thinking bible.

You asked

what current cultural values might jesus identify as 'the world' that his followers should not be 'of'?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

John 17:14-16

I have given them your word. The world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

This passage is part of Jesus' final prayer for his disciples, recorded by John, just before his arrest and crucifixion. He is preparing them for his departure and the challenges they will face as his followers in a world that might not understand or accept their message.

What aspects of contemporary life feel most at odds with the kind of life Jesus envisions for his followers?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Romans 12:2

    Paul echoes a similar call for believers to resist conforming to the patterns of the age.

  • 1 John 2:15-17

    This passage directly warns against loving 'the world' and its desires, defining what 'the world' might entail.

  • Philippians 2:15

    Paul encourages believers to live as lights 'in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,' suggesting engagement without assimilation.

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