When we have learned how the world was formed, it is easy to define the world. Originally, man belonged to God, lived by God and relied entirely upon Him. Now Satan has systematized the world to replace God in providing for man’s need. Man, having forsaken God, relied upon the world and was overcome by the world. Therefore, the world consists of everything that replaces God and all that usurps man. When people, activities, or things-whether good or bad, beautiful or ugly-enslave man, they comprise the world. Anything that causes man to disregard God, be removed from Him, or be independent of Him is the world.
The Greek word for “world” is kosmos, which means system or organization. Satan not only employs the necessities of life, such as people, activities, and things, to preoccupy man, he furthermore organizes them into numerous individual systems in order to intensify his grip upon man. The world today resembles a university, in which are many different departments, such as eating, drinking, clothing, marriage, funerals, literature, music, money and fame-more than we can enumerate. The aggregate result is a world university, occupying man with many courses. One by one, these courses enslave and possess man, causing him to completely forsake and forget God and go along with the current of the world. Man believes that he is handling and enjoying all these, but actually, without realizing Satan’s deception, he has fallen into the hands of the evil one and is controlled and tricked by him. Therefore, the world denotes the enemy’s scheme, system, and organization to usurp the place of God in man and finally to gain full possession of man.
Concerning the definition of the world, the Bible gives some explanations:
First, the difference between “the world” and “the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15-17). “If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (v. 15). The world and God are in direct opposition to each other. Verse 17 in the Greek says that “the things that are in the world...passeth away, but he that does the will of God abideth forever.” Here the things that are in the world contradict the will of God. In verse 16, that which is included in the things of this world is divided into three categories: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vain glory of life. In conclusion, all that does not come from the Father, all that originates outside of God, and all that comes from the world are things of the world and are contrary to the will of God.
Second, the difference between the world and the age. “Be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Rom. 12:2). Here “this world” in the Greek is not kosmos but aion, referring to the age.
What is the world, and what is the age? The combination of all people, activities, and things outside of God is called “the world.” “The age” designates the part of the world which we contact at the present. The part of the world which Cain contacted was the age of Cain; the part of the world which Abraham contacted was the age of Babel. The part of the world we come in touch with today is called the age of the Twentieth Century. The world is the entire organization used by Satan to usurp man, while an age is a fraction of this organization. There are many ages within this organized world. So, the Apostle in Ephesians 2:2 refers to “the age of this world.” (“The course of this world” in the original is “the age of this world.”) The world signifies the whole, and the age, the part. Man can only contact the age, a part, but not the world, the whole. Usually we say the world possesses us. In reality, only part of the age possesses us, not the whole world, and even in the age, we contact but a fraction of it by having a wife, a few children, a home, a bank account, etc. These constitute the practical world which binds and possesses us. In other words, the age is equivalent to the afore mentioned things that are in the world.
The Greek word for “age” is aion, which means modern. Therefore, in Ephesians 2:2 the King James Version translates this word into “course.” So, “age” means “modern,” “fashion,” “the course,” the world which is revealed before us today, or the things that are in the world. In Romans 12:2, the age, not the world, is in opposition to the will of God; this corresponds to 1 John 2:17.
From this we see the relationships between the world, the age, and the things that are in the world. We cannot contact the world in its entirety, but only a portion of it, called the “age” or “the things that are in the world.” This is also true of the relationship between God and His will. Since God is so great, we cannot contact Him as a whole, but only a portion of Him. This portion which we contact is called the will of God. Whenever we contact God, we contact only the portion emanating from Him, which we call the will of God. Thus, we see that the world is in opposition to God, and the age or the things that are in the world are in opposition to the will of God.
Love of the world is comprehensive, but love of the things that are in the world is a more practical term. Also, obedience to God is comprehensive, but obedience to the will of God is more practical.
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