Holiness vs: Worldliness

[Sudsy]

This thread is to share our understandings regarding these two words in the thread title.

A couple rules - no post to use any form of the words 'conservative' and/or 'liberal' and no post to use a specific short form or long form of any Christian group's title.

Preference would be to provide scripture text for how you arrived at that understanding.

Here are a couple verses to kick this off -

Hebrews 12:14 - Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

1 John 2:15-17 - Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Feel free to share differing opinions but in a respectful and loving way.

[Franklin]

Romans 12:2 - Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

[Soloist]

Matthew 7: 24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

This is what Jesus said is the difference between Holiness and worldliness. Do we follow what Jesus said and taught?

[MaxPC]

Matthew 7: 24-27 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

This is what Jesus said is the difference between Holiness and worldliness. Do we follow what Jesus said and taught?

Great topic.

Matthew 7 sums it nicely for me. The essential aspect of holiness is whether I choose to follow Jesus as a first priority regardless of suffering, inconvenience, or fatigue. Am I willing to obey His will and His instruction no matter the cost?

[Sudsy]

An example of what Paul called 'worldly' - 1 Cor 3:1-4 NIV underlines mine

Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?

Paul here describes some Christians as 'worldly' with regard to how spiritually mature they are.

Being 'worldly', imo, is often thought by comparisons made to how the unsaved live. But Paul here points to ways believers are 'worldly' in their actions and regard for other Christians. Seems to me there were those in the Corinthian church who thought of themselves as spiritually more mature in their understandings of Christian life and Paul pointed out due to their jealousy and quarreling amongst themselves that they were not that spiritually mature. To some extent I think church splits were the results of spiritual immaturity and worldly ways of thinking even when they were thought to be more holy, more set apart.