Are you of the World? Maybe a little?

Are you of the World? Do you have one foot in the world and one in Christianity? If so, the love of the Father is not in you — and you cannot get to Heaven that way. A lot of Christians struggle with sin because they never leave the world behind. You must be separated unto the gospel of Jesus Christ to inherit eternal life. We are in this world, but not of this world. Sure, we have to work and handle the affairs of this life, but are you wrapped up in the cares of this life?

1 John 2
[15] 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.
[16] 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.
[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. — (KJV)

1 Peter 1:23 plus 1 John 5:4

Galatians 6:14

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

Well.... thanks for straightening us all out on that point....

Why would any born again Christian be dismayed at the truth of this Scripture? Here's more of God's admonition on this point.

Romans 12
[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (KJV)

A Carnal Christian is one who has received Jesus and has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit are who are Heaven bound as their Spirit is Holy and is able to enter Heaven ------it is the Soul ----fleshy thinking that needs to be change from the world's way of thinking to God's way of thinking ---and that is done by maturing in our walk with Christ ------your Soul has to catch up with your Spirit which is Holy and worthy of being with God in His Kingdom -----and that is our job to mature in changing the mindset but it doesn't happen overnight and it takes work ---time and practice to master laying down worldly thinking--it is a process and one has to want to mature in their walk with Christ -----many say I saved and that is good enough -----

There should be some change in our way of thinking right away ----but our old way of thinking like the world if not worked on right away can drag us back to desertion of the faith -----or backsliding -----so staying in the Carnal state is dangerous ------ Satan is always after your Faith and can steal it very quickly if it is on rocky soil -------


Corinthians 3 ABCE

3 However, brethren, I could not talk to you as to spiritual [men], but as to nonspiritual [men of the flesh, in whom the carnal nature predominates], as to mere infants [in the new life] in Christ [[a]unable to talk yet!]

2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not yet strong enough [to be ready for it]; but even yet you are not strong enough [to be ready for it],


Your Statement here -------
Do you have one foot in the world and one in Christianity?


I say ----James 1 :8 ---calls this a double minded man and they are unstable in all their ways -------

A Carnal Christian will always have one foot in this world and one foot in God's World ----till they start maturing in their walk and knowledge of Christ ---we are to mature to the Spiritual man who totally depends on the Holy Spirit in their daily lives and none of us will ever reach that in our lifetime ------the worlds way of thinking will always creep into our lives as Satan is loose and has access to us all through our thought life -------

Scripture gives you the 3 Types of Man in scripture -----Natural man is all ego driven ---Carnal man is a double minded man unstable trying straddle the fence of this world and God's world ---and Spiritual man relies on the Holy Spirit to guide them in all their ways ---





Your comment here ------
A lot of Christians struggle with sin because they never leave the world behind.

Not one of us will ever leave this world behind when we are living in it ---we will at times sin --but we have God's Grace to call on to help us stay out of sin as best we can -------until Satan is dealt with we will struggle with our ego ----our worldly desires ---our worldly emotions ------etc -----Jesus knows that we will always struggle with our worldly ways as He lived in this world himself and knows how hard it is to change the ways of our human fleshly thinking -------

God tells us what we must do to change our stinking Thinking -------but it is not that easy and takes much practice and stamina to stay the course as Satan will bombard your mind with doubts --fears --anxiety ----unbelief ---etc etc -----Satan still has access to all Christians ----beware of Strongholds of the MIND -----

2 Corinthians 10:5




Jesus showed us just how easy it is to commit sin ------the mind and the eyes can quickly get us in big trouble ----to sin -----

your reasoning for not loving the world is a contentious one.

everything in this world belongs To God and we are the guests.

We are protectors of this world as Adam was chosen to keep the earth by working the earth, which means to respect the earth

God wants us to love him more is what is ment by the scripture you posted.

he also calls us to love our neighbour who are of this world to and our enemy who are of this world

I say
Posting scripture is very easy ----obeying it is not that easy -----it takes much --practice --practice and more practice and great Stamina to stay the course to master it which most of us would cave in and quit the process before we fully mastered it ------

Maturing in and Mastering what the Word says is a life long journey and we will never master all of it in our life time -----we humans don't have the Stamina or time to spend to get to the Spiritual man so we will die in our Carnality ---we may get off the milk and get in solid foods but we certainly won't get to the meat substance of being a truly Spiritual man in our lifetime ---that is my view on that -------

The same letter says,
"11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

He also wrote:

John 6:40 "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

Salvation and Worldliness

Friend, the Scriptures are not saying that you can't have love/affection for your wife/husband, children, dog, cat, the beautiful mountains, etc... but rather a love for the pride of life, lusts of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. Worldly Christians are not born again because they have not separated from the ungodly things of this world. This is offensive to those who have not really laid hold of the born again experience.

2 Corinthians 6
[14] Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
[15] And what concord hath Christ with Belial [Satan]? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
[16] And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
[17] Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
[18] And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Perhaps the problem is that a lot of people are not truly born again. There simply cannot be a new birth without a preceding old death, and that old death must include a separation from what Paul called "the wisdom of this world" (1 Corinthians 1:20, 2:6, 3:19), "the spirit of the world" (1 Corinthians 2:12), "the course of this world" (Ephesians 2:2), and "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

James 4:4

"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, 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."

Worldly Christians are on the broad road that leads to eternal condemnation (Hell) because they have not really been born again. I don't say this to condemn, but that they might consider their ways and repent to be truly saved. Here is Jesus praying to the Father:

John 17
[14] I [Jesus] have given them [the disciples] Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
[15] I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.
[16] They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
[17] Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
[18] As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.
[19] And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

now your adding scripture to your original post and tying them all together, having love for the world is not lust.

I think your the rouge 007 agent myself.

Just out of curiosity...
1 John 1 says:
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

This seems to imply that we should be aware of sin within us... we should know that we actually have sins... not just the propensity to sin. What do you make of that?

I am not looking to get into an argument with anyone, but it is imperative that we seriously consider "these things" of which John spoke.

For example, "these things" most definitely include this:

1 John 3:5-10

"And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother."

Elsewhere, Jesus said that he is the true vine, and that we are the branches.

Is Jesus a good and righteous vine, or is he a bad and unrighteous vine?

Of course, he is the former, and not the latter.

Doesn't it make sense then that if we are truly abiding in him that we will similarly be good and righteous branches, or, as John said, that we will actually do righteousness even as Christ is righteous?

Anyway, my point is that we truly need to consider the "these things" that John was referring to in the portion of scripture that you quoted, and not just focus on the eternal life part apart from them.

The world behind me. The cross before me.

I'm curious, where do you see yourself where this question is concerned? Are you 100% free from any worldly concerns?

The same letter says,
"11And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. 13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God."

He also wrote:

John 6:40 "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day."

Salvation and Worldliness
...

...How can people know that they have eternal life that never ends?
God gave us this written record.
If salvation is based on our good work, like abstaining from worldly lusts, worldly thinking 100%, struggling with sin, then how can anyone know if they are saved or not?
Salvation is not a process of growth. Salvation is a gift that is received at a point in time. Acts 16:30-31

What do you do with these 777?

Actually, we need to look at the context of the original post. I was referring to his claim that a person must live basically a sinless life in order to be saved. What else would being totally free of worldliness mean according to 777s explanation?
We can dispute the believer's walk with God, but if salvation is incorrect, the consequences are hellfire and the wrath of God forever. John 3:36

I showed the answer to doing the Father's will.
I showed that John assured those in the epistle that they should KNOW THAT THEY HAVE Eternal Life. This is not an apparent contradiction. Even Paul said that he himself was carnal.

Salvation is a gift; but like any gift, it can be lost through negligence. If you were given a free car, but neglected it by leaving the doors unlocked then the thief would come along and steal your free gift. This is much like Satan coming along and stealing your free gift of Salvation. Peter illustrates this point in what we should do to make our calling and election sure.

2 Peter 1
[5] And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
[6] And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
[7] And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
[8] For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
[9] But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
[10] Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
[11] For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Salvation is given at the point of a true born again experience. This precious gift then must be nurtured; failure to do so would be willful sin, and Salvation forfeited through negligence.