The Forgotten Sin

Demas, in love with the present world, has deserted me…

(II Timothy 4:10).

When was the last time you heard a sermon warning against the sin of worldliness? Hmmm. Can’t remember? Neither can I. This is a sin that has almost completely disappeared from the church’s radar. I’m convinced that our ignorance of what the Bible has to say about this subject is causing as much damage as the sin itself! “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” God says (Hos. 4:6). Yes, it’s the sin we’ve forgotten that is wreaking havoc in the church today.

Things were different when I was growing up. Preachers, teachers, and parents spoke often about the dangers of worldliness, typically associating it with smoking, drinking, playing cards, going to movies, mini-skirts, and dancing. In those days, Christians seemed to live by the motto: “We don’t smoke or drink or chew, and we don’t run with those who do.” I’ll let others decide whether these particular behaviors were legitimate examples of the sin of worldliness or whether they simply reflected the erratic conduct of teenagers who wanted to push the envelope. The point I want to make is not there.

Looking back, I realize that much (most?) of the moralistic environment in which I was raised smacked more of pharisaical legalism than of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I now see that many of the behaviors that then seemed so black and white really weren’t. (I was always troubled by the fact that Jesus had used His miraculous powers to provide free wine service for a wedding reception. He would have been expelled from the Christian college I attended for pulling a stunt like that!)

Although I recognize the flawed understanding of worldliness that was so prevalent in my youth, I struggle to understand the near-complete disappearance of this sin from our Christian vocabulary today. It’s as if the church has thrown the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. The Bible reserves some of its strongest language for warnings against the pernicious nature of this damnable sin.

• “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) 

  “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (I John 2:15–16) 

  
  

• “Do not be conformed to this world…” (Romans 12:2)

But how are we to understand the Bible’s use of this word “world”? We can be sure these commands are not talking about the world of people (see John 3:16) or the world of creation (see John 17:24). No. These warnings against worldliness are meant to protect us from being seduced and captured by the diabolical values and standards of this fallen world system. To be conformed to this “world” means to have a mindset that prioritizes the temporal over the eternal, the ways of men over the ways of God, present pleasure over future joy.

Jesus is the supreme example of what it means to be fully engaged in this present world, yet not shaped by its sinful ethos. This is precisely what He wants for each of His disciples. He wants us to be in the world but not to be seduced by her charms or deceived by her lies. A sailor is happy when his boat is in the water. But when water gets in the boat, well, this is a recipe for disaster. In a similar manner, Jesus wants us to be in the world but not of it (see John 17:14–16).

When one understands what the Bible has to say about worldliness, one discovers that outward behaviors alone may or may not indicate the presence of this sin in a person’s life. A man driving an old, dilapidated pickup truck may actually be more in love with this world than someone driving a late-model Lexus. And a social drinker may have a more robust commitment to a kingdom mindset than a teetotaler. Outward appearances can be misleading. The Lord looks at the heart.

So yes, I am passionate about reintroducing the modern church to what the Bible has to say about worldliness. Our forgetfulness is inexcusable and our ignorance is culpable. Until we acknowledge our sin and repent of our worldly ways, we will never rise up to be the church triumphant that the Lord Jesus calls us to be.

Perhaps you are wondering: Is this sin present in my life? Am I guilty of worldliness? I have composed a simple test to help us answer this question. You will notice that the questions have almost nothing to do with outward behaviors and everything to do with the desires of our heart. I want to encourage you to find a quiet spot and invite the Holy Spirit to help you honestly answer the following questions:

QUESTION 1: Do I love the praise of men more than the praise of God? 

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Galatians 1:10)

QUESTION 2: Are my treasures on earth or in heaven? 

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19

QUESTION 3: Is my focus on short-term happiness or long-term joy? 

"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal." (II Cor. 4:16-18).

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