To be Christian is to live in a paradox. This paradox is we are called to be sojourners in this world, “to be in the world, but not of it.”. Trying to live out being citizens of heaven and yet still be in the world has sprouted movements like Monasticism where men and women chose to live in cloisters in this world and yet appeal to heaven daily in devotions. In contrast, Mega Churches have adopted worldly methods to appeal to modern sensibilities while still claiming to be fixed on heaven. How far we let the Kingdom of God and this world touch depends on the school of thought we adopt. There are two major viewpoints, one was Justin Martyr’s and the other Tertullian. Justin believed we could embrace the world with a kiss, adopt pagan philsophies and ideals, christianizing them for our purposes, he went as far as saying “Plato was a Christian before Christ.” A bizarre notion since to be a Christian is to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and Plato being pre-Christ’s incarnation could not have. Tertullan in contrast had the opposite approach, he believed the world is tainted and will lead a believer into heresies and error if they adopt philosophy and wisdoms from pagans, he advocated reading The Scriptures for edification and learning truth, saying of the world, “what does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?” a slight nod to Paul’s “what does the table of the Lord have to do with the table of demons?” (1 Corinthians 10:21).
The question is which approach to the paradox is the right one? Is it Justin Martry’s christianizing of worldy philsophers and teachings? Or is it Tertullian’s rejection of worldly wisdom and all therein for what is in sacred Scripture and in Christ? The answer as ever is found in Scripture. We shall now look at if the Lord’s words in Red and the apostles are with Justin or Tertullian.
Let’s start with our God and Savior Jesus. What did He say about the world? “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you,” (John 15:19) and “I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:14).. Our Lord tells us He has called us out of this world, that includes its philosophies and culture, and that it is suppose to hate us. This is in stark contrast to Justin Martyr’s christianizing of worldly philsophers and ideals. Christ even makes it clear His kingdom is not of this world, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” (John 18:36).
The Apostle John under the auspices of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21-22) goes as far as saying loving anything in the world is anathema, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” (1 John 2:15). The closest disciple to Jesus says that loving anything in the world (including Plato) means the Love of the Father is not in you. The Apostle James doubles down on this, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4). James goes as far as to say we become enemies of God again if we become friends of the world!
You may have hoped Paul the Apostle said nothing on this matter, but he did, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:2).
Jesus, John, James, and Paul agree with Tertullian, that this world is the enemy. But what do they mean by this world? Surely not the planet God created? No that is creation, the world is a system of monetization, idolatry, adultery, lust, greed, worldly wisdom, and etc. it is essence is the kingdom of darkness, for the devil is called the ruler / (false) god of this world, “Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out,” (John 12:31) & “in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The devil invented the commerce and money focused world we now are opressed by, “Your rich commerce (trade, merchandizing) led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian cherub(im), from your place among the stones of fire.” (Ezekiel 28:16). So when Christ and his apostles tell us to not be of this world, he doesn’t mean people, animals, the trees, and things in it; but rather a system that chokes out The Word, “and the cares of this world, and the deceit of riches, and the desires of the other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful,” (Mark 4:19), and makes us lust for all we see, “For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.” (1 John 2:16). The World the Scriptures condemns is a Satanic system that teaches love of money, love of self over others, love of possessions to the point of greed, love of popularity over truth, love of praise of others, and so forth that contrasts with Jesus’ commands to love God above all else, love others, love your neighbor as yourself, love your enemies, love the poor and downtrodden, love God’s creation, and etc. The world is about satisfying lusts and self gratification, while the Kingdom of God is about helping others with hospitality, and preaching the good news of salvation. The world is inward, self focused, and selfish, the Kingdom is outward, other focused, and selfless. We do The Great Commision to reach lost souls, to reconcile people to God through Christ Jesus The Lord; it requires us to care about them, to want them to know Jesus our God as we do! From preaching to helping people’s needs (James 2) we are focused on loving others, not being greedy as the world teaches and worried about ourselves. The Early Church during the Roman Plague of 180 A.D. helped victims of the plague, while all the pagans fled for fear of getting it; Christians stayed in plague zones to help the sick, and dying. That is what we are called to be! To preach the gospel yes, but live it as well! During Covid’s peak many churches and Christians were like pagans, worried about themselves and if they’d get the plague, which showed their fruit is rotten (Matthew 12:33, Luke 6:43-46) and how worldly The Church has become!
A reformation is going to need to happen if we as Christians are to obey the words of Jesus and His Apostles and be “not of this world.” It will require throwing off Constantine’s shroud (post on this is forthcoming) and returning to what being a Christian is like in Scripture. Amen.
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