Paul’s faith was focused upon the gospel truth of the inner man: I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20). Paul concluded his epistle: But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world (Gal. 6:14). The truth Paul wrote on his heart was outwardly lived through the daily experience of denying his flesh the pleasures and treasures of this world of sin.
Modern Christians’ greatest challenge is to so love Christ and His cross that we daily deny ourselves of worldly lusts and pride. The flesh presents a constant temptation to enjoy the lusts of the flesh, the eyes and the pride of life (1 Jn. 2:15). Those who live by the faith that they have been “crucified with Christ” must “count” themselves (cf. Rom. 6:11) dead to the numerous worldly attractions of the flesh.
Christ spoke of the world hating Him (Jn. 15:24). The same world that nailed Jesus to His cross nailed Paul to that same cross with Him. Christians must view the world of sin as our mortal enemy! Friendship with the world is enmity with God; whoever therefore makes himself a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God (Jms. 4:4). We either make the world our “friend”, or we consider it our most deadly enemy that hated us and nailed us to the cross with Jesus.
Satan himself is the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4)! Is it any wonder that our God takes offense toward those who would make friends with his world? While many Christians admit we are not to indulge in the sins the world welcomes, these Christians also believe we can be “friendly” with the world and enjoy as much of it as we can without committing any “big sins”. In this “deception of sin” many Christians laugh with worldly comedians and strive to enjoy as much “worldly entertainment” as possible.
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Lately I have given serious thought as to how much of the world has invaded the church. How much have we allowed the steady diet of Hollywood entertainment to influence our thinking? Has our craving for movies, videos, computers and mass media dulled our spiritual senses so that we spend more and more time with Hollywood and less and less time with the Holy Bible? May God save us from becoming the thorny soil in which the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches (and enter-tainment, rw) choke the word so that it becomes unfruitful (Lk. 13:22)!
James exhorted the Jewish Christians to whom he wrote: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you doubleminded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let you laughter be turned to morning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up (James 4:8-10). Will you join me in confessing that too much of the world and too little of His Word has had a deadly spiritual influence upon each of us?
*by Ralph Weinhold