Living In the World But Being Seperate From It

Romans 12:2 (New International Version)
"2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Living in the world but being seperate from it really means to live in the world but to not be of the world. Of is used to indicate derivation, origin, or source. If you were born in the world, then you are "of " the world. So how do we not be "of " the world; well, look at Romans 12:2: do not conform to the world. Conforming is to correspond in form or character; be similar. So God is telling us through Paul, that we shouldn't be corresponding in form or character of the world. This is a very tough thing to do though. The world is all around us, bilboards, work, school, and television. Most places we go Satan is tempting us to be of the world, to look like the world, to act like the world, to have the same desires of the world, but we are to be separate from the world. 1 "John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

"1 John 2:17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." What is the man of God. It is someone who lives for God, and follows his commands because of his love for Him who made him; a true christian. You see, desires of the world like sin pass away, but God never passes away. True happiness is being with God for eternity. But how do you become a man who does the will of God, a christian. Well its a simple concept but a hard style of life. "Luke 9:24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it." Loosing you life is putting God before everything. It is repenting(killing sin) from your sins day by day and putting faith in Christ. We don't deserve God sending Jesus(who is infact God: Phillipians 2:5-11) to die for our sins so we could enter into heaven."1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. If you are a christian you are a child of God. Wow, isn't God great that he provided us a way to be right with Him.

So now to the second part; living in the world." Mark 16:15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation." God calls us to tell other about him. Just because we are christians doesn't mean that we go find a Mountain and live there our whole lives to be "away" from the world; no, He wants us to be in the world so we can spread the good news that Christ died so people could be saved. The thing is though, it isn't that easy. Once again, an easy concept with a hard application. We will be hated by the world. "John 15:18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first." ; and another one. "1 John 3:13Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you." The world hates us because we are telling them that their lifestyle is wrong, that they are in sin, and that they need God to save them. They still crave their sinful desires and will do anything to hold on to them. This means distorting what the Bible says(many religions including mormons, jehova witnesses, catholicism, and even "christians" like Joel Osteen and Benny Hinn who are really false profits) and making things up that go against what the Bible says(evolution, buddism, muslims ect.). So thats what it means by being in the world but not being of the world.