"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
Mark 8:36
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Jesus prayed for future believers,
"I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:15-17
Obedience to God v. Friendship with the World
We are all confronted with temptations in this world, and the Bible states that there is nothing wrong with wanting a pleasurable life. The difference is shown in Jesus' example - Jesus was tempted, but He did not sin. God gives us good gifts, and He wants us to enjoy them. But having friendship with the world could entail seeking pleasure at other’s expense, or it could be at the expense of serving God. We must learn how to choose wisely - friendship with the world versus obedience to God. When it comes down to it - all we really need is God's approval, through obedience to Him. Once the Holy Spirit fills us, we then see that all of this world's seductive attractions are cheap substitutes for what God has to offer. (Read James 4:4)
John wrote to older people, young people, and children (1 John 2:12-14) warning them not to love the world and anything in it.
"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. 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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." (1 John 2:15-17)
Worldliness is not limited to external behavior either, such as the places we go, people we meet, or activities. Worldliness is also internal, because it begins in the heart. It can be characterized by three attitudes: preoccupation with physical desires; obsession with one's importance or status; and the lust of the eyes and craving and accumulating things. In contrast to these attitudes, God values self-control, commitment to humble service, and a spirit of generosity.
This is how we can be sure that we are '...not of the world'.
