Our Responsibility to the World I. Introduction A. James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17 1. James declared that friendship with the world is enmity toward God; to be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God 2. John warned that loving the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life means the love of the Father is not in you! B. 2 Timothy 4:10: Demas forsook Paul, having loved this present world C. In these and many other passages we find an antagonistic attitude toward the world and participation in it D. And yet Matthew 5:13-16, 1 Corinthians 5:9-10, Galatians 6:10, 1 Peter 4:19, etc. 1. Christians are to be the light of the world, giving people reason to glorify God 2. We cannot avoid association with people in the world who persist in sin; it is not God’s will for us to go out of the world 3. We are to do good to all people, even those who would harm us E. And so we are to understand we are not to be of the world, but we are in the world F. This leads to a very challenging question: what is our responsibility to the world? 1. Some take one extreme view or another 2. On one side, some wish to entirely escape the world, and see themselves as having few responsibilities toward people in the world: their emphasis is to get away from this corrupt generation 3. On the other side, others believe something akin to the following quote: “we're all working together to progressively build up the kingdom of God in our lifetimes. God has given us the intelligence and conscience we need to create the kingdom amongst ourselves. We're partners with God" (from the Isthmus of Madison, Wisconsin, "God's Will Be Done," December 20, 2002, pp. 15-16) 4. Such a quote betrays a postmillennial-fueled Social Gospel approach, believing that Jesus’ reign can somehow be established on earth if we work diligently to erase inequality and reduce human suffering G. This question dominated the late nineteenth and twentieth century discussions in Christianity 1. There is a tension between being opposed to the things of the world, recognizing the end of all things is at hand, and yet seeing God’s desire to overcome injustice and for His people to help those in need 2. Many emphasized the former to the detriment of the latter, having no concern for any issue unless it directly involved the Gospel 3. Just as many emphasized the latter to the detriment to the former, essentially becoming non-governmental benevolent organizations bereft of any real grounding in the Gospel, willing to deny historic orthodox Christian doctrine in a desire to be relevant in the movement toward social justice H. Let us therefore explore the Scriptures and see what responsibility the Christian has toward the world II. The Christian and the World: Primary and Secondary Concerns A. The Scriptures attest that Christians live in the world 1. 1 Corinthians 5:9-10 2. Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:11-17 B. The Scriptures attest that Christians are to do good to other people, especially those in more difficult conditions than themselves, and love their enemies (Matthew 5:44, 25:31-46, Galatians 6:10, James 1:27) C. Christians are to be at peace with all men, inasmuch as it depends on them, and to give thought to what is honorable throughout the world (Romans 12:16-17) D. Thus, Christians cannot be indifferent to those around them, and should uphold all that is good in the world as good, and stand for righteousness and justice E. And yet we also see that telling the good news of Jesus is a primary effort for Christians in the world 1. Matthew 28:18-20: Jesus is Lord, so we are to make disciples of all nations 2. Romans 1:16: Gospel as God’s power to salvation 3. Acts 8:4, 11:19-20: Christians went about preaching the Word F. We can already see that God has many purposes for Christians in the world 1. Christians are absolutely expected to help those in need, to stand for what is just and right, and give thought to what is honorable among all men 2. And God does expect Christians to tell other people about Jesus and continue to uphold and affirm the faith delivered once for all to the saints (Jude 1:3) 3. Any attempt to set these priorities against each other, as if one offsets the value of the other, is extreme, not of God, and is inconsistent with His purposes G. It is therefore not that we should completely avoid the one to do the other; instead, we must prioritize appropriately, as we can see in the examples of Jesus and the Apostles 1. Consider what Jesus did a. Throughout Gospels, Jesus helps and comforts the poor (Luke 4:17-21) b. He heals, feeds, and aids multitudes (Matthew 4:17-23) c. Peter can summarize Jesus’ ministry in terms of going around and doing good (Acts 10:38) d. Yet the healing and good He did was not set apart from His full purpose, nor was it the main substance of His purpose! e. Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:38: Jesus came to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God and repentance; His healings and benevolence demonstrated and manifested that proclamation f. John 6:1-59: Jesus feeds the five thousand with bread desiring to instruct them about how important it is for them to seek the true Bread of life from heaven g. Luke 19:1-9: Salvation was brought to Zacchaeus’ house, for Jesus came to seek and save the lost! h. If Jesus had just come in the name of social justice and the social gospel, would His life and ministry have truly been that memorable? i. All Jesus did was intended to point to His embodiment of the story of Israel, His manifestation of God’s character in the flesh, so that He could die and be raised to give us the victory over sin and death! 2. This same theme pervades the work of the Apostles a. Acts 3:1-10: Peter and John heal one who never walked in Jesus’ name b. Acts 14:8-10: Paul healed someone in Lystra c. Galatians 2:10: emphasis of Paul, Peter, John, and James on assisting the poor d. And yet to what end? e. Acts 3:11-4:4: based on the healing Peter proclaims Jesus crucified and resurrected, and five thousand men believe f. Acts 14:15-18: Paul attempts to demonstrate that the power of God working in him comes from Christ and sought to preach Jesus 3. In the end all the good work Jesus did, and the Apostles did in Jesus’ name, were designed to reconcile man to God and to each other, for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10, John 17:20-23, Romans 5:6-11) H. Thus, as Christians, we are to be the light of the world, manifesting Jesus to humanity 1. Matthew 28:18, 1 John 4:5: Jesus is Lord; we serve the Risen Savior; He is stronger than the forces of evil 2. We must uphold truth, righteousness, and the manifestations of the fruit of the Spirit, all in the name of Jesus (John 14:6, Galatians 5:22-24) 3. We have no grounds upon which to resist any movement in the world which affirms what is good and right in the sight of God 4. And yet we must never allow ourselves to lose sight of the eternal goal; to provide what is needful today may be good, but if it does not reconcile a person with God and his fellow man, it will not remain as an eternal good 5. As with Jesus and the Apostles, so with us: we must do good and in so doing proclaim how God setting things aright in Christ and proclaim the good news of His life, death, resurrection, lordship, and return! III. The Church and the World A. The Church represents the Kingdom of God on Earth 1. Colossians 1:13, 18: God has transferred us into the Kingdom of His Son; His Son is the ruler of His body, which is the church 2. Revelation 1:6: we are a kingdom for God 3. These and many other Scriptures lead to the conclusion that the Kingdom has already been established, and the church is the visible organ of that Kingdom on earth B. The Kingdom and the World 1. John 18:36 a. Jesus declares to Pilate that His Kingdom is not of this world b. If the Kingdom is not of the Earth, then it cannot, as many ideally would imagine, be established here by human effort c. If Jesus Himself did not believe it wise or appropriate to establish His Kingdom on earth, then what makes His followers so insistent that they can do what He could not? 2. James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17: strong opposition between the things of the world and the things of God so that we do not get deceived into thinking the two can be warmly harmonized C. The Responsibilities of the Church 1. What are the responsibilities of the church, and how would they relate to the world? 2. The church does have responsibility to fund evangelism: 1 Corinthians 9:1-15, Philippians 4:14-17 3. The church is to assist its own (Acts 11:27-30, Galatians 6:10, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, 1 Timothy 5:3-16 4. The church is to do all things unto edification and encouragement (1 Corinthians 14:26, Hebrews 10:25) D. Why would the church not be given a more prominent position in the world? Why are its activities primarily directed at its own? 1. We can see the logic in Ephesians 4:11-16 2. God has equipped the church to build itself up, to strengthen itself 3. As Christians love each other and build up the body, those without will notice, and many will desire to participate (cf. John 13:35) 4. The church’s purpose is eternal; it focuses on that which will endure, the promotion of the Word of God and the edification of the saints (1 Corinthians 14:26, 2 Timothy 4:1-2) 5. Simply put, the church does not have the time to devote itself to any other action but its own aggrandizement and strength so that it may be found acceptable to its Head (Ephesians 5:22-32) E. Consider what has happened among denominational organizations who focus highly on social gospel issues 1. Long ago they abandoned the distinctive doctrines of the faith 2. Much of the commitment is little different than secularists who would like to do good 3. Religious fervor is no less acute; it is now directed at shaming anyone who would disagree with their understandings of civil rights, social justice, and right conduct 4. Their numbers have plummeted; those who remain are often not well grounded in the story of Jesus, and many would be ashamed at any attempt to evangelize and proselytize 5. Sadly, in their zeal to do good works and to “bring the Kingdom to earth,” they have abandoned the Kingdom and its ultimate purpose: to glorify God in Christ who died and was raised for us! F. The church, therefore, must uphold the truth of God in Christ and remain a beacon of light in a dark world, striving to build up its own and encourage all people to turn away from the world and participate in Christ! IV. The World’s Long Term Forecast A. Whenever such things are mentioned many take some offense to some level, wondering what is so wrong with doing such good things and wondering why we insist on the primacy of the proclamation of the Gospel B. Our concerns should never be motivated by any worldly impulse; we should not be motivated by hostility toward others, classism, racism, partisan disagreements, etc., in understanding our responsibility to the world as Christians C. Our concerns should be grounded, however, in a more clear eyed understanding of both humanity and the fortunes of this world D. Humanity, in the world, is in a bad condition 1. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) 2. Those who live in the flesh are hostile to God (Romans 8:1-8) 3. Most live to satisfy fleshly desire (Galatians 5:19-21, 1 John 2:15-17) 4. The majority take the path of least resistance that leads to condemnation; few are those who take the rugged difficult path leading to life (Matthew 7:13-14) E. The world remains in a bad condition 1. The world is still subject to sin and death, decay and corruption (Romans 5:12-21, 8:19-24) 2. Jesus warns people against laying up treasure on earth because of its decay and corruption (Matthew 6:19-21) 3. The god of this world has deluded many (2 Corinthians 4:4); the spiritual forces of darkness are quite active (Ephesians 6:10-18) F. In Christ God gives humanity the opportunity to overcome these difficulties, as we have continually noted, for in Him we can have victory over sin, death, and the forces of evil (Romans 5:6-11, Ephesians 6:10-18, Colossians 2:11-18) G. But the long term forecast of the world is not good: Peter envisions the whole creation being burnt up as with fire (2 Peter 3:9-13) H. God’s purposes will finally be fully established in the “new heavens” and the “new earth,” in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1-22:6) I. Therefore, we must consider what we do and its ultimate value 1. Consider the endgame for the social gospel and social justice movements 2. Imagine a world in which no one is looked at any differently because of their class or race and everyone is able to live a comfortable middle-class existence 3. Has a soul been saved in the process? 4. What will happen to all such people and all such efforts when the Lord Jesus returns and the world is purged as with fire? J. Such is why the proclamation of the Gospel and the salvation of souls must always be our primary goal, motivation, and purpose, for all that shall endure are those who have been reconciled to God in Christ! 1. Are Christians to do good to people now? Yes! 2. Yet we must always do so with a view to how to encourage them to be reconciled to God! V. Conclusion A. We have considered our responsibility to the world B. We cannot imagine that we have no responsibility whatsoever; likewise, we cannot imagine that we can bring the Kingdom of God to earth by our own feeble efforts C. As Christians we must seek to do good to all men, love everyone, especially the brethren, but always with a view to proclaiming the Gospel and reconciling man to his God and His people D. The church, as representing the Kingdom, has enough to in standing firm for the truth and serving as the beacon of light in a dark world, building itself up and exhorting all to become a part of that work E. If God’s primary work featured social justice and the social gospel, then Jesus would have most assuredly established His Kingdom in a much more concrete way on earth; it is manifest that the world in its current condition cannot be thus rehabilitated, and it is given to us as exiles and sojourners, refugees, to warn all other people to flee the ways of the world before the day of Judgment comes! F. May we, as Jesus and the Apostles did before us, seek to do good to all men with a view of proclaiming the good news of Jesus the Christ crucified and raised from the dead, seeking to reconcile man to God, and avoid neglecting the greater good in favor of the lesser goods! G. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God (James 4:4). James understood how Christians might be tempted to get too close and comfortable to the ways of the world. He spoke in very stark terms. We can either be friends of God or friends of the world; we cannot be both at the same time. May we seek to be a friend of God even if that means enmity with the world! 2: I wrote unto you in my epistle to have no company with fornicators; not at all meaning with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous and extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world (1 Corinthians 5:9-10). Jesus and the Apostles warn Christians often regarding getting too comfortable in the world. It would be easy for Christians to go to the other extreme and attempt to escape the world. Paul did not expect the Corinthian Christians to thus “go out” of the world; they could maintain association with the ungodly pagans so as to influence them for Jesus. May we uphold the truth of God in the world! 3: So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith (Galatians 6:10). Christians must manage an uneasy tension, striving to not be of the world while living in it. We must do good to people as we have opportunity. We must give thought to what is honorable among men; we must strive for peace with others. We must not resist the world when it begins to uphold God’s truth, righteousness, and justice more effectively in certain ways. May we, as Jesus and the Apostles, do good in the world, and thus reflect Christ to others! 4: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up (2 Peter 3:10). Christians do well to do good works, but we must never sacrifice the ultimate good in order to focus on lesser goods. However laudable social justice and social gospel efforts might seem, they prove insufficient in and of themselves. Peter envisions a purging of the world as by fire; what we see here today will not endure. If inequality were removed and prejudice eliminated, would that mean that a single soul was saved? What will happen to such people on the day when the Lord Jesus returns in judgment? Christians must do good but always with a view to the ultimate good, the reconciliation of people with God. May we proclaim Jesus crucified and risen in word and deed!