As Christians, we live in this world, but not of this world. Jesus asked the Father to keep believers (and specifically, His church) from the evil that pervades the world (John 17:14-15). How can we stay protected from the evil in this world? Through the discernment from and practice of the Word of God.
The Bible teaches that the world has a course it follows, a route, a way of thinking, a way of accepted behaviors. It is a course masterminded by Satan (Eph. 2:2). People walk in these ways because they are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). Because the world’s system is ungodly, it can’t get anything truly right. A society might have some practices that have right qualities, but it can’t do the action with a Biblical centeredness or with Scriptural motivations. For instance, generations ago parents spanked their children; but they did it as a last resort, as a reaction, or without accompanying Biblical instruction. The Bible teaches spanking differently.
In many ways, society defines the terms and pressures the community to fit in. The farther a society veers from God’s Word, the worse the course gets. For believers, we look to God’s Word for guidance, not society.
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