The World

The terms 'world' and 'earth' have completely different meanings. Our Lord certainly made the distinction between 'world' and 'earth' when he said, "I have overcome the world" in John 16:33. It would be meaningless if he had said, "I have overcome the earth."

When you see the term "world" in scripture, it very rarely refers to the "earth." The "earth" (land, region, territory, country) is usually translated from Greek word #1093, ge. But "world" does not usually refer to any physical land, it mostly refers to the ungodly.

A lot of people aren't aware of this, but the eptimology of the term "world" comes from the Old English word "werold." This comes from an Old High German word, "Weralt." And this comes from an early West Germanic composition of two words: "wera" which means "man," and the Indo-European base "alth" which comes from the Latin "altus", meaning "old."

Thus, the meaning of the ancient word World is: "The Old Man." (Old English word is "werold." Broken down individually, "were" means man, and "old" means old).

When we are talking about God's Kingdom, we are talking about the new life, the new man, those who are born again; and when we talk about the world, we are talking about the old life, the old man, those who are not born again.

What Does The World Mean?

The term "world" in the New Testament books is translated from three different Greeks words.

1. 15 times from Greek word #3625, oikoumene which refers to the first century Roman Empire (Luke 2:1; 4:5; 21:26).
2. 128 times from Greek word #165, aion, which means "an age" (Matthew 12:32).
3. 187 times from Greek word #2889, kosmos, which refers to the "ungodly" most of the time (1 John 2:15-16). Occasionally, it can refer to the material universe or the earth (Act 17:24), and sometimes it refers to all men (John 3:16).

This article will concern itself with the most common word, 'kosmos' and its most common defintion.

In the Greek, you find the word 'kosmos,' which appears 187 times in the New Testament books. It means the world. When was the last time you heard a pastor who practices the Christian religion tell you about the world? They use the word all the time, but they never define what it is. Similar to when so many do a sermon on 'love' and never define what 'love' is. Well, this is what 'the world' means:

According to Strong's Concordance, it means, "An apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government. The inhabitants of the earth, men, the human race. The ungodly multitude; the whole mass of men alienated from God, and therefore hostile to the cause of Christ. World affairs, the aggregate of things earthly. The whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc., which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ."

According to E.W. Bullinger's A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, it additionally means, "Thus kosmos denotes the order of the world, the ordered universe, the ordered entirety of God's creation, but considered as separated from God. The abode of humanity. That order of things in which humanity moves, or of which man is the center."

According to Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, it additionally means, "inalienation from and opposition to God."

According to Vincent's Word Studies of the New Testament, kosmos means, "The order of things which is alienated from God, as manifested in and by the human race: humanity as alienated from God, and acting in opposition to Him. The sum-total of human life in the ordered universe, considered apart from, and alienated from, and hostile to God, and of the earthly things which seduce from God."

And according to Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary, Unabridged (1969), p. 2108. , it means, "any sphere of human activity; ... the inhabitants of the earth in general; humanity; mankind; the human race; that which pertains to the earth or to the present state of existence only; the concerns of this life as distinguished from those of the life to come; that portion of mankind which is devoted to worldly or secular affairs."

Note that the word ‘world’ usually relates to ‘humans,’ not to the bondservants of Christ. One cannot be both human and a servant of Christ as far as Law is concerned. This is because, in Law, the law of humans and the Law of the bondservants of Christ are not the same thing. The law of humans comes from men while the Law of the bondservants of Christ comes from God. The sphere in which humans function is the world, while that of the follower of Christ is the earth, “For the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof" (1 Corinthians 10:26,28).

Thus, the source, cause, and origin of law defines its nature and use. Or, as the law says, “the source of the right ... determines the governing law" (See Handbook of the Law of Federal Courts, page 392).

So, anything that's ordered or created by man is not of God!

Hosea 8:6, "...the workman made it; therefore it is not God."

Isaiah 17:7-8, "At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel. And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made..."

The way out of the world is to shed all the things of the world.

If you are doing the lawful service of God, but, at the same time, are partaking of the things of the world (which God condemns), even man's law recognizes that the bad will destroy the good:

“Where lawful services are blended with such as are forbidden, the whole being a unit and indivisible, the bad destroys the good.” Trist v. child, 21 Wall. 452 (1874).

That's why the Creator told Adam and Eve to eat of every tree that is in the garden, except that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil! You see, if someone gives you a glass of pure crystal clear sweet water, that's good. But if you put a few drops of poison into it, that's bad. And the bad makes the whole thing bad. And therefore the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is all bad, because poison will kill you, it takes time. Good and evil mixed together is not good, it is sinful.

You cannot take something unclean and mix it with the clean, and call it clean; it becomes unclean and remains unclean (Matthew 23:25-26).

What the scripture says about "The World"

James 4:4, "...know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. "

1 John 2:15-16, "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. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."

1 John 5:19, "...the whole world lieth in wickedness."

1 John 5:4, "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

Romans 12:2, "And be not conformed to this world:"

Romans 16:17, "Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."

John 7:7, "The world…the works thereof are evil."

John 14:17, "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world, cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him:"

John 15:19, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

John 17:9, "...I pray not for the world."

John 17:14, "...and the world, hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

1 Corinthians 3:19, "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God."

2 Corinthians 6:14,17 "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you."

1 Corinthians 10:21, "Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils."

1 Timothy 6:3-5, "If any man…consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness…from such withdraw thyself."

2 Timothy 3:2-5, "For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away."

Proverbs 4:14-15, "Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away."

Luke 16:15, "...that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. "

1 Samuel 16:7, "...man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."

Matthew 4:8-10, "Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

Revelation 18:4, "...Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, "

James 1:27, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."

1 Corinthians 2:6, "Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world..."

1 John 4:5, "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world…"

John 14:30, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me."

1 John 4:4, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."

John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

Your Questions Answered

1. How can the Bible say God made the World (Acts 17:24) and loves the world (John 3:16) on the one hand, and then turn around and tell us not to love the world (1 John 2:15) on the other? Is this a contradiction in the Bible?

   Answer: No, but it does need some explanation. The Bible uses the word "world" in three different ways. First, it can mean the material universe or earth which God created. This is how the word is used in Act 17:24. Second, it can mean the world of mankind, as in John 3:16. God loves all people. Third, it can mean the affairs and things of ungodly men. This is how the word is used in 1 John 2:15-16, and this is the primary meaning of the word "world" throughout the New Testament.

Conclusion

It is God's Will that His children be not mingled among the heathen and unbelievers. When His children look to the authority of "human beings" to do the things they do, and when they look to ungodly human governments for their welfare, safety and authority, then God will make those ungodly leaders to rule over His children; God will give them over to their hands, and they will be subject to them, and their enemies will oppress them:

Psalms 106:34-44, "They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them: But were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them...Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance. And he gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them. Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand. Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:"