In the world, not of the world

The above phrase is often trotted out as the ideal for the relationship between the Christian and the world. But where does this come from?

In John's gospel Jesus provides the basis for this way of looking at the world. See John 17.14-19 (NIV).

14. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

We are not of the world. We are the misfits and outcasts. The Kingdom of God is to be made up of no-ones and and nothings. If we were not such misfits when we came in we soon should be after we enter in.

Paul puts it like this;

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." (1 Cor 1.26-29)

Unlike the rest of society, becoming increasingly uniform over time, we are to be the opposite. The more our love and knowledge of Jesus grows the less we should follow along with the world's tune. We demonstrate that we belong to the Kingdom of God when we do not fit in with the world.

15. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

We do not follow Christ so that we might be removed from the mess of the world. Far from it. When we choose to join in with Jesus' mission we join in with his cause, which is to rout Satan's armies. To advance the Kingdom of God at any cost.

Jesus prays that we will be protected precisely because He assumes we will need it! We are in a battle and when we are really living in the power of the Spirit we will regularly be confronted with evil. We can be confident that in the midst of this that we are protected because our saviour has prayed this for us. "He that is in us is greater than he who is in the world" (1 Jn 4.4).

18. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

We are sent into the world by Jesus. He expects a radical engagement with the world from His own disciples. One of the signs of our authenticity is our willingness and ability to do this work.

18b-19. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

We do all this through the work that He has done for us and in the power of the Holy Spirit that He secured for us through His life, death and resurrection. Without Him we are nothing, just another group of people doing stuff in their own strength. The only hope we have of completing His mission is that we have been sanctified, washed, prepared by Him. The hope we have for the success of our work has nothing whatsoever to do with us but everything to do with Him.