Excerpt from the book, In Search of Holiness
“Love not, the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (I John 2:15). “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thessalonians 5:22).
We want to find some basic guidelines and then apply them to modern day situations that did not confront Christians in Bible days. There are a number of activities that fundamental and conservative Christians have classified as worldly. We want to take a close look at these beliefs with a view toward provoking thought and discussion. Are they merely traditions or are there important principles of holiness involved?
For some of the specific issues, there are no scriptures that speak directly to the point in question. In these cases we must follow basic principles of holiness as given by the Bible, and we must be led by the Spirit in us. We must decide
as a fellowship, as pastors, and as individuals where to take a stand and where to draw a line.
We have the urgent need for personal convictions. As taught in I Corinthians 8:1-13; 10:23-33; and Romans 14:1-23, we have Christian liberty but also Christian responsibility. These scriptures give instructions on how to deal with doubtful
things that are not otherwise covered in the Word of God. First, we must follow the convictions that God gives us personally. At the same time, we should not do anything that might cause someone else to misunderstand, to stumble, or to fall. This means we should not judge one another, or belittle the convictions of others, or take our Christian liberty too far. From the discussion of eating food offered to idols, we discover that there are some things which are harmless in themselves but are nevertheless unwise because of their effect or impression on a weaker brother or an unbeliever. Appearances and associations are important both in the sight of man and of God.
There are many things that God’s Word clearly teaches against and designates as sin. Of course, there are also many activities in which Christians can and do participate. The problem comes in borderline areas. Our guiding philosophy in these areas will be “When in doubt, don’t do it.” “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). The question we want to ask is, “What would Jesus do in this case?” “What would we do if Jesus was physically accompanying us or visiting us?” Our objective is not to see how close we can get to the world and still be saved, or how many worldly things we can do and still not be considered a backslider. Rather, we want to be sure that we are doing God’s will at all times and that we are always identified with God in the eyes of others. Where there is temptation and a possibility of sin, “it is better to be safe than sorry.” Besides, as we draw closer to God in prayer, dedication, and holy living, we will not want to do anything that might identify us with the world or that would be unpleasant to Him.
In order to get to specifics, we must find out what it means to be worldly or to love the world. When the Bible says, “Love not the world,” it is speaking of the world system—the attitudes, desires, loves, cares, and priorities of sinful, unregenerated man. It is difficult to give a more precise definition, but all those who have the Spirit in their lives should
be able to recognize the feeling of worldliness in many things. We will try to examine this concept in terms of worldly amusements, worldly atmosphere, and worldly appearance.