Nehemiah and Ezra had gotten a revival started and God’s people were ready to get back on the right track. (Nehemiah 10:28-39) They committed to follow the law of God and avoid the enticements of the world around them. They resolved to always put God first and to dedicate the first and the best of everything they had to Him. They determined to separate themselves from the surrounding people.
It’s been said that Christ-followers are to be in the world, not of it. But what does that mean? And is it even Biblical?
Jesus answers this in His prayer recorded in the book of John. (John 17) As He was getting ready to go to the cross, Jesus prayed for His disciples and for all who would believe in Him through their message. (That’s us!) In this prayer, Jesus contrasts His followers from the world around them.
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. – John 17:16 ESV
The Greek word translated as world is kosmos and it means the “world system”. It encompasses the people on earth functioning apart from God ruled by Satan. (1 John 5:19) When we trust in Christ for salvation, we receive new citizenship. We become children of God, co-heirs with Christ to the eternal Kingdom of God. While we may still be physically part of this world, we are not spiritually part of it. We are different!
Although we are no more a part of this world than Jesus is, we have been sent into it.
To be separate from the lost world around us does not mean we pack up and move away (as tempting as that may be). What it does mean is we must live out the values of our eternal home so we can make a difference in our current home.
“I have given to them Your word [the message You gave Me]; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world and do not belong to the world, just as I am not of the world and do not belong to it. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but that You keep them and protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth [set them apart for Your purposes, make them holy;] Your word is truth. Just as You commissioned and sent Me into the world, I also have commissioned and sent them (believers) into the world. – John 17:14-18 The Amplified Translation
We are in the world but not of it!
- We have received the Word of God, the truth of the gospel message.
- The “world system” hates us because of it.
- There’s a reason God didn’t take us home the moment we were saved.
- We have a job to do and God will protect us while we do it.
- We have been set apart for God’s purposes.
- We have been sent into the world to make a difference.
God’s plan for Israel was for them to be different from the people around them so He would be glorified. Nehemiah’s revival was reigniting that truth.
God’s plan for us is the same. We are Christ’s ambassadors. We are in the world but not of it. We have the message of reconciliation the world so desperately needs. (2 Corinthians 5:19-20) While we’re here, we have a job to do!
