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Dealing with the world is very important in the initial experience of our Christian life; therefore, we will study it carefully. First, we will consider, according to scriptural light, the difference between sin and the world, how the world was formed, its definition, and its process of development. Finally, we will see how God delivers us from the world. Precise knowledge of these truths enables us to have precise experiences in dealing with the world.
Immediately after our consecration, sin should first be dealt with and then the world. Because both are defiling in our lives and are abominable to God, they need to be dealt with and purged. However, the defilement of these two aspects differs. The contamination of sin is savage, rough, and ugly, whereas the contamination of the world is cultured and refined, often appearing beautiful in the sight of man. The contamination of sin is like a splash of mud or black ink on a white shirt, but the contamination of the world is like a colorful pattern printed on the white shirt. From the human standpoint, a shirt with black spots is considered dirty and undesirable, whereas a shirt with colorful prints is not dirty but rather desirable. However, in the sight of God, both are undesirable. He desires neither a stained nor a colorful shirt but a pure white shirt. Just as a dirty spot is not pure white, even so a colorful pattern detracts from the pure whiteness. Likewise, the world appears better than sin, but when related to purity, both are contaminating and require dealing.
Furthermore, the damage caused by sin and the damage caused by the world upon man differ greatly: sin contaminates man, whereas the world both contaminates and possesses man. It is far more serious for man’s life to be possessed by the world than to be contaminated by sin. If Satan only uses sin to defile man, he can only cause man to be corrupted, but if he uses the world to usurp man, he can gain man for himself. For example, a child under the guardianship of his parents may be innocent and pure. Someone may contaminate and corrupt his pure nature by teaching him to lie, steal, and do many evil things, yet he remains under the guardianship of his parents and still belongs to them. If, however, the evildoer goes one step further by giving the child beautiful clothes, he can deceive and gain the child, causing him to leave his parents and become lost. Similarly, Satan corrupts man by using sin, but he gains man by employing the world, thus causing him to depart from the presence of God and become lost.
A study of Genesis makes this difference apparent. Although Adam was corrupted by sin, he had not left the presence of God. It was not until Genesis 4, when man invented civilization and formed the worldly system, that he was not only corrupted but usurped and gained by Satan through the world. Hence, man no longer belonged to God.
Although Abraham repeatedly failed in the matter of claiming his wife as his sister, that was but a sin which merely contaminated him but did not usurp him. He could still be one who served the Lord and prayed for others in a heathen land (see chs. 12, 20). However, Demas, a co-worker of Paul, was deprived of his usefulness before God because he loved the present age and became usurped by it (2 Tim. 4:10). This proves that the damage of the world upon man is greater than that of sin.
Generally, people feel only the damage of sin but not that of the world, because sin is against morality, whereas the world does not oppose morality but God Himself. Man is destitute of the concept of God; he has only a moral concept within him. For this reason he has a little knowledge concerning sin, that which is against morality, and is conscious of its contamination. But as for the world, which is in opposition to God, he has no knowledge of it, neither is he conscious of its usurpation. For example, a drunkard — licentious, wanton, and lustful, fearing neither God nor man — is considered immoral and condemned by men. But if someone is daily occupied with poetry and recitation and steeped in literature, being completely indifferent to the things of God and unwilling to be gained by Him, men will praise him, having no feeling that he is usurped by literature. This is due to the fact that men neither know God nor have the concept of God and therefore are ignorant of Satan’s usurpation of man by the world.
Finally, the scope of sin differs from the scope of the world. The field of the world is much larger than that of sin. Sin includes all matters that are immoral and in opposition to the moral law of God, whereas the world includes all men, activities, and things that are outside of God. We cannot say that everything outside of God is sin. However, we can say that everything outside of God may become the world. Within the many things of the world, sin is only a part. The world includes sin, but sin does not include the world. Sin may not necessarily be the world, but in the world there certainly is sin.
A person may commit sin and not necessarily be possessed by the world. However, all who are possessed by the world are certainly contaminated by sin. For example, Adam sinned and fell into sin, but he did not fall into the world. Therefore, he was one who was only corrupted by sin but not usurped by the world. The world began with Cain. Lamech, one of Cain’s descendants, was both a polygamist and a murderer. He was one who was usurped by the world and sinned as well.
Similarly, when Abraham was living in a tent in Canaan, he had not fallen into the world. Therefore, it was not necessary for him to commit sin. But when he went down to Egypt, falling into the world, it became necessary for him to lie and commit sin. This also proves that sin is not necessarily the world, but the world certainly includes sin. Once we fall into the world, we cannot avoid committing sin.
When we see the differences between sin and the world, we will perceive that the world’s damaging scope is greater, its harmful effect more serious, and its opposition to God more hostile than that of sin. Because the world is in direct opposition to God Himself, it has become God’s enemy. Sin is contrary to God’s law and His procedure, that is, His righteousness, whereas the world is contrary to God Himself and His divine nature, that is, His holiness. Sin opposes the law of God, and the world opposes God Himself. For this reason the Bible states that the friendship of the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). “If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). When calling people to follow Him, the Lord stressed the fact that man should forsake houses, lands, brothers, sisters, parents, wife, children, and so forth (Matt. 10:37; 19:29; Mark 10:29; Luke 18:29). These constitute our human life and are the various terms of the world. If a man desires to follow the Lord, he must forsake these worldly things because they will possess him.
Sin is the primitive, superficial, and initial step of the fall. The world is the final, serious, and last step of the fall. Many people stress only victory over sin, but the Bible stresses even more the overcoming of the world (1 John 5:4). We need to overcome the world. If we desire to grow in life and be gained by the Lord, we must make an effort to deal with the world that enslaves us.
Since the world opposes God and has such a harmful effect upon man, we must consider its origin and process of development. The world did not exist when man was created, but it developed gradually after the fall of man. At the creation of man there were only the universe, the heaven and earth, and all things; the world did not exist. The world was formed after the fall, when man became independent of God and forfeited His care. Therefore, in studying the formation of the world, we must first consider the daily requirements of man’s existence.
Four general requirements for man’s existence are clothing, food, housing, and transportation. The Bible, however, divides man’s needs into three main categories: provision, protection, and pleasure. In order to maintain his existence, he needs not only the various provisions, such as clothing and food, but also a means of defense to protect himself from being hurt and a form of amusement for his happiness. Therefore, the entire need for human living is included in these three all-embracing categories.
Prior to the fall, God was responsible for providing for these three needs of man. First, before man was created, God had made provision for all necessities of human life. When Adam was in the garden of Eden, various kinds of fruit and vegetables, water, air, sunshine, and a place for shelter were provided.
Second, protection or defense was also God’s responsibility in the beginning. Today man needs self-protection and self-defense, but in the beginning God Himself was his defense and protection. When man is under God’s care, he can escape any attack or danger.
Third, pleasure was also God’s responsibility. Some people think that amusement is sinful, but this concept is wrong. Happiness is essential to human life and is found in amusement. “Out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” (Gen. 2:9). All the trees in the garden of Eden not only bore fruit for food but were also pleasing and enjoyable to the eye, making one happy. God not only prepared this happy environment; at the same time He Himself was the joy of man. If man has God as his enjoyment, then man’s joy is fulfilled.
In the beginning these three great needs — supply, defense, and amusement — were planned and prepared for by God, even as the needs of children today are planned and prepared for by their parents. A wife’s substance, protection, and joy are entirely dependent upon her husband. In other words, her husband is her life and her all. Likewise, Adam in the garden of Eden had no need to worry, plan, or prepare anything for himself, for God was responsible for everything. Since God supplied all of man’s needs, then in reality God was his life and his all.
Alas, man fell by committing sin and was expelled from the garden of Eden. His relationship with God became abnormal. But God prepared a covering of skins for man’s redemption, enabling him to remain in His presence. As yet, man had not lost God. However, during Cain’s lifetime, man fell deeper into sin. Cain said to God, “Now You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground, and from Your face I will be hidden” (4:14). “And Cain went forth from the presence of Jehovah” (v. 16). Thus, man left God’s presence completely and lost God.
When he lost God, man naturally lost God’s provision, protection, and pleasure. When man lost God’s care for his livelihood, he first experienced fear; he feared the lack of supply, defense, and happiness. In other words, he feared poverty, danger, and boredom with life. Therefore, in order to meet the necessities of life and survive, man used his own strength and devised means of supply, defense, and amusement. From this time, man created a godless civilization.
Genesis 4 clearly reveals this to us. After the fall of Cain, out of his descendants were produced the founders of man’s own supply for these three great needs of life. These were the three sons of Lamech. Jabal was the father of those who dwell in tents and raise cattle. Tents and cattle are for the supply of man’s living and therefore belong to the category of provision. Another son, Jubal, was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Playing the lyre and pipe is for pleasure; thus, it belongs to the category of amusement. The third son, Tubal-cain, was the forger of every cutting instrument of bronze and iron. These instruments were formed for the purpose of defense, thus referring to the category of protection. Since these three important inventions originated at that time, humanity found no need of God. Man found within himself the answer to the need of supply, defense, and amusement. This was the civilization produced after the human race lost God — a godless life created by men.
When mankind lived a godless life, Satan immediately disguised himself and utilized these avenues as a means to possess man. He caused man to employ his entire effort to seek food and clothing for self-nurture, to invent instruments for self-defense, and to design various forms of amusements for self-enjoyment. When man obtains all these things, he tends to enjoy them to the utmost and become thoroughly immersed in them. The entire human life is completely usurped by these requirements, and man totally disregards God and His will. This is the first step in the formation of the world.
In the beginning these various forms of occupations involving man’s livelihood seemed rather trivial, scattered, and unsystematized. Later, Satan organized these into a more tangible and systematized world, thus entangling mankind in a tighter web. Take, for example, the matter of eating. A man requires food for his existence, but when he is engrossed in labor in order to earn enough to feed himself, he is already possessed. Moreover, Satan has systematized eating by methods of preparation, order of courses, and different relishes for taste. Table and seating arrangements also involve a certain order and etiquette. Whenever man partakes of food, he is bound by these dining regulations. Other matters, such as clothing, housing, marriage, funerals, occupations, and amusements, have been organized by Satan into various manners, orders, and systems. Gradually, man has become heavily bound and thoroughly possessed by these systems and can find no way of escape.
Therefore, the formation of the world has five steps. First, man lost God. Second, he developed fear and was desperate concerning his needs. Third, he created a godless life. Fourth, Satan disguised himself and utilized man’s needs. Fifth, Satan organized man’s own supply for his needs into a system. At the completion of these five steps the world was finally formed.
Now that we have learned how the world was formed, it is easy to define the world. Originally, man belonged to God, lived by God, and relied entirely upon Him. Now Satan has systematized the world to replace God in providing for man’s need. Man, having forsaken God, relies upon the world and is overcome by the world. Therefore, the world consists of everything that replaces God and all that usurps man. When people, activities, or things — whether good or bad, beautiful or ugly — enslave man, they comprise the world. Anything that causes man to disregard God, be removed from Him, or be independent of Him is the world.
The Greek word for world is kosmos, which means “system, or organization.” Satan not only employs the necessities of life, such as people, activities, and things, to preoccupy man; he furthermore organizes them into numerous individual systems in order to intensify his grip upon man. The world today resembles a university, in which are many different departments, such as eating, drinking, clothing, marriage, funerals, literature, music, money, and fame — more than we can enumerate. The aggregate result is a world university, occupying man with many courses. One by one, these courses enslave and possess man, causing him to completely forsake and forget God and go along with the current of the world. Man believes that he is handling and enjoying all these things, but actually, without realizing Satan’s deception, man has fallen into the hands of the evil one and is controlled and tricked by him. Therefore, the world denotes the enemy’s scheme, system, and organization to usurp the place of God in man and finally to gain full possession of man.
Concerning the definition of the world, the Bible gives some explanations:
First, the difference between the world and the things in the world (1 John 2:15-17): “If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him” (v. 15). The world and God are in direct opposition to each other. Verse 17 says that “the world is passing away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever.” Here the world contradicts the will of God. In verse 16 that which is included in the things of this world is divided into three categories: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life. In conclusion, all that does not come from the Father, all that originates outside of God, and all that comes from the world are things of the world and are contrary to the will of God.
Second, the difference between the world and the age: “Do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect” (Rom. 12:2). Here this age in the Greek is aion.
What is the world, and what is the age? The combination of all people, activities, and things outside of God is called “the world.” This age designates the part of the world that we contact at the present. The part of the world that Cain contacted was the age of Cain; the part of the world that Abraham contacted was the age of Babel. The part of the world that we come in touch with today is called the age of the twentieth century. Whereas the world is the entire organization used by Satan to usurp man, an age is a fraction of this organization. There are many ages within this organized world. Therefore, the apostle in Ephesians 2:2 refers to “the age of this world.” The world signifies the whole, and the age, the part. Man can only contact the age, a part, but not the world, the whole. Usually, we say that the world possesses us. In reality, only part of the age possesses us, not the whole world, and even in the age, we contact but a fraction of it by having a wife, a few children, a home, a bank account, and so forth. These constitute the practical world that binds and possesses us. In other words, the age is equivalent to the aforementioned things that are in the world.
The Greek word for age is aion, which means “modern.” So, age means “modern,” “fashion,” “the course,” the world that is revealed before us today, or the things that are in the world. In Romans 12:2 the age, not the world, is in opposition to the will of God; this corresponds to 1 John 2:17.
From this we see the relationships between the world, the age, and the things that are in the world. We cannot contact the world in its entirety but only a portion of it, called the “age” or “the things in the world.” This is also true of the relationship between God and His will. Since God is so great, we cannot contact Him as a whole but only a portion of Him. This portion that we contact is called the will of God. Whenever we contact God, we contact only the portion emanating from Him, which we call the will of God. Thus, we see that the world is in opposition to God, and the age or the things in the world are in opposition to the will of God.
Love of the world is comprehensive, but love of the things in the world is more practical. Also, obedience to God is comprehensive, but obedience to the will of God is more practical.
We have seen that the world was formed after Cain’s fall and separation from God. At that time he dwelt in the land of Nod and built a city called Enoch. This was the first city built by man; it was also the beginning of a man-made, godless culture and life. In the Bible a man-made city was a center and symbol of a godless life invented by man. Hence, a city symbolizes the world. These godless cities throughout the Bible reveal the development of the world in all generations.
The world described in the Bible consists of two main stages, or we may say, two worlds. The first world began with the city of Enoch built by Cain; the second world began with the city of Babel after the flood. The first world, beginning with Cain, developed and prospered gradually, until it reached its peak during the time of Noah. The human race had then completely fallen into the world, and the corruption therein was beyond cure. Genesis 6:11-12 states, “The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.” In position, the human race was completely submerged in the world; its condition was vile, sinful, and utterly corrupted. This condition brought in God’s judgment. The flood not only judged the sins committed by men but also put an end to the sinful world. Only the eight members of Noah’s family were saved, while the remainder of the first world was wiped out by the flood.
After the flood the human race again became gradually engulfed by the world. In Genesis 11 men began to rebel against God in a collective way by forsaking Him and His name. They established a name for themselves and built the tower and city of Babel. This was the second city built by man. This city was even more man’s declaration that he desired self and relied upon himself rather than God. It also represented a godless life invented by man. Therefore, the city of Babel was the beginning of the second world.
This second world, beginning with the city of Babel, gradually developed by branching out into three lines and becoming three different cities as recorded in the Bible: the cities of Babylon, Egypt, and Sodom. The first world was an all-inclusive mixture, but the second definitely branched into three lines, each representing one aspect of the world.
The first line is represented by the city of Babylon, which derived its name from Babel. This city was filled with idols and false gods. (According to some records, the city and tower of Babel were filled with idolatrous names.) Therefore, this city represents the idolatrous aspect of the world.
Babylon was in the land of Chaldea, the original home of Abraham (vv. 27-28). Abraham and his ancestors were idol worshippers (Josh. 24:2). Although God delivered Abraham from the land and its idols, his descendants were later captured and compelled to return to the land and worship idols (see Dan. 3). Babylon always destroys man’s worship of God. The Babylonians destroyed the temple of God, took its vessels into Babylon as spoils, and placed them in the temple of their idols (2 Kings 25:8-9, 13-15; 2 Chron. 36:7, 10, 18-19). This proves that Babylon in the Bible is a world of idols.
The second line is represented by the city of Egypt. Egypt, a rich land, was irrigated by the Nile and produced an abundance of food (Gen. 42:1-2) with a variety of tastes (Num. 11:5). Hence, Egypt represents the aspect of livelihood and enjoyment of the world. The Bible records several occasions in which the children of God went down into Egypt to solve their problems of livelihood (Gen. 12:10; 42:3; 45:9-11, 18). Furthermore, once the children of Israel went down to Egypt to solve the problem of livelihood, they invariably came under the power of the Egyptians, were forced into hard labor, and became enslaved (Exo. 1:11-14). Therefore, Egypt also represents the aspect of hard labor and slavery under the dominion of the world. In conclusion, Egypt represents a world of livelihood, power, hard labor, and slavery.
The third line is represented by Sodom. Whenever Sodom is mentioned in the Bible, it always refers to her sins (Gen. 13:13; 18:20; 19:13). Therefore, Sodom represents the sinful aspect of the world, or a world of sins.
These three cities represent the three different aspects of the second world. They compassed the land of Canaan, the rightful position of God’s elect, and posed a snare to engulf the children of Israel. Whenever they became careless and succumbed to temptations, they were drawn into the sinful world of Sodom and became contaminated by its filth. An example of this was Lot’s descent into Sodom. Sometimes, when they failed the tests because of weakness, they went down to Egypt and were required to exert themselves in order to maintain their livelihood. They became the slaves of livelihood and were controlled by the world. This is the story of Abraham and the Israelites when they sojourned to Egypt. It seemed impossible for them to return to Babylon to worship idols. When they were extremely weak, however, they were captured and taken back to the city of Babylon, the world of idolatry, to worship the devil. This occurred during the decline of Israel.
These three aspects of the world are the enemies of God, destroying those whom God has gained for Himself. The Israelites were a people separated from the human race to be possessed and used by Him. But they never freed themselves from the corruption of these three aspects of the world. Either they went down to the world of Egypt in order to seek sustenance (Isa. 30:1-4; 31:1), or they became like the people of Sodom (1:9; 3:9; Ezek. 16:46, 49; Rev. 11:8), or worse still, they were taken into the idolatrous world of Babylon and forsook their worship and service to God (2 Chron. 36:14-21). Today these three aspects of the world are in like manner destroying the church that the Lord chose and called out for Himself. Look at the church today! Is she not relying on the power of the world of Egypt? Does she not have the worldly sins of Sodom? Has she not even been captured and taken into the idolatrous world of Babylon and thus been filled with the idols of the world? This is especially true of today’s Roman Catholic Church.
These three cities, representing the different aspects of this second world, will evolve on parallel lines continuously until they become that great city of Babylon mentioned in Revelation 17 and 18. That city — the center and representative of the world at that time — will exert all her effort to multiply her animosity toward God and persecute the children of God. She will be the climax of the development of the second world, and its conclusion as well. She will be judged and destroyed by fire through the Lord’s second coming. This judgment of fire and the judgment of the flood have a distinct resemblance. The judgment of the flood consummated the first world, and the judgment of fire will consummate the second world. For this reason the Lord compared the days of Noah with that of His coming (Matt. 24:37-39). The destruction of the great Babylon will bring the world to an end.
The development, as depicted by the two worlds, is an example of Satan’s method of employing the world to possess and win man for himself and to destroy and nullify the purpose of God in man. First, Satan corrupted Adam by sin and gradually employed the world in order to usurp his descendants. Up to the time of Noah, all the descendants of Adam were submerged in the world. Satan had then successfully accomplished his first step in possessing man. But God judged and destroyed that world by the flood. After the descendants of Noah greatly multiplied, Satan aroused a mass rebellion against God, causing that generation to build the tower of Babel. Consequently, man was submerged even deeper into the world and again possessed by Satan.
Since Satan obtained Noah’s descendants, God could not fulfill His purpose in them. God had no other alternative but to forsake this created race by choosing Abraham. Abraham’s descendants, who were multiplied as the stars of the heavens and the dust of the earth, became God’s chosen race to fulfill His purpose, that purpose which had been suspended by the created race at Babel. Satan, however, continued to work unceasingly by using the world to defraud and possess God’s chosen people, leaving no way for God to fulfill His purpose.
The Old Testament shows that their downfall resulted in God’s people coming under the control of the world. For example, after Abraham had been led by God into Canaan, he was drawn away by Egypt. Later, Israel, in their weak endeavors to meet the needs of their livelihood, fell under the power of Egypt. Eventually, the kingdom of Israel completely succumbed to the world of idols by being led captive to Babylon. Finally, God’s elect will become integrated with the great Babylon, which represents the whole world system (Rev. 17—18). That will be the final fall of God’s chosen race, wherein they will be corrupted and possessed by Satan to the uttermost.
The Bible divides the history of the human race into two parts: Genesis 1 through 11:26 and Genesis 11:27 to the end of Revelation. The first part began with the creation of man and ended with the destruction of the first world by the flood. The subject of this part is the created race of Adam. The second part began with the call of Abraham and will end with the destruction of the second world by fire. The subject of this part is the chosen race of Abraham. Although after the call of Abraham there were histories of the created race, they were not recorded as the main subject of the Bible. In both sections Satan’s work is characterized by his use of the world to possess man. In the first part Satan employed the first world to possess the created race; then Satan used the second world to possess the chosen race. The second world was fully ripened in Egypt, because it was there that Satan possessed the entire chosen race, the Israelites.
In conclusion, Satan employed two worlds in order to possess two races, which bring forth two judgments of God. The first judgment was by water and terminated the first world. The second judgment is by fire and will end the second world. Therefore, the Bible is divided into two sections: the first from the creation of man to the destruction of the first world, and the second from the calling of the chosen people to the destruction of the second world. This is the line of the development of the world as recorded in the Bible.
In the process of the world’s development, a great majority of those prepared by God for Himself have become possessed by Satan. Nevertheless, a small number of overcomers have stood on God’s ground of separation from the world. With the tent and the altar, they bear a direct testimony against the city, which is the symbol and center of the world. The Bible has not only the line of the city, depicting the development of the world, but also the line of the tent, showing the testimony of the overcomers against the world. This is another important line in the Bible, running parallel with the line of the development of the world.
In the first world Noah was the first man who lived a tent life in direct opposition to the city life of the world. When God judged the first world, he delivered Noah. After he left the ark, he built an altar unto God (Gen. 8:20) and lived in a tent (9:21), not in a city. This tent may be considered as contrary to the city of Enoch built by Cain. The first overcomer was delivered out from the world and lived in a tent as an opposing testimony against the city, the world’s symbol. Therefore, he could have an altar to worship and serve God.
In the second world there have been many who have lived in tents and have borne an opposing testimony against the world. Abraham was the most outstanding one among them. He was called out of the world, from the city of Babel to the land of Canaan (ch. 12). There he set up a tent in opposition to the city of Babel. This tent was not only a proof of his overcoming but also an opposing testimony against the world at that time. Because he refused to live in the worldly city that usurped man and chose to live a life for God in a tent, he had an altar to worship and serve God. His tent stood in opposition to the city of Babel, and his altar stood in opposition to the tower of Babel.
Whenever an overcomer fails, the testimony of the tent and the altar disappears. Abraham became weak and went down to Egypt. Upon his arrival in Egypt, both his tent and his altar vanished; therefore, his testimony against the world and his service to God disappeared. When he departed from Egypt and returned to Canaan, the tent and the altar were recovered, and likewise the testimony and the service were recovered.
Lot, who journeyed to Canaan with Abraham, also lived with him in a tent. Then he left Abraham and eventually moved his tent to Sodom. Finally, he lived in Sodom and lost both his tent and his testimony.
Later, all Israel succumbed to the world of Egypt. Their daily occupation was to make bricks and build cities (Exo. 1:11-14). Consequently, they lost their testimony and service. After their deliverance from Egypt and their arrival in the wilderness, they observed the tent life and the service of the altar. Furthermore, God dwelt with them in the tent, the tabernacle, as a testimony against the city of Egypt.
When the Israelites entered Canaan, Jerusalem became the center of their dwelling. Jerusalem was a miniature of the eternal tent of God, the New Jerusalem. Jerusalem is always in opposition to Babylon, and Babylon is always contrary to Jerusalem. When the Israelites experienced complete failure, Babylon destroyed Jerusalem (2 Chron. 36:6-7, 18-19). But later, when there were overcomers among the Israelites, they set their faces toward Jerusalem (Dan. 6:10) and recovered Jerusalem (Neh. 2).
At the end of the New Testament the great Babylon will be destroyed (Rev. 18:2), and the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven (21:2-3). This New Jerusalem is also called the “tabernacle of God,” or the tent. Thus, at the end we still see the tent, the symbol of the overcomers, as an opposing testimony against the city, which represents the world.
These biblical records convey the spiritual meaning of the tent in opposition to the city. The city is the symbol and center of all human, self-devised life, and thus represents the world. The tent, erected in the wilderness, that is, outside the world, represents the pilgrim life outside the world. Those who live in tents testify that they are not submerged in the world; rather, they lead a sojourner’s life outside the world. When man failed and lost God, he succumbed to the world; when man was saved by God, he subsequently left the world and lived in a tent as a stranger and sojourner, serving only God.
The Bible discloses that the altar always accompanies the tent. If there is a tent, there is an altar. If there is no tent, there is no altar. After his departure from the ark, Noah erected a tent and built an altar. When Abraham went to Canaan, he also erected a tent and built an altar. But during his sojourn in Egypt he lost the tent, and consequently, the altar was gone. Likewise, the Israelites during their slavery in Egypt had no altar, but when they left Egypt and came into the wilderness, they lived in tents and reestablished the altar. When there is the altar, then consecration, service, and worship follow because the altar is the place for man to consecrate himself and the means to serve and worship God. These were the natural outcome of man’s life in the tent. Whenever man succumbed to the world, he lost his consecration, service, and worship.
The tent life is the position not only where man serves God but also where God meets him. This principle is evident in the lives of Abraham and Lot. God appeared to Abraham while he sat at the entrance of his tent. This bears witness to his victorious position over the world, which enabled him to obtain God’s manifestation (Gen. 18). However, God Himself did not appear to Lot (ch. 19); instead, two angels were sent to Sodom. They found Lot sitting in the gate, which proves that he had already succumbed to the world. Although the angels came to his rescue, God Himself did not appear to him. He cannot appear to those whom the world has claimed. Once man falls into the world, he is gained by Satan and can no longer see light in the face of God.
Since the world possesses God’s children and destroys God’s purpose, God saves man in two aspects: from sin and from the world. Salvation from sin delivers us only from our fallen state, whereas salvation from the world delivers us from our fallen position. When we preach the gospel, we give much attention to deliverance from sin, but we seldom speak about deliverance from the world. This is not sufficient.
In the Old Testament the salvation of God is seen in two important types: the ark of Noah and the exodus from Egypt. Each type shows both aspects of deliverance from sin and from the world. The eight members of Noah’s family were saved by the ark and by the water. The ark delivered them from God’s judgment of the flood; the water delivered them from the corrupt world. Similarly, Israel was saved by the passover and by the Red Sea. The passover denotes their deliverance from God’s judgment of death; the Red Sea denotes their deliverance from the ruling power of the world.
Likewise, the perfect salvation we enjoy today also has two aspects — faith and baptism. Through faith we are delivered from sin by the blood. Through baptism we are delivered from the world by water. Noah’s family was saved through the flood, which destroyed the world, and thus they were delivered from the corrupted world. The Israelites were saved through the water of the Red Sea, which drowned the Egyptian army, and thus they were delivered from the Egyptian world, which ruled over them. Baptism is foreshadowed by these two incidents of passing through the waters of death (1 Pet. 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 10:1-2). Baptism by immersion delivers us from the world. Therefore, when a believer is baptized, he has passed through both the flood and the Red Sea. His ascent from the water denotes his separation from the world and his new position relative to the life of the tent and the altar. We who have been chosen and saved should continually live a tent life as a testimony that we have been delivered and separated from the world. In this manner we will be delivered from being possessed by the world and will be a people living completely unto God by the way of the altar.
James 4:4: “Adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever determines to be a friend of the world is constituted an enemy of God.”
Romans 12:2: “Do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.”
First John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him; because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
The world in our daily living consists of people, activities, and things that usurp the place of God in us. Therefore, these objects are the aim of our dealings.
How do we know what objects are usurping us, and what is the standard of measurement? First, we need to see whether these objects exceed the necessities of our life. We can say that anything that goes beyond our daily necessities is taking the place of God and possessing us; thus, it needs to be dealt with. Our existence depends upon certain people, activities, and things, such as parents, husband, wife, family, clothes, food, housing, transportation, and occupation. These are the necessities for our existence. If these necessities contribute to our purpose of living for God, they are not our world. But should these people, activities, or things exceed our daily necessities, they then become our world. For example: clothing as a necessity is not worldly, but if one pays too much attention to apparel and ornaments or squanders money in order to comply with present-day fashions, he has already exceeded the scope of his daily necessities. Consequently, these excesses have become his world. Another example: glasses to correct defective eyesight are not worldly. But some wear glasses to be fashionable; this then is not their necessity but the world they love.
What is the standard that regulates our daily necessities in regard to people, activities, and things? In the Bible there is no uniform or specific standard governing these matters. God has ordained that we be born in different families, receive different educational training, have different professions, and contact different social environments. In this way God permits us to have diverse concepts and standards relative to our living. Therefore, all living necessities vary with each person.
For example, one person may live in a city and another in a village. Both may be saved and have Christ as their life, but because each was born in a different family, their occupations and environments differ. Therefore, their standard of living is different. The brother living in the city wears a suit, which is not beyond his living necessities; but to the one living in the village, this same suit would be beyond his necessities. In the eyes of the brothers who are merchants in the city, the suit may be very modest and simple, but the same suit would be extravagant to the Christian farmers in the village.
Likewise, a manager and a janitor of a company, or a professor and a gardener of a college, may all be saved and love the Lord, but their concepts regarding their living necessities are not the same. Due to the fact that their lives and environments differ, their opinions and feelings also differ. For this reason the Bible does not give a uniform or fixed standard for the necessities of the believers. Even though 1 Timothy 2:9 forbids the adornment of costly clothing, it is a matter of principle, not a detailed, rigid rule. What is really costly depends upon the environment of people.
These various standards of living are sovereignly permitted. In the church God does not require different classes of people to behave in the same way. Some time ago in China, a group of Christians went to extremes because they lacked this light. They started a meeting and formulated certain rules. They said that no one could attend the meeting wearing leather shoes, but all must wear Chinese shoes made of cloth. Moreover, the men were required to shave their heads, and the women were required to wear skirts; otherwise, they were not allowed to attend the meeting. We know that this is not what God desires of His children, for this is extreme.
Therefore, the standard of our living necessities must be determined by ourselves through prayer and seeking the mind of God. We cannot measure our standard according to that of others or demand that they agree with our views and feelings. Furthermore, our own dealings before God should also be according to the standard of our daily living before God. We should neither go beyond nor fall short. Some people deal with their living necessities, things that do not usurp them, as if they were worldly, and thus go to the extreme. Once, in northern China I met a brilliant preacher who loved the Lord and testified for Him. However, he dealt with the world in an extreme manner. For example, he perspired while preaching but refused to use a handkerchief, thinking it to be an item of the world. Instead, he used his sleeve to wipe the perspiration from his forehead. He slept on the floor because he had no peace sleeping on a bed. Upon arising in the morning, he went out to the seaside to wash, because he had no peace when washing indoors. This kind of dealing was really extreme. Because he neither ate nor slept properly, his body was weakened, and he died prematurely in his fifties. This was indeed regrettable.
We must realize that God still requires us to live as a normal human being on this earth. For this reason we have certain living necessities. When Adam was in the garden of Eden, God presented him with trees pleasant to the eye. From this we may conclude that even beauty and happiness are needed for human living. If our appearance is shabby or our home is untidy, this does not prove that we are spiritual. The question is whether this particular object usurps you. If it occupies a place in you and usurps you so that you are unable to relinquish it, that undoubtedly is your world, and you have to deal with it accordingly.
Although any excess beyond our necessities constitutes the world, this does not mean that all living necessities may not become the world. If a certain living necessity binds and hinders us from doing the will of God or from being completely gained by God, we are then usurped by it. This then becomes the world and requires dealings. For example, food and clothing are both needed for our living, but if they usurp us and replace God, they become the world.
Actually, when a believer pursues the Lord, he is seldom usurped and entangled by things beyond his living necessities. On the contrary, he is usually usurped and entangled by things that are needed for living. Therefore, when the Lord on earth called people to follow Him, He did not ask them to forsake that which exceeded their daily needs but stressed that they should forsake the involvements of their daily life, such as parents, wives, children, lands, and houses. If these necessities usurp man, they seize the Lord’s place in man. Of course, the Lord Jesus does not ask us to forsake our responsibility, but He desires us to relinquish the entanglements of people, activities, and things. For this reason in the Epistles the Lord teaches us again through the apostles that we should honor our parents, treat our wives fittingly, and care for our relations.
Without a doubt, the emphasis in dealing with the world is on dealing with the usurpation of people, activities, and things. As long as these usurp us, whether they are the necessary provisions for daily living or excessive provisions, they still constitute the world and must be the aim of our dealing. Our daily necessities may or may not usurp us, but anything exceeding our daily necessities definitely usurps us.
In conclusion, the objects in our dealing with the world are not certain fixed people, activities, and things. What we have to do is to ascertain whether these objects usurp us and take God’s place in us. It is possible that the identical necessities regarding people, activities, and things may usurp one person and not the other and may take God’s place in one and not in the other. Therefore, from the human standpoint, it is difficult to determine what is and what is not the world. There is no fixed limit and standard.
Now we come to see from God’s viewpoint, what are the objects of dealing with the world. From the divine viewpoint, there is a certain measuring rule regarding the world. This rule is God Himself. As we measure sin by the law of God, so we measure the world by God Himself. The standard of dealing with the world is based upon God. If God is absent, we cannot sense what the world is. God and the world are forever in opposition to each other. Wherever there is the world, there God is not; where there is God, there the world is not.
Therefore, by taking God as the standard, we can define the world as those people, activities, and things incompatible with God, replacing God in us, hindering the will of God being done through us, or preventing God’s full control over us. All these matters that usurp us are classified as “unholy.” Therefore, to deal with the world is to deal with these “unholy” objects.
Unholy is the opposite of holy. Holiness means to be separated and different from all else. In the whole universe only God Himself is separated and different from all else; therefore, only He is holy. Likewise, if a person, activity, or thing is separated unto God and for God, the Bible also calls it holy, being separated unto holiness. For example, the Lord Jesus in Matthew 23:17 and 19 showed us that gold, if used for the temple, and a gift, when placed on the altar, become sanctified. All the gold in this world is for human use and is common; however, if a portion is separated and placed in the temple for God’s use, it becomes sanctified. Again, if an ox or a sheep are among the herd, they are for human use and are common. When chosen and placed upon the altar, however, they become an offering unto God, being separated unto holiness. It is altogether a matter of whether they are separated and belong to God. Before they are separated, they are common; after they are separated, they become holy. Simply speaking, holiness means all that pertains to God and all that is of God, unto God, and for God. All else is unholy and common. These unholy objects are to be dealt with in our dealings with the world.
Actually, what pertains to God? What is of God, unto God, and for God? God Himself and all that is in Him pertain to Him. When God and all that is in Him enter into us, we are of Him directly, which, in turn, causes all things belonging to us to be of Him indirectly.
Although a believer’s wife and children are not saved, they are sanctified, because they are directly of him and indirectly of God (1 Cor. 7:14). The husband is of God directly, but his unsaved wife and children are of God indirectly by virtue of their relationship to him. Otherwise, the Christian husband, when dealing with the unholy things of the world, must deal with his unsaved family — this would not harmonize with the truth of the Scriptures.
What does it mean to be unto God? The sphere of being unto God is smaller than the sphere of being of God. For example, my house is mine, but it may not necessarily be unto me in order to be under my control. Likewise, for us who are saved, all that we have is of God but is not necessarily unto God. Not until we consecrate all to God will all be unto God.
What does it mean to be for God? This sphere is again less than that of being unto God. For God means to be used by God. We who are unto God are not necessarily fully used by God. Perhaps, we are of God one hundred percent, but only forty percent unto God, and only five percent truly used by God. When we attain to the degree of being completely used by God, we are then altogether holy.
We see from the above that all that relates to God, all that is of God, all that is unto God, and all that is for God is holy. All else is not holy. All that is unholy is the object of dealing with the world. The standard of measuring what is worldly is God Himself. All that is unfitting and incompatible with God and all that does not measure up to God is worldly and unholy. Therefore, each person, activity, and thing with reference to ourselves, our environment, our family, our work, and our career must be examined before God by the following standard: Is this related to God, is it of God, is it unto God, and is it for God? Whatever does not agree with God and measure up to God must be dealt with. For example, although the unsaved wife and children are indirectly sanctified to God through the believer, he must quickly bring them to salvation. After they are saved, he must help them to consecrate themselves to God so that they may be unto God and be used by God. This is also included in the dealings with unholiness.
In conclusion, the objects of our dealing with the world include all things not pertaining to God, not of God, not unto God, and not for God. They include anything that takes God’s place in us, as well as all people, activities, and things that exceed our living necessities. These unholy, worldly objects need to be dealt with.
The basis of our dealing with the world is the same as dealing with sin. It is based upon the sense of life obtained during fellowship. God has never asked an individual to separate himself in a moment’s time from all unholiness and all things that usurp him. God wants man to deal with the things that he feels are unholy and usurping. Practically speaking, there may be one hundred unholy things in us, but during our fellowship we become conscious, perhaps, of only ten. Therefore, God holds us responsible for only these ten. Temporarily, we are not responsible for the remaining ninety. Not until we have attained to a greater degree of fellowship in life do we become conscious of the remaining objects and deal with them.
Therefore, the basis of dealing with the world is the same as that of dealing with sin. We should pay attention to the following three principles:
(1) We should deal with the world upon the basis of the inner feeling gained through fellowship. The dealing should not exceed our inner feeling.
(2) We should gradually broaden the area of our fellowship so that our inner feeling touches all aspects of our life. Thus, we will have dealings with the world in all aspects.
(3) We should gradually deepen our fellowship so that our inner feeling concerning the world deepens; thus, we may deal more thoroughly.
Besides these three principles, there are two factors that greatly influence our inner feeling toward the world: our love for God and our spiritual growth in life. We have said that God is the standard for dealing with the world. If we are far from God, we are not conscious of our worldliness. But once we draw nigh unto God, we discover many worldly matters in us. Only those who love God desire to draw nigh unto God. Therefore, if we desire to deal with the world, we should first love God. The more we love God, the more we become sensitive toward the world, and the more the world is exposed in us. Once it becomes exposed, it is being disposed of. This exposure is the enlightenment. When our love for God causes us to meet God, who is light, He enlightens and exposes the world. Whenever this light appears, it shines away the world in us. Therefore, in dealing with the world, there is no law but God, who is our standard and our measure. The degree to which we deal with the world depends upon the degree of our love for God.
Our inner feeling toward the world also depends upon our spiritual growth. The more we advance in the spiritual life and knowledge of God, the deeper we will be in knowing the world. This knowledge of the world is the inner feeling we have toward the world and forms the basis of dealing with the world. The degree of our spiritual growth is always in proportion to the degree of our dealing with the world. The life of a new believer is immature, and his knowledge toward God is limited. Consequently, his inner feeling toward the world and his dealings with the world are shallow. By comparison, the one whose life is matured and whose knowledge toward God is increased has deeper feelings toward the world. Thus, his dealings with the world are more severe. The sky above is so immense and high. However, how immense and how high it is to us depends on our vision. If our vision is as narrow as the opening of a well, then the sky we see will be no larger than the opening of the well. Similarly, in each of us the world is very much, but our measure of dealing with it depends upon our inner feeling toward it, upon our knowledge of God, and upon the degree of our spiritual growth. Dealing with the world will cause us to grow spiritually, yet if we wish to deal to the end in order that God may have a complete place within us, we should ask Him to draw us so that we may love Him more and pursue more for our spiritual growth so that we may become more mature in life.
The extent to which we deal with the world is “life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). Whenever we deal with the world that we are conscious of, we should deal with it until we have peace and life within. Since these dealings are based upon the feelings of life that are derived from fellowship, they are experiences of life. Dealing with the world causes us to experience life and sense the freshness, brightness, satisfaction, strength, joy, and peace of life. In other words, we should deal with the world to the extent that we have life and peace.
If we wish to practice dealing with the world, we should pay our attention to one point — that is, to close our mind to the world.
When we begin to learn the lessons of dealing, sin and the world often return to our thinking; that is, we often have a mind to sin or to love the world. At such a time our responsibility is to close our mind and refuse these thoughts.
Of course, it is very difficult to close our mind toward the thoughts of sin, because sin lives within us. Not until we are raptured will we be delivered from this inward difficulty. Therefore, even mature and learned Christians are still tempted by thoughts of sin.
The difficulty of the world is something of an outward nature. The Bible states that sin dwells in us, but it never mentions that the world lives in us. Since the nature of the world is outward, it is easy to shut off the thoughts of the world. When speaking of dealing with the world, 1 John 2 admonishes the young saints. Thus, this matter does not require much experience; it can and ought to be practiced when we begin to follow the Lord. On the contrary, if a saint is constantly being disturbed by the world and is unable to shut out worldly thoughts, this proves that he is still young and immature.
In conclusion, when we endeavor to deal with the world, we should be determined and violent to shut out any thoughts of the world. Not only should we close the door, but we should also bar it and even make this door into a wall. In this manner we can thoroughly solve the problem of the world. For this, we should not simply wait for the Lord to constrain us with His love or for His grace to support us. We must also use our own initiative to deal with this matter. If so, worldly thoughts will never intrude again.
