There are a lot of angry people today. Pick any cause and you will find someone upset and offended. A lot of those people are hostile towards God. They feel like they have been slighted and dealt a bad hand and it is all God’s fault. They don’t understand why there is so much evil in the world and its God’s job to protect them from it.
James 4:4
You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God.
System of Lies
When the Bible talks about the world, it’s not referring to the people in the world but the philosophy by which the world lives. It’s how the world thinks and makes decisions. This belief system is based on Satan’s lies and humankind’s selfishness. Those who buy into it are part of the world. As Christians, when we buy into to that system, we become friends with the world. Believing what the world says stands in direct opposition to God and what he has said.
Standard to Live By
God has set a standard in His Word that He wants us to live by. When we align ourselves with the world, we stand in direct opposition to His Word. Satan’s trick is to take a piece of God’s Word and twist to the point where it sounds right but is just a bit off. This is the start of the slippery slope to becoming a friend with the world. Soon enough we are criticizing others Christians and the church for being closed minded.
Love the Lost
We can be friends with those who don’t believe in Christ, but if we start to agree with them and espouse what they believe we now stand in direct contrast and opposition to him. Love those who are lost but stand firm in the truth and don’t let your desire to be accepted by them dictate how you act. Be in this world but not of the world.