Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 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. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).
The new birth experience is the greatest of all miracles, the greatest thing that can happen to a man. By it we are reconciled to God. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and Master of our lives is our standard. We are called to follow His manner of life, uphold His ministry of love, listen to His message of life and light, copy His model of loyalty,follow His method of laboring in the kingdom, take Him and look unto Him as the author and the finisher of our faith, and worship Him in meekness and lowliness. But Jesus acknowledge our plight of living in a sinful, corrupt world with its contaminating and corrupting influence when He prayed for His followers in John 17:15-16. Nevertheless, we are to continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine till er are raptured to spend eternity with the Lord.The new life is entirely different from the old life because “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
In Christ, we no longer live in sin but are dead to and freed from it and live unto God in righteousness.Christ now lives in us and regulates our lives to please Him. Since He can only relate to and have communion with us when there is agreement of compatibility between Him and us (Amos 3:3), He commands us to put on His image (1 Peter 1:15-16). This has been His requirement from time immemorial (Leviticus 11:44). He commanded the children of Israel whom he had adopted as His own to sanctify themselves and be holy, because He is holy. He still maintains this standard and repeats the call today. Having been reconciled to Him, we should “continue in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” (Acts 2:42) and become partakers of His holiness, putting on Christ. His attributes then begin to manifest in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). We are to be doers of the word and remain unspotted from the world, we become yielded to Him, doing only His will, avoiding the corrupting influence of the world. If by God’s grace, we are able to live the Christ-like life, God will be well pleased with us.
Believers are to be like Christ in character, conduct and way of life. God gave the warning to all believers. In the book of 1 John 2:15-17, “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 forever”. The world refers to the world order, the characteristics and attitudes of the people of the world in contrast to the dictates of God. Life in this old world is ordered and directed by Satan and his demons (devils) who have blinded people from the light of Jesus. Worldly associations, worldly pleasures, worldly ceremonies worldly dressings (half naked dressings), worldly philosophies, politics and festivities are all initiated and ordained by Satan. These last days are replete with unprecedented pollution and corruption compared with any period in history. Evil has become the modernized, Man’s cup is getting filled to the brim and evil is being celebrated and glorified. The world is drunk with the wine being distributed and served by the prince of the air – the devil, who is the god of this world.
The love of money has sealed up the hearts of many from God’s word. Immorality has become so common that nakedness of some women is on display on the streets and internet. In the world system, men are driven by inordinate ambition, pride and self-exaltation and hunger for power, pleasure, and praise of men, material possession and popularity, although the result contradicts their expectation. Others have taken to alcoholism, polygamy, adultery, and all sorts of pursuits regardless of the stand of the word of God. The modern film industry and television have become the greatest perpetrators of sinful and criminal tendencies in children and older people. Worldly magazines, and books exert influence on the mind and believers are fast becoming receptive to the standard of the world as almost everyone seems to embrace it. But these are the deceptions of the devil and the wayfaring pilgrim must come out and stand clear of them.The only way to be totally free from the corruption and pollution of the world is: To be cleansed by Christ and become identified with Him. This is something real and practical. We need to be totally crucified with Him and to reign with Him without rival in our hearts. Also, we need to set our affections on things above and be heaven-focused at all times (Colossians 3:1-2).
Eschew evil practices and be bold for the Lord like the three Hebrew children and Daniel, and damn the consequences (Daniel 3:16-18). We should be in constant touch with heaven through meditative study of God’s word and prayer. Our prayer should always be “turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken thou me in thy way” (Psalm 119:37). The grace of God is sufficient to make us “live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”. If we conform to the world, how can the gate of heaven open to us when we die, or how can we be caught up with Christ on the day of rapture? We will be left to the antichrist of the great tribulation. This shall not be our portion in Jesus’ name. Who is on the Lord’s side?