Post
by dwilkins » Thu Aug 22, 2013 11:52 am
First, I suggest you look at the phrase "of the world" in the New Testament. There are 51 occurrences of the phase in 45 passages that should help you in figuring out the scope of the world. If you expand this to "of this world" you get another 19 occurrences in 16 passages. I'm not sure how much use looking at the definitions of kosmos or ge, or comparing world, earth, or land will help since the particular use seems to float depending on the author and the context. It would probably be more useful to look at the contexts of the passages you are most interested in.
The following passages are the ones that jumped out to me as most interesting:
1 Corinthians 7:29-34 (NKJV)
29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, 31 and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form [scheme, or paradigm] of this world is passing away.32 But I want you to be without care. He who is unmarried cares for the things of the Lord--how he may please the Lord. 33 But he who is married cares about the things of the world--how he may please his wife. 34 There is a difference between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman cares about the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit. But she who is married cares about the things of the world--how she may please her husband.
This section starts out with Paul declaring that the time is short for the transition away from the dominance of the current (late 50's AD) world system. It is short enough that he advises people not to bother to get married because it would be a distractions. What is passing away in Paul's mind is the scheme or paradigm of the world, not the physical creation. He describes people preoccupied with marital responsibilities as catering to principles of "this world".
Galatians 4:3-5 (NKJV)
3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Here, we see the first of the few uses of the term "element" that is at the core of the transition in 2nd Peter 3. In context here, and in Colossians below, we see that an element of the world is membership in a formal religion such as Judaism to provide justification. Paul's point throughout Galatians is that you are justified by faith like Abraham had, not membership in the Mosaic Covenant religious nation.
Ephesians 2:2 (NKJV)
2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,
The course of this world seems to be idolatry based religions that are being superseded by Christianity. Paul is clear throughout his writings that he considers the Judaism of his day to be the ultimate expression of idolatry for most of his readers.
Colossians 2:6-23 (NKJV)
6 As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. 8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. 11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. 16 So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God. 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations--21 "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," 22 which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.
Here, Paul directly connects the elements of basic principles of his world to worship under the Mosaic system in that generation. He exhorts his readers to abandon that system for Christ. There is no doubt that this passage is heavily based on the ongoing transition away from the Mosaic system. The Calvinists and traditional Amillennialists see a major benchmark for this transition as being the cross, since that is when people who were under the law were released from it (v.14 above, Rom. 7:1ff). But, both Calvinists and Amillennialists make the mistake of assuming the Law itself is over just because Jews had been released from the Mosaic Covenant by the death of Christ. Hebrews is clear that until the Temple was destroyed that Mosaic religion was still alive, though obsolete and quickly fading away.
Revelation 11:15 (NKJV)
15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
Revelation 22:5 (NKJV)
5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.
Daniel 7:18 (NKJV)
18 But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.'
Just as Paul says above that the time is short, and Hebrews says that the Mosaic religion (and by extension all idolatry) had been made obsolete and was quickly fading away, the successful transition into the new dominant system would be a kingdom that lasts forever. Now, Christ's offer of true religion and escape from idolatry has begun and will be more successful as history continues. The elements of the world that you list are considered idolatry in as much as they give someone the excuse of believing there is justification in such things and interfere with reliance on Christ.
Doug
This section of my sermon series focuses on the 'unholy trinity' (devil, world, flesh), so I'm trying to narrow in on the specific role of the world in this particular sermon (although I know the three overlap in practice).
