Worldiness is a matter of great concern. James expresses something of how terrible a thing it is in this passage. The language he uses is quite biting; this is an intense warning to the church.
And rightfully so. The church in every age has been plagued with this problem of worldiness. James here shows that this was something that contaminated the early church. It was a problem that had infested the churches and, being that this letter was written to more than one congregation—it was circulated among many churches—we understand that this was not something that was contained to one particular congregation or a few souls in here and there. It was endemic.
But this has been the case long since. One pastor noted that the Reformation of the 16-17th centuries was, at least initially, about worldliness. We usually think of it as a time of doctrinal dispute, where we got the faith tenets of justification and sola scriptura cleared up. But when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis on the door of Wittenburg, it wasn’t primarily about the nature of grace or even the legitimacy of the doctrine of purgatory. It was about worldliness. Luther was concerned that people were being bilked out of money by the sale of indulgences. At the time the upper echelons of the Catholic church wanted to build a bigger cathedral—St. Peter’s Bacilica. They wanted a nicer facility and a bigger and more beautiful worship center. And to get it, they started marketing the sale of indulgences. It was not a spiritual concern, but rather a focus on money and possessions and nicer bricks and bigger walls and more luxurious living.
And you come down to today and what you find is that this same sin permeates the church. The world and the church are often indistinguishable. Christianity is associated in so many ways with the American dream of a bigger, better house. There is an insatiable desire to be admired and market itself as a place where you can be welcome. The services are designed in such a way as to appeal to the world and the pastoral staff—instead of seeking to be different from the world and distinctly pursuing lives and ministries that are at odds with the world, seeks to be non threatening and “relevant.” Really, it is just a camouflage for the alliance that it has made with the world.
When it boils down to it the church is ever in danger of worldliness and is ever courting the world. There is, even in the best times of the church, a flirtation with the world—be it its practices or ideas. And into this context James brings us this message. He wants to warn us about the danger of becoming the world’s friend.
So this morning I want us to consider what James says here in this verse. And I want us to begin to think about whether or not we are a worldling. Do we have a pact with the world and could it be that we have become bosom buddies with the world and chosen a pattern of life that puts us at odds with God and the whole of the Christian life.
And this is where we need to begin. We need to begin by seeing that it stands in distinct contrast to the way we are to live. More specifically, before we think about the nature of worldliness and what it means to be worldly, we need to think about the consequences of it. If we do not understand just how antithetical it is to true Christianity, then we will never really care whether or not we have this camaraderie with the world.
I. The consequences of being worldly or worldly minded
And this is something that James presses home. He wants you to understand that friendship with the world does have rather severe ramifications.
“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
James here says that if you are friends with the world, then you need to realize that you are in a dangerous place. It is critical to consider how closely you are aligned with the world because those who have this companionship, are in open rebellion against God. James points out that while you may have peace with the world, you must know that you are at odds with God himself.
In this verse James uses two specific words to describe God’s antipathy, and just how bitter it is. We must be clear: this is language of supreme opposition. He does not want us to underestimate the level of animosity which exists between the Lord and these people.
In the first place, James uses verbiage taken from the political world. It is the word enemy. Be sure to recognize this. We toss around words today and sometimes their true meaning is lost on us. To be an enemy is to be in a state of aggravated hostility.
Often our associates may be ‘not friends.’ We can tolerate them and show some level of magnanimity while around them. Worst case scenario is that we avoid being in the same room with them. But this is not an enemy. An enemy is one with whom you have great contempt. There is infuriated wrath and ill intent that exists.
You all know that I was ill not long ago and confined to my bed. I had nothing to do except binge on Netflix shows. One show I watched was called, “Churchill's Secret Agents.” It took people from today’s world and put them through the same training that people would have had during WWII. In one of the shows they were interviewing one of the ladies who had agreed to participate in the program. And the lieutenant colonel asked her, “Could you kill somebody if ordered to do so?”
She responded by saying that, yes, she could. Due to this person being the enemy and someone with whom they were at war, she reasoned that there would be no other choice in the matter but to take their life.
I found her words a little shocking. First of all, she was this sweet looking little girl. She was only 18-19 years old. And she was just the sweetest looking thing. But here she was, admitting to being able to put a knife in someone’s throat.
She expressed the true understanding of the terms. She understood that there ought to be no empathy for an enemy.
Enemies, you understand, are not typically avoided. They are not merely estranged and people you try to merely steer clear of on the street. Enemies are sought out. They are hunted. And when you find them you make haste to destroy them. Their lives are made miserable until they surrender or are utterly vanquished.
The language of enemy is further reinforced by his calling them “adulterers.” This is the second term that James uses to highlight the frightful relationship the Lord has towards those who are friends of the world.
I recognize that in today’s world adultery seems to be so common that it has lost its searing sting. There is not a day that passes where we do not hear of some scandal or affair. And it is often passed over without much ado.
There are even websites with which you can sign up where they will arrange for you someone you can meet expressly for the purpose of having an affair. In today’s world, adultery is a very casual thing. It has lost its heinousness.
But to the ancient Jew, this would have been a chilling thing to say. For, according to the Mosaic law, adultery was a crime that was punishable by death. The kind of death, of course, would be by stoning. This was a fearful way of dying, one that I will not take time to describe. But it is enough to say that its brutality was likely enough to make the people circumspect.
Jerusalem and Judea fell to the Babylonians and suffered such terrible things at their hands because they had committed spiritual whordom.
So when James applies this label to them, it would have been a chilling denunciation. It would have further impressed the degree of displeasure God and the severe danger they were in.
And this stands in great contrast to the common understanding of God in our day. There is this foolish notion that God loves everyone and He is your most endeared friend. Most people believe that the Lord would never become angry with you, but would be at your side through the thick and thin. He supposedly, would never do your harm, let along throw you into hell.
Worst of all, this is the common belief of many people in the church.
Let us remember and ever keep in mind that James speaks not to Romans or to Greeks, or to the members of Caesar’s court. He directs this letter to members of Christ’s church. These are people who have professed faith and sit in the pews of God’s church from week to week. These are people who on every occasion will go around saying, “Peace, peace” when there is no peace. These are people who probably think that God is on their side.
And his intent is to awaken them from their worldly mindset. Though they may think that God is their friend and believe themselves to have peace and safety, James raises the alarm. He aims to shake them into seeing that the Lord may be roused against them.
And if we are sensitive to the Spirit, we will recognize too, how hotly God is roused against anyone who is a friend of the world.
Which brings us then to consider what (or who) exactly a friend of the world is.
II. Worldliness defined; what it means to be a friend of the world
Any kind of unbiblical lifestyle. A disposition of the heart that evidences itself to have no vital concern for the Lord and His ways, but is more fond of its own pleasure and pursuits.
There has been a lot of wrong notions of what it means to be a friend of the world. For instance, some in the early days of the church have thought it means being in this world or being associated with people who are in this world.
This is one of the reasons why monasticism became a big thing. People thought that if they ran away to a monastery and became a monk, then they could escape the world and break any ties to being a friend of the world. In other words, seclusion became the methodology of choice. Farmers were considered worldly people because they worked the soil. Lawyers and shopkeepers were people who had “worldly” occupations and were tied to the earth. So the world was defined in terms of everyday living and maybe this planet. Your job was not considered to be holy and doing everyday work in your home and office was thought to be worldly because you weren’t thinking about God every minute of the day.
That of course is a wrong understanding of what it means to be a friend of the world. Just because you fix cars or plow fields, doesn’t mean that you’re a friend of the world. God put Adam in a garden. He was called to take dominion over the world and labor in this world. You don’t live a higher more spiritual life if you break ties with this world or the people of this world.
Even Jesus would say that we are to be in the world. He prayed that God would not take us out of the world, but that God would sanctify and protect us while in the world.
So we must not think that friendship with the world means a worldly employment or associated it with the people who live in this world—even unbelievers. At least, not in full.
Neither should we think that friendship with the world means certain practices that people often associate with worldliness. Some of you, if you have had a certain upbringing in fundamentalist circles, when I talk about worldliness have a connotation of how long your skirt should be or you think of certain kinds of music that are regarded as “worldly.” If it has an upbeat tempo, and you like that kind of thing, then you are considered worldly.
Growing up my grandfather’s house was just across from the town jail. And we would sit out on the porch in the afternoon and you could see the jail window with the bars. Sometimes you would see someone sitting there in the jail, his head by the window. And my grandfather would joke saying that that fellow was there because he started playing cards.
My grandfather was poking fun at the idea that card playing and dancing and those practices that were considered “worldly.”
Some of you may have seen the old time movie where the family had somehow come into the possession of an organ. This was back in the time when there were no musical instruments used in worship and they sang the psalms exclusively. They kept the organ in the attic because they didn’t want the elders of the church to come by and see such a worldly thing in their house.
For some, that’s the definition of becoming a friend of the world. That you enjoy certain things in this world or see certain novelties or fashions as being inherently unspiritual. But that isn’t necessarily the case.
To be sure, you can dress in a worldly way. You can be worldly in listening to or composing certain music. Playing card games can be worldly, but it might not necessarily be so. I want you to understand that there is more to it than this. It is more than how long your hair is or whether your radio plays music that has beats on two and four.
Worldlinesss is primarily a matter of the heart. This is what you must first understand. You see, when people come to this text, they often focus on the word “world.” And they try to define what exactly James means by the it. But perhaps a better thing to do is shift the focus to the word “friend.” The word friendship mean “fondness.” A friend is one who has a fondness for you. You have a special attachment to or bond with a friend.
In other words, it has to do with your affections. Where is your heart? To what is your heart attached? What is its preference and what is it ultimately fond of? This, I think, is what James is getting at. In the context he’s been talking about your desires. He’s been talking about your seeking your own pleasure. And this fondness is at the root of his calling them adulterers.
James is saying that a worldly person is one whose heart is not oriented to the Lord and to His word. His fondness of God has waned and he is not consumed with the desires of God. Rather his desires are focused almost entirely on himself or this world’s pleasures.
James’ accusation is that their love, their friendship is no longer with the Lord—where you want the things that he wants and desire the things that he desires, but rather your infatuation is placed somewhere else.
If you heart is more attached to your job or the people of this world, then you are a worldling. You do not have to run away to a monastery, but you do have to set your hearts on things above. If you are following people into unbiblical living and enjoying a life that has no real regard for God or his worship or his law, then you are knit deeply to the world.
You understand that worldly dress is not primarily about how tight the shirt is or how far down the leg the shorts go. It is about what you are truly fond of. Are you fond of the attention that you get? Are you more fond of being accepted by your friends? Are you more fond of the styles and the look than you are of really pleasing the Lord?
You see, your skirt could reach all the way to the floor, and you could still be a worldling. You can dress like an Amish man and still be a friend of the world. Because it is not ultimately about buttons and fabrics and sizes. It is about your heart and whether you want to please God with your wardrobe.
You understand that a friend of the world is not just someone who has money. But it is his heart and what he does with that money, or what he does to accumulate that money. If he’s not set on pleasing the lord with his money, but is fond of spending his money to fill his desires and is constantly craving the next gadget or luxury –it is all about consuming rather than about how he may advance the glory and kingdom of God, then that is the heart of someone who is in a relationship with the world.
To be sure, worldliness is any kind of unbiblibcal living. And I say that because at the bottom it is about an idolatrous lifestyle. It is about whether you have a real fondness for God and are pursuing Him.
And this is what you must examine. What is your orientation in life? Where do your heart’s affections ultimately lie? And it is the vital question because the consequences, as we stated earlier, are so very real. To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. And you are then in a most dangerous place.
But this is where the good news comes. Jesus Christ came into the world to same those who are in the world. He came into this world that he might win over our affections.
Just before he was to go to the cross, Jesus talked about friendship. He said that no greater love is there than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. Really, it was because he was so fond of God that he was put to death. He was no friend of the world, and that is why the world hated him and eventually crucified him. But his death was his means of making it possible for you to be a friend of God. Indeed, while we were still enemies, Christ died for us.
The cross of Jesus Christ must be there focus of your attention. It is the very thing that will feul your fondness. If you truly understand the depth of the love of God for sinners, and you understand the extent to which he goes to redeem you, then the things of this world will grow strangely dim.
And rightfully so. The church in every age has been plagued with this problem of worldiness. James here shows that this was something that contaminated the early church. It was a problem that had infested the churches and, being that this letter was written to more than one congregation—it was circulated among many churches—we understand that this was not something that was contained to one particular congregation or a few souls in here and there. It was endemic.
But this has been the case long since. One pastor noted that the Reformation of the 16-17th centuries was, at least initially, about worldliness. We usually think of it as a time of doctrinal dispute, where we got the faith tenets of justification and sola scriptura cleared up. But when Martin Luther nailed his 95 thesis on the door of Wittenburg, it wasn’t primarily about the nature of grace or even the legitimacy of the doctrine of purgatory. It was about worldliness. Luther was concerned that people were being bilked out of money by the sale of indulgences. At the time the upper echelons of the Catholic church wanted to build a bigger cathedral—St. Peter’s Bacilica. They wanted a nicer facility and a bigger and more beautiful worship center. And to get it, they started marketing the sale of indulgences. It was not a spiritual concern, but rather a focus on money and possessions and nicer bricks and bigger walls and more luxurious living.
And you come down to today and what you find is that this same sin permeates the church. The world and the church are often indistinguishable. Christianity is associated in so many ways with the American dream of a bigger, better house. There is an insatiable desire to be admired and market itself as a place where you can be welcome. The services are designed in such a way as to appeal to the world and the pastoral staff—instead of seeking to be different from the world and distinctly pursuing lives and ministries that are at odds with the world, seeks to be non threatening and “relevant.” Really, it is just a camouflage for the alliance that it has made with the world.
When it boils down to it the church is ever in danger of worldliness and is ever courting the world. There is, even in the best times of the church, a flirtation with the world—be it its practices or ideas. And into this context James brings us this message. He wants to warn us about the danger of becoming the world’s friend.
So this morning I want us to consider what James says here in this verse. And I want us to begin to think about whether or not we are a worldling. Do we have a pact with the world and could it be that we have become bosom buddies with the world and chosen a pattern of life that puts us at odds with God and the whole of the Christian life.
And this is where we need to begin. We need to begin by seeing that it stands in distinct contrast to the way we are to live. More specifically, before we think about the nature of worldliness and what it means to be worldly, we need to think about the consequences of it. If we do not understand just how antithetical it is to true Christianity, then we will never really care whether or not we have this camaraderie with the world.
I. The consequences of being worldly or worldly minded
And this is something that James presses home. He wants you to understand that friendship with the world does have rather severe ramifications.
“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
James here says that if you are friends with the world, then you need to realize that you are in a dangerous place. It is critical to consider how closely you are aligned with the world because those who have this companionship, are in open rebellion against God. James points out that while you may have peace with the world, you must know that you are at odds with God himself.
In this verse James uses two specific words to describe God’s antipathy, and just how bitter it is. We must be clear: this is language of supreme opposition. He does not want us to underestimate the level of animosity which exists between the Lord and these people.
In the first place, James uses verbiage taken from the political world. It is the word enemy. Be sure to recognize this. We toss around words today and sometimes their true meaning is lost on us. To be an enemy is to be in a state of aggravated hostility.
Often our associates may be ‘not friends.’ We can tolerate them and show some level of magnanimity while around them. Worst case scenario is that we avoid being in the same room with them. But this is not an enemy. An enemy is one with whom you have great contempt. There is infuriated wrath and ill intent that exists.
You all know that I was ill not long ago and confined to my bed. I had nothing to do except binge on Netflix shows. One show I watched was called, “Churchill's Secret Agents.” It took people from today’s world and put them through the same training that people would have had during WWII. In one of the shows they were interviewing one of the ladies who had agreed to participate in the program. And the lieutenant colonel asked her, “Could you kill somebody if ordered to do so?”
She responded by saying that, yes, she could. Due to this person being the enemy and someone with whom they were at war, she reasoned that there would be no other choice in the matter but to take their life.
I found her words a little shocking. First of all, she was this sweet looking little girl. She was only 18-19 years old. And she was just the sweetest looking thing. But here she was, admitting to being able to put a knife in someone’s throat.
She expressed the true understanding of the terms. She understood that there ought to be no empathy for an enemy.
Enemies, you understand, are not typically avoided. They are not merely estranged and people you try to merely steer clear of on the street. Enemies are sought out. They are hunted. And when you find them you make haste to destroy them. Their lives are made miserable until they surrender or are utterly vanquished.
The language of enemy is further reinforced by his calling them “adulterers.” This is the second term that James uses to highlight the frightful relationship the Lord has towards those who are friends of the world.
I recognize that in today’s world adultery seems to be so common that it has lost its searing sting. There is not a day that passes where we do not hear of some scandal or affair. And it is often passed over without much ado.
There are even websites with which you can sign up where they will arrange for you someone you can meet expressly for the purpose of having an affair. In today’s world, adultery is a very casual thing. It has lost its heinousness.
But to the ancient Jew, this would have been a chilling thing to say. For, according to the Mosaic law, adultery was a crime that was punishable by death. The kind of death, of course, would be by stoning. This was a fearful way of dying, one that I will not take time to describe. But it is enough to say that its brutality was likely enough to make the people circumspect.
Jerusalem and Judea fell to the Babylonians and suffered such terrible things at their hands because they had committed spiritual whordom.
So when James applies this label to them, it would have been a chilling denunciation. It would have further impressed the degree of displeasure God and the severe danger they were in.
And this stands in great contrast to the common understanding of God in our day. There is this foolish notion that God loves everyone and He is your most endeared friend. Most people believe that the Lord would never become angry with you, but would be at your side through the thick and thin. He supposedly, would never do your harm, let along throw you into hell.
Worst of all, this is the common belief of many people in the church.
Let us remember and ever keep in mind that James speaks not to Romans or to Greeks, or to the members of Caesar’s court. He directs this letter to members of Christ’s church. These are people who have professed faith and sit in the pews of God’s church from week to week. These are people who on every occasion will go around saying, “Peace, peace” when there is no peace. These are people who probably think that God is on their side.
And his intent is to awaken them from their worldly mindset. Though they may think that God is their friend and believe themselves to have peace and safety, James raises the alarm. He aims to shake them into seeing that the Lord may be roused against them.
And if we are sensitive to the Spirit, we will recognize too, how hotly God is roused against anyone who is a friend of the world.
Which brings us then to consider what (or who) exactly a friend of the world is.
II. Worldliness defined; what it means to be a friend of the world
Any kind of unbiblical lifestyle. A disposition of the heart that evidences itself to have no vital concern for the Lord and His ways, but is more fond of its own pleasure and pursuits.
There has been a lot of wrong notions of what it means to be a friend of the world. For instance, some in the early days of the church have thought it means being in this world or being associated with people who are in this world.
This is one of the reasons why monasticism became a big thing. People thought that if they ran away to a monastery and became a monk, then they could escape the world and break any ties to being a friend of the world. In other words, seclusion became the methodology of choice. Farmers were considered worldly people because they worked the soil. Lawyers and shopkeepers were people who had “worldly” occupations and were tied to the earth. So the world was defined in terms of everyday living and maybe this planet. Your job was not considered to be holy and doing everyday work in your home and office was thought to be worldly because you weren’t thinking about God every minute of the day.
That of course is a wrong understanding of what it means to be a friend of the world. Just because you fix cars or plow fields, doesn’t mean that you’re a friend of the world. God put Adam in a garden. He was called to take dominion over the world and labor in this world. You don’t live a higher more spiritual life if you break ties with this world or the people of this world.
Even Jesus would say that we are to be in the world. He prayed that God would not take us out of the world, but that God would sanctify and protect us while in the world.
So we must not think that friendship with the world means a worldly employment or associated it with the people who live in this world—even unbelievers. At least, not in full.
Neither should we think that friendship with the world means certain practices that people often associate with worldliness. Some of you, if you have had a certain upbringing in fundamentalist circles, when I talk about worldliness have a connotation of how long your skirt should be or you think of certain kinds of music that are regarded as “worldly.” If it has an upbeat tempo, and you like that kind of thing, then you are considered worldly.
Growing up my grandfather’s house was just across from the town jail. And we would sit out on the porch in the afternoon and you could see the jail window with the bars. Sometimes you would see someone sitting there in the jail, his head by the window. And my grandfather would joke saying that that fellow was there because he started playing cards.
My grandfather was poking fun at the idea that card playing and dancing and those practices that were considered “worldly.”
Some of you may have seen the old time movie where the family had somehow come into the possession of an organ. This was back in the time when there were no musical instruments used in worship and they sang the psalms exclusively. They kept the organ in the attic because they didn’t want the elders of the church to come by and see such a worldly thing in their house.
For some, that’s the definition of becoming a friend of the world. That you enjoy certain things in this world or see certain novelties or fashions as being inherently unspiritual. But that isn’t necessarily the case.
To be sure, you can dress in a worldly way. You can be worldly in listening to or composing certain music. Playing card games can be worldly, but it might not necessarily be so. I want you to understand that there is more to it than this. It is more than how long your hair is or whether your radio plays music that has beats on two and four.
Worldlinesss is primarily a matter of the heart. This is what you must first understand. You see, when people come to this text, they often focus on the word “world.” And they try to define what exactly James means by the it. But perhaps a better thing to do is shift the focus to the word “friend.” The word friendship mean “fondness.” A friend is one who has a fondness for you. You have a special attachment to or bond with a friend.
In other words, it has to do with your affections. Where is your heart? To what is your heart attached? What is its preference and what is it ultimately fond of? This, I think, is what James is getting at. In the context he’s been talking about your desires. He’s been talking about your seeking your own pleasure. And this fondness is at the root of his calling them adulterers.
James is saying that a worldly person is one whose heart is not oriented to the Lord and to His word. His fondness of God has waned and he is not consumed with the desires of God. Rather his desires are focused almost entirely on himself or this world’s pleasures.
James’ accusation is that their love, their friendship is no longer with the Lord—where you want the things that he wants and desire the things that he desires, but rather your infatuation is placed somewhere else.
If you heart is more attached to your job or the people of this world, then you are a worldling. You do not have to run away to a monastery, but you do have to set your hearts on things above. If you are following people into unbiblical living and enjoying a life that has no real regard for God or his worship or his law, then you are knit deeply to the world.
You understand that worldly dress is not primarily about how tight the shirt is or how far down the leg the shorts go. It is about what you are truly fond of. Are you fond of the attention that you get? Are you more fond of being accepted by your friends? Are you more fond of the styles and the look than you are of really pleasing the Lord?
You see, your skirt could reach all the way to the floor, and you could still be a worldling. You can dress like an Amish man and still be a friend of the world. Because it is not ultimately about buttons and fabrics and sizes. It is about your heart and whether you want to please God with your wardrobe.
You understand that a friend of the world is not just someone who has money. But it is his heart and what he does with that money, or what he does to accumulate that money. If he’s not set on pleasing the lord with his money, but is fond of spending his money to fill his desires and is constantly craving the next gadget or luxury –it is all about consuming rather than about how he may advance the glory and kingdom of God, then that is the heart of someone who is in a relationship with the world.
To be sure, worldliness is any kind of unbiblibcal living. And I say that because at the bottom it is about an idolatrous lifestyle. It is about whether you have a real fondness for God and are pursuing Him.
And this is what you must examine. What is your orientation in life? Where do your heart’s affections ultimately lie? And it is the vital question because the consequences, as we stated earlier, are so very real. To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God. And you are then in a most dangerous place.
But this is where the good news comes. Jesus Christ came into the world to same those who are in the world. He came into this world that he might win over our affections.
Just before he was to go to the cross, Jesus talked about friendship. He said that no greater love is there than this: that a man lay down his life for his friends. Really, it was because he was so fond of God that he was put to death. He was no friend of the world, and that is why the world hated him and eventually crucified him. But his death was his means of making it possible for you to be a friend of God. Indeed, while we were still enemies, Christ died for us.
The cross of Jesus Christ must be there focus of your attention. It is the very thing that will feul your fondness. If you truly understand the depth of the love of God for sinners, and you understand the extent to which he goes to redeem you, then the things of this world will grow strangely dim.