[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":94},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-friend-of-the-world-or-a-friend-of-god":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-friend-of-the-world-or-a-friend-of-god-surround":83},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":12,"columnName":65,"date":66,"description":67,"extension":68,"image":69,"meta":70,"minRead":71,"navigation":72,"path":73,"postType":74,"publication":75,"publicationUrl":69,"seo":76,"stem":77,"topics":78,"__hash__":82},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fa-friend-of-the-world-or-a-friend-of-god.md","A Friend of the World, or a Friend of God?",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9,10,11],"James","Jeremiah","1 John",{"type":13,"value":14,"toc":61},"minimark",[15,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,51,58],[16,17,18,22],"p",{},[19,20,21],"em",{},"\"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God","\" (James 4:4).",[16,24,25],{},"No one in his right mind wants to be an enemy of God. If God is your adversary, you're going to lose the battle every time. It's common to question God and even feel angry with him at times; but there's never a good reason to reject the one who loves us with perfect love.",[16,27,28],{},"That's why James 4:4 is such a startling verse of Scripture. \"You adulterous people,\" James begins. Not exactly an endearing way to address his readers, but it makes a valid point. Unfaithfulness to God is like cheating on your spouse. It's spiritual adultery. God told the people of Israel, \"like a woman unfaithful to her husband, so you have been unfaithful to me\" (Jeremiah 3:20).",[16,30,31],{},"Then James 4:4 goes on to say, \"friendship with the world is hatred toward God.\" This is a puzzling concept. Why is it such a bad thing to be a friend of the world?",[16,33,34],{},"Shouldn't we care about the world of business, education, politics, and social justice? Jesus calls us to be the light of the world, but we can't light the darkness if we disengage from it. He calls us to be the salt of the earth, but we can't season society if we stay in the saltshaker.",[16,36,37],{},"Shouldn't we befriend unbelievers? How else can we lead them closer to the Savior? \"God so loved the world\"—shouldn't we?",[16,39,40],{},"Shouldn't we be community-minded, helping to spruce up and lift up our neighborhoods? I want my neighbors to consider me a friend. Does that make me \"a friend of the world\"?",[16,42,43],{},"Don't Christians have contributions to make in art, music, athletics, and journalism? Don't we have a role to play in the media, in local government, in national and global affairs? God gave us dominion over the earth; shouldn't we \"love the world\" by being good stewards of our environment?",[16,45,46,47,50],{},"A biblical commentary explains that in James 4:4, \"",[19,48,49],{},"Kosmos"," (world) does not refer to the physical earth or universe but rather to the spiritual reality of the man-centered, Satan-directed system of this present age, which is hostile to God and God's people. It refers to the self-centered, godless value system and mores of fallen mankind. The goal of 'the world' is self-glory, self-fulfillment, self-indulgence, self-satisfaction, and every other form of self-serving, all of which amounts to hostility toward God.\"",[16,52,53,54,57],{},"There's a \"world\" we must befriend, influence, and care for as God does. There's also a \"world\" we must never befriend because it pulls us away from the God of love. James 4:4 isn't merely warning about a dangerous world \"out there.\" It's talking about the selfish desires in our own hearts, which war against our souls. \"Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity\" (1 John 2:16, 17, ",[19,55,56],{},"The Message",").",[16,59,60],{},"Nothing—nothing—should keep us from loving the Lord. Whether we recognize it or not, he's the best friend we'll ever have.",{"title":62,"searchDepth":63,"depth":63,"links":64},"",2,[],"First Look","2008-02-17","*\"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God*\" (James 4:4).","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-friend-of-the-world-or-a-friend-of-god","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":67},"articles\u002Fa-friend-of-the-world-or-a-friend-of-god",[79,80,81],"Biblical Theology","Spiritual Formation","Discipleship","Sk5baMpu-2o2QW9ly8um3NVlpiRTd5vSxqyTLZ75RA0",[84,89],{"title":85,"path":86,"stem":87,"description":88,"children":-1},"A Formula for Generous Living","\u002Farticles\u002Fa-formula-for-generous-living","articles\u002Fa-formula-for-generous-living","A wise person said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”",{"title":90,"path":91,"stem":92,"description":93,"children":-1},"A Godly Father","\u002Farticles\u002Fa-godly-father","articles\u002Fa-godly-father","Recently I filled out a survey for a research project a friend was conducting. One of the survey questions asked, \"What person has had the most impact on your life?\" I immediately answered, \"My dad.\"",1790466132377]