dangers:

. . . To deliver thee from the strange woman . . . which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God. For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead (Prov. 2:16-18).

But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword (Prov. 5:4).

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be bumed? . . . But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul (Prov. 6:27-28,32).

The effects of this sin include the following:

1. The sin of fornication separates a person from God (Gal. 5:19-21). The physical consquences of fornication formerly deterred some from committing the sin; the fear of an unwanted pregnancy and the public shame and embarrassment of an illegitimate baby prevented some from committing fornication. That deterrent to fornication has been removed by the various contraceptives and abortion clinics. Consequently, many more people are involved in the sin of fornication.

We need to be reminded that an unwanted pregnancy might be prevented or terminated. No one on earth may know about the sin except the two participants. However, “the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Prov. 15:3). He knows when the sin is cominitted. The sin separates the sinner from God, bringing him into a state of spiritual death and in danger of eternal damnation in hell.

2. The sin of fornication endangers the physical body. Trying to deter the young in his day from the sin of fornication, the wise man warned, “And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed” (Prov. 5:11). Fornication leads to several venereal diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and more recently AIDS. Because of the dangers to the physical body, some immoral people have changed their lifestyle; casual sex is not as popular as it once was.

3. The sin offornication damages the emotions of man. When a person engages in pre-marital or extra-marital sexual relationships, he violates his own conscience; a burden of guilt weighs heavily upon his mind. Until the sinner repents or becomes calloused in his sin, he will undergo the same inner turmoil as did David when he committed the sin with Bathsheba. He described this turmoil saying,

When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer (Psa. 32:3-4).

Young people who decide to experiment with sex find their feelings of guilt linger long after the momentary pleasure of the sin has past. Even the psychologists are recognizing this.

“Sex before 16 or 17 is counterproductive emotionally, ” says Claudette Kunkes, a clincial psychologist at The Door, an adolescent treatment center in New York. “Younger kids haven’t developed the ego functions which are crucial in making their own choices about sex. The younger girls I’ve interviewed never really enjoyed it” (Ibid.).

Tender young things are sampling sex before its season before they are out of dental braces – and then feeling the anguish of remorse (Ibid., p. 53).

The psychological troubles from fornication will be brought into the marriage. One’s husband or wife will have trouble accepting that another has committed fornication with his/her mate. The participant will have trouble blotting out the remembrance of his involvement in that sin.

4. Fornication damages and destroys the marriage. When fornication is committed by someone who is married, his sin frequently causes the destruction of the marriage; if the marriage is not totally destroyed by the sin of fornication, pain and anguish which leave deep scars result. Some become so inflamed by passion that they throw away 20 years of committment to their spouse and children. Their children suffer through the agonies of a divorce and then are raised in a single-parent home which, however conscientiously managed, is not the ideal home which God ordained as an environment in which to rear children.

Yes, fornication has its consequences. Even its temporal consequences should lead a person to abstain from fornication. Its eternal consequences make the commission of fornication a form of spiritual suicide.

Fornication Is Not Gratifying

I do not mean to indicate by this statement that there are no pleasures in fornication; even the Scriptures recognize that sin has its pleasures (Heb. 11:24-25). However, sin’s pleasures are fleeting and momentary. The way of sin is not the way of deep and abiding happiness.

Those who are searching for sexual happiness are looking for it in the wrong place when they search for it in the bed of fornication. The psychologists are just now beginning to write about the dissatisfaction which people are finding in sex without committment. Those who have disregarded the commandments of God and engaged in fornication are now finding that their casual sexual relationships – one night stands with strangers and acquaintances – do not satisfy their emotional needs.

Those who are seeking sexual happiness need to quit looking for it in the bed of fornication and recognize that it can be found only in a monogamous relationship in the marriage bed (Heb. 13:4). The wise man advised,

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well. Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters in the streets. Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee. Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? (Prov. 5:15-20)

Truly, God’s way is best for mankind. One will find more lasting and gratifying fulfillment in the sexual relationship in a marriage than he will find in fornication, adultery, homosexuality, incest, bestiality, polygamy, polyandry, or any other immoral sexual relationship.

Lust Leads To Fornication

I would hope that those who are reading this have been in agreement with me that fornication is a soul-damning sin which also leads to temporal sorrow. We need to consider what induces men and women to commit fornication.

Some younger women do not understand that a man’s sexual desires are aroused through looking at the nakedness of the female body. Both experience and the Scriptures say as much.

Lust not after her beauty in thine heart (Prov. 6:25).

But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart (Matt. 5:28).

Some are described as having “eyes full of adultery” (2 Pet. 2:14). Adultery and fornication proceed out of the heart of man (Matt. 15:19).

This being the case, there are some things which we should avoid which are provocative and stimulating by nature. Here are some of them:

1. Lewd books and movies. Pornography is a scourge to our society. The lascivious magazines such as Playboy, Penthouse, and Hustler arouse the desires of men. Many of the movies on television and available at the video rentals depict scenes of passion which arouse the lusts of men. Pornography leads to other forms of sexual immorality including fornication, adultery, rape, incest, homosexuality, etc. If we are going to possess ourselves in sanctification and holiness, we must abstain from pornography.

2. Immodest dress. We men must avoid places where women are scantily dressed and women must be sure to dress modestly. The woman sins when she dresses like a harlot (Prov. 6:10) or in such a manner as to arouse the sexual appetites of men. She should not wear sexually arousing clothing in the presence of any man other than her husband. Some clothing is sexually stimulating, including swim wear (whether one or two-piece), shorts, halter and tube tops, skin-tight pants, low neckline blouses, and any other garment which might be too revealing. Men need to avoid places and circumstances which might be tempting. Though there is nothing wrong with the exercise of swimming, the public beach and swimming pool are places where scantily clothed women dress in lascivious attire. A Christian will avoid such places.

3. Petting. The dating practice of prolonged petting frequently leads to fornication. Teenagers who find some secluded road to go “parking” and engage in long sessions of petting and necking are playing with fire. Sometimes the petting goes on at the house while the parents are both away from home at work. Christians will avoid heavy petting.

4. Dancing. The modern dance has as its attraction sex appeal. It is lascivious or lust producing. The modern dance is not more pure than the dance of the 1950s and 1960s; it is more lewd and provocative. Christians will not engage in dancing.

5. Drinking. When David tried to get Uriah to go in to his wife Bathsheba that he might think that the baby which was conceived in adultery was Uriah’s own child, he used wine to get Uriah drunk. He did it for the same reason it is used today. David wanted to get Uriah to do while drunk what he would not do while sober. Alcohol breaks down one’s inhibitions. To preserve one’s moral purity, a Christian should abstain from strong drink.

Sometimes young people and weak Christians get the idea that old folks just do not want them to have any fun when they are told not to dance, drink, watch R and X-rated movies, and other such things. That is not the case. Rather, we want to guard our children from the sin of fornication – to protect their souls from damnation, their bodies from disease, their hearts from anguish, and their homes from destruction. We urge young people not only to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, ” but also to avoid those things which create temptation.

Conclusion

We live in an ungodly age. So has every generation of Christians since the ungodly world crucified Jesus. Like the Christians before us who lived in ungodly eras of time, we must not be conformed to this world (Rom. 12:1-2). We must be willing to be different, strong enough to walk according to the revelation of God instead of according to the course of the world.

As Christians, let us “flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18) and “abstain from fornication” (1 Thess. 4:3). Should the temptation to commit fornication present itself, let us flee from it like Joseph. To keep the temptation as far removed as possible, let us avoid those things which create and stimulate one’s inordinate desires and passions. “But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil” (2 Thess. 3:3).

Guardian of Truth XXX: 9, pp. 258, 278-279
May 1, 1986

By Forrest D. Moyer

Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap (Luke 21:34).

Introduction

If I asked, “Are you guilty of worldliness?”, what would you say? Undoubtedly I would get varied answers to such a question. Some would respond with a powerful “No!” Someone else might say, “I don’t think so.” Another might ask, “What do you mean by worldliness?” Most brethren consider worldliness as a threat to spirituality, but I believe that it is the greatest problem that the people of God face in the society of our day! In this study we shall show that worldliness is defined in the Bible, and that it is deceptive and that it is destructive.

I. Worldliness Is Described In The Bible

The apostle John describes it in 1 John 2:15-17:

Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.

John tells us that the love of the world consists of (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the boastful pride of life. Whatever falls into these categories is worldliness and separates us from God. That is why it is vital for us to study this text and this subject.

The lust of the flesh induces a fleshly way of thinking and acting. “Flesh” involves more than the elements that make up the human body. It is a way of thinking and living that is contrary to the way of God. It is contrasted with spiritual living in Romans 8 and Galatians 5. These chapters suggest that the word “flesh” (sarx) includes the mind of the person and his reasoning abilities and not just the cells that make up the human body.

The word “lust” (desire) can be for either that which is good or for that which is bad. God has given to man certain desires and these are all good within themselves. We have the desire for food, for drink, for sleep, for sex. There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these desires. But they can be directed in the wrong channels and become sinful. While the desire for food is natural and good, gluttony is sinful. While the desire to quench thirst is proper, drunkenness is a sin. Sleep is a normal need, but “a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest -and your poverty will come in like a vagabond” (Prov. 6:10-11). Laziness is a sin. The fulfillment of sexual desires within marriage is of God and is, therefore, holy. But sex taken outside the bounds of husband and wife is fornication (whether pre-marital sex, adultery, homosexuality, or bestiality) and is sinful. When we have desires for what is forbidden, we are headed toward “love of the world.”

The lust of the eyes has to do with pleasures that gratify the sight and the mind in such a way to lead one away from God. It is that spirit which can see nothing without wanting it in order to flaunt it. It is the attitude that believes that happiness can be found in things which money can buy and which the eye can see. We must remember that the things which are seen are temporal (2 Cor. 4:18). This is what worldliness is: emphasis on that which is temporal.

The boastful pride of life is the spirit that attempts to show people how important we are. This is why we buy houses, cars, clothing, appliances, and other luxuries which we cannot afford. We want to impress people. We want to boast about our own greatness. The “travel now, pay later” advertising gets millions of people to buy things beyond their means. Why? To impress people with our material possessions. That, my brother, is worldliness. These three principles of worldliness set forth by John will be of help to us later as we continue our study.

Jesus describes worldliness in Luke 8:14:

And the seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with the worries (cares) and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

Jesus is explaining His parable of the sower. He says that “thorns” choke out spiritual life. What are these thorns?

The cares or worries of this life have to do with our anxieties over material things such as our food, clothing, or shelter. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus, with His masterful word pictures, teaches us not to worry about our food or clothing or the necessities of life (Matt. 6:25-34). In vv. 31-33 we hear Him say:

Do not be anxious then, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “With what shall we clothe ourselves?” For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

Anxiety about these physical needs are indicative of little faith (v. 30). Instead of worry our lives must be characterized by prayer (Phil. 4:6) and action (Matt. 6:33 – “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness”). Anxiety about these things can choke out the word and that is worldliness.

The riches of this life are another source of worldliness. Paul spoke of such in 1 Timothy 6:9-10:

But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.

It is our desire for riches that chokes out the word and, thus, constitutes worldliness.

The pleasures of this life also constitute worldliness. These would be any pleasures that would draw us away from the godly life that the Holy Spirit has laid out for us in t Word. Now, with John’s and Jesus description of worldliness before us, we can observe that.

Worldliness may fall into two categories. There are things that are wrong within themselves because God has declared them to be wrong. Anything that falls within the description of the works of the flesh in Galatians 5:19-21 is sinful because God declares that it is. This includes sexual sins, sins of the disposition, sins of action. Peter speaks of this kind of worldliness when he talks about “a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousals, drinking parties and abominable idolatries” (1 Pet. 4:3). Paul is emphatic in ordering us to “flee fornication” (1 Cor. 6:18). Anything that falls into this category is sinful – it is of this world. The “R” movies and many “PG” movies are sinful because of these passages. Parents, do you exercise control over what your children see? Would you allow your three year old child to go down the alley and eat food from garbage cans? Well, friend, the “R” movies (and many others) are garbage of a more deadly kind. They poison the soul! Would you bring a filthy garbage can into your living room from which to feed your family? Yet, almost every week and pollution into their homes by means of degraded TV programs. Such is harmful to adults, but it is disastrous to children! Such is also true of the modern dance. The moral allurements of such are not conducive to a godly, spiritual life. It is in the realm of worldliness.

But there is a worldliness that I believe is even more destructive to Christians than what we discussed in the preceding paragraph. That has to do with things that are not wrong within themselves, but which constitute worldliness by their use. Paul said that Demas loved this present world. I rather doubt that Demas got involved in immorality or drunkenness, etc. Rather I am inclined to feel that Demas was afraid that he would die if he stayed with Paul in Rome. He loved this present world and was not ready to leave it, I fear that we all must be very careful lest we become worldly in this way.

These are those who have so many interests in life that the most important things are choked out. People become too busy to pray, too busy to study, too busy to visit the sick, too busy to be involved in home classes, too busy to come to all the services. That’s worldliness! When we say, “I don’t have time,” we are saying that God did not give us sufficient time to do His will, and that is a charge against God Himself. He gave us all 168 hours each week. In so doing He gave us time to do everything that He desires of us in seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. Usually when one says, “I don’t have time for spiritual matters,” he still has time for sports, for TV, for theater, for extra school classes or for anything else that he wants to do. The truth is that we find time to do what we want to do. When we get so involved in making money that we do not have time for Jesus, that’s worldliness! I’m not afraid that a lot of my brothers and sisters will be involved in drinking parties, or gambling or immorality, but I believe that many are involved in “respectable worldliness.” You are allowing other things – things not wrong within themselves – to choke out your spiritual life. These things become the most important things in your life. Let me impress upon you, friend, you can get by without movies, TV, sports, theater, etc., but you cannot get by without Jesus Christ in your heart and life! Let us indeed “seek those things which are above” and “set our affection on things above” (Col. 3:1-2).

Truly, worldliness is defined in God’s word.

II. Worldliness Is Deceptive

Jesus tells us that worldliness will “weight us down”; it will “choke” us. These processes seldom take place immediately. Usually they gradually and slowly begin their deadly work. Thorns begin to grow as the seed grows. The thorns grow a little each day until they become so large that they have done their murderous work. Worldliness creeps up on one. The believer gradually accepts and then adopts the ways of the world. Jesus indicated that in Matthew 24:38-39 by His reference to the people of Noah’s day who were going on in their daily manner of life totally oblivious to the fact that the flood was coming. People come to feel comfortable in their worldly way of life. They come to look upon even sinful activities as being the normal way of life. We accept our “respectable worldliness” as the way that most decent people live. We fail to see the choking effect of this kind of worldliness.

We live in a time of deceptive advertising. People are bamboozled by the ads that promise joy and happiness but bring only sorrow and shame. The liquor industry has led millions down a path of destruction by their deceptive ads. “The man of distinction” ads allure many to drunkenness. The ads do not show the true side of the coin. They do not show the wreck on the highway with the mangled bodies of innocent children strewn on the roadside in their own blood – the wreck caused by “a man of distinction”! They do not show the children without sufficient food to eat or clothing to wear because their father is such a “man of distinction” that he cannot hold a job or do anything but hang out at the bar. These ads do not show the dissipated man in rags with vomit running down his filthy clothes. Indeed, they deceive. The ads show the woman who “has come a long way, baby,” as a lady of sophistication because she smokes a particular brand of cigarettes. The ads do not show the hundreds of thousands who are suffering from lung cancer, heart disease, ulcers, and emphysema because of their use of tobacco. The ads picture the glorification of illegitimate sex, but they do not show the ruin of teenage pregnancies and of broken homes caused by adulterous action. Truly, worldliness is deceptive.

III. Worldliness Is Destructive

We must understand that worldliness will destroy us! James 4:4 says:

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

The Lord is emphatic. Worldliness places us in hostility to our God. It is destructive. We have already seen John’s statement that “if any one loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). He shows that if we are in love with the world that we shall pass away with this world.

Paul shows that those who are guilty of the works of the flesh shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21). In Philippians 3:18-19 we hear him say:

For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

These are worldly people because they set their minds on earthly things. Their end is definite: it is destruction! Worldliness will lead one to Hell. If you are traveling the pathway of worldliness, you are in the way to eternal destruction.

We have shown that worldliness is defined in the Bible, it is deceptive, and it is destructive. Have you allowed worldliness to sap your spiritual energy and drag you back into the power of Satan? If so, “come out from among them and be separate and do not touch what is unclean.” Every effort that you make for godly living will be worth your while.

Guardian of Truth XXX: 9, pp. 264-266
May 1, 1986