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Love Not the World: Winning the War Against Worldliness
Love Not the World by Randy Leedy (PhD) discusses how believers can live in the world without being a part of the world. Leedy examines pertinent biblical terms and includes Scripture verses that can help believers discern the world and its subversive influence. For issues that Scripture does not expressly address, he shares the broader biblical principles governing the believer's relationship to the world. Spiritual leaders desiring to set a healthy example for their flocks will rejoice to have Love Not the World in their personal libraries.
- GenresChristian LivingTheology
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
23 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
July 6, 2012
This is a great book. At only 144 pages, it was an easy read and I only wish it could have lasted longer.
I had Dr. Leedy as a seminary teacher. His rigorous logic, assiduous accuracy, and careful exegesis made a strong impression on me then, and reading this book only reminded me again of why I enjoyed his teaching.
Unfortunately, some people will see a book on worldliness and never give it a chance because they assume it's purely application. Leedy establishes a foundation of solid biblical theology from Old and New Testaments before fleshing out some basic outlines of decisions biblical data might inform. He recognizes both extremes of how worldliness has been viewed and provides a solid framework for moving forward. Here are several ideas I especially liked:
•pg. 2 - If you ask a group of believers how many Christians around them they think are worldly, their answers will probably be roughly 50%, but very few of them will say they are worldly. How can half of us be worldly if none of us think we are?
•pg. 9-10 – a good parable for understanding legalists, libertarians, and the people caught in the middle.
•pg. 34-44 - the NT idea of "world" is probably an analogue to the OT idea of "the nations."
•pg. 86-88 - a really helpful chart of all of the actions the NT text explicitly identifies as worldly.
•pg. 89-101; 116-126 - helpful analysis of how believers should draw out biblical applications.
•pg. 13-116 - though we can expect disagreements on what constitutes worldliness, believers should be able to interact and learn from one another. We need one another's input.
I had Dr. Leedy as a seminary teacher. His rigorous logic, assiduous accuracy, and careful exegesis made a strong impression on me then, and reading this book only reminded me again of why I enjoyed his teaching.
Unfortunately, some people will see a book on worldliness and never give it a chance because they assume it's purely application. Leedy establishes a foundation of solid biblical theology from Old and New Testaments before fleshing out some basic outlines of decisions biblical data might inform. He recognizes both extremes of how worldliness has been viewed and provides a solid framework for moving forward. Here are several ideas I especially liked:
•pg. 2 - If you ask a group of believers how many Christians around them they think are worldly, their answers will probably be roughly 50%, but very few of them will say they are worldly. How can half of us be worldly if none of us think we are?
•pg. 9-10 – a good parable for understanding legalists, libertarians, and the people caught in the middle.
•pg. 34-44 - the NT idea of "world" is probably an analogue to the OT idea of "the nations."
•pg. 86-88 - a really helpful chart of all of the actions the NT text explicitly identifies as worldly.
•pg. 89-101; 116-126 - helpful analysis of how believers should draw out biblical applications.
•pg. 13-116 - though we can expect disagreements on what constitutes worldliness, believers should be able to interact and learn from one another. We need one another's input.
May 20, 2013
This book was very helpful and thoroughly biblical. I appreciated his pointing out that the Bible could not possibly contain every specific detail to each and every possible situation we may encounter. We will need to exercise discernment, and we will need to apply clearly taught principles. It will take considerable thought and effort but it is worth it for the sake of God's glory. Great verse: Ephesians 5:15-17.
His teaching on Romans 14-15 was also helpful to me. He says that since that passage is dealing with foods it is not a passage that can help us in discerning appropriate music styles. Food does not enter the heart (Mark 15:10-20; Mark 7:14-23). He says that "this clearly implies a categorical distinction between foods and music, since music both comes from the heart of the musician and enters the hearts of hearers." I have never heard this explanation before. But I have heard Romans 14 used to defend whatever style of music a person chooses and the person with the stronger conviction somehow comes out to be the "weaker brother". He does point to 1 Corinthians 8-10 which I have yet to study out. I'm planning to do that soon.
I'll finish out with one of my favorite quotes from the book.
"If our knowledge of God does not include a place for--and even a love for--our Father's stern response to the deliberate worldliness of his people, then our knowledge and love of him are defective, and we had better search the Scriptures more carefully as we live for Him in this world and prepare to give account of ourselves to His Son in the next."
The way we choose to live our lives is pretty serious business. It shouldn't be taken lightly.
His teaching on Romans 14-15 was also helpful to me. He says that since that passage is dealing with foods it is not a passage that can help us in discerning appropriate music styles. Food does not enter the heart (Mark 15:10-20; Mark 7:14-23). He says that "this clearly implies a categorical distinction between foods and music, since music both comes from the heart of the musician and enters the hearts of hearers." I have never heard this explanation before. But I have heard Romans 14 used to defend whatever style of music a person chooses and the person with the stronger conviction somehow comes out to be the "weaker brother". He does point to 1 Corinthians 8-10 which I have yet to study out. I'm planning to do that soon.
I'll finish out with one of my favorite quotes from the book.
"If our knowledge of God does not include a place for--and even a love for--our Father's stern response to the deliberate worldliness of his people, then our knowledge and love of him are defective, and we had better search the Scriptures more carefully as we live for Him in this world and prepare to give account of ourselves to His Son in the next."
The way we choose to live our lives is pretty serious business. It shouldn't be taken lightly.
April 1, 2013
Excellent study on the Christian's responsibility to avoid worldliness, and follow after Christ-likeness. Includes biblical definitions and examples, thorough explanations of key passages, and broad applications for today's believers.
June 8, 2012
Discussing topics such as worldliness or eternal punishment or ecclesiastical boundaries are rarely enjoyable. The gospel, the new heavens and new earth, or the missionary advance of the church are more engaging topics. Nevertheless, ecclesiastical boundaries are necessary for healthy missionary advance. Understanding the punishment we all deserve for our guilt and sin is important for fully understanding the salvation we have in Christ. And understanding and applying Scriptural teaching about the world is essential for living out the gospel and its implications.
Leedy's study of biblical theme of the world breaks into three parts. In two chapters he defines the world. Though this terminology is New Testament in origin, Leedy finds a parallel in Old Testament warnings for Israel not to conform to the nations. Since God's New Testament people are multi-national, the Bible shifts from warning against conformity to the nations to warning against conformity to the world. Leedy does a good job documenting why this shift was necessary as well as surveying the varying senses of kosmos and aion, the two Greek words typically translated "world" in English versions. This section could have been strengthened, in my opinion, by reducing the space given to describing the difficulty that early Jewish Christians had in embracing Gentile Christians to make space for an examination of why world or age replaces nations in these warnings.*
The core of the book deals with the difficult task of defining what worldliness is. Based on the theological definition developed in the first part of the book, Leedy surveys various New Testament passages that describe worldliness. From this survey he is able to chart and categorize the explicit Scriptural descriptions of worldliness. But what about issues that the Scripture does not directly address? Leedy argues that the open-ended nature of Scriptural vice-lists compels Christians to acknowledge that Scripture does not provide a comprehensive list of worldly behaviors and attitudes to avoid. In other words, simply because it doesn't show up in Scripture as explicitly prohibited doesn't mean a Christian has the liberty to love it or do it. On the other hand, Leedy warns against simply adopting human lists of dos and don'ts. In the face of these false alternatives, Scripture demands discernment, and Leedy illustrates this by examining passages in which Scripture models this demand for discernment. His treatment of 1 Corinthians 8-10 is masterful, providing not only a clear outline of Paul's argument but also a model for understanding how the epistolary authors reason with their readers. With this Scripture foundation in place, Leedy sets up a framework for applying Scripture to present-day culture.
The book's final chapter moves into practical thoughts about overcoming worldliness. It begins with a serious consideration of cost of worldliness, before moving toward practical steps for resisting worldliness. This application is firmly grounded on the recognition of what Christ has accomplished in overcoming the world. Sanctification is not a matter of mere will power. It does involve means of grace, however. Leedy lists, "the indwelling Spirit, Scripture, prayer, and fellowship with other believers," and he develops at length the role Scripture study and meditation play in overcoming worldliness. No doubt space constraints played a role in focusing on Scripture, but this section would have been strengthened by a consideration of the other elements listed. I would have been especially interested in a discussion about the role of the indwelling Spirit.
In all, Leedy has provided a helpful guidebook to a distasteful but very important critic.
*I wonder if world is used to indicate the extent of the twisting of God's good creation. I wonder if age reflects Paul's theology that we live in a present evil age while awaiting the full arrival of the age to come.
Leedy's study of biblical theme of the world breaks into three parts. In two chapters he defines the world. Though this terminology is New Testament in origin, Leedy finds a parallel in Old Testament warnings for Israel not to conform to the nations. Since God's New Testament people are multi-national, the Bible shifts from warning against conformity to the nations to warning against conformity to the world. Leedy does a good job documenting why this shift was necessary as well as surveying the varying senses of kosmos and aion, the two Greek words typically translated "world" in English versions. This section could have been strengthened, in my opinion, by reducing the space given to describing the difficulty that early Jewish Christians had in embracing Gentile Christians to make space for an examination of why world or age replaces nations in these warnings.*
The core of the book deals with the difficult task of defining what worldliness is. Based on the theological definition developed in the first part of the book, Leedy surveys various New Testament passages that describe worldliness. From this survey he is able to chart and categorize the explicit Scriptural descriptions of worldliness. But what about issues that the Scripture does not directly address? Leedy argues that the open-ended nature of Scriptural vice-lists compels Christians to acknowledge that Scripture does not provide a comprehensive list of worldly behaviors and attitudes to avoid. In other words, simply because it doesn't show up in Scripture as explicitly prohibited doesn't mean a Christian has the liberty to love it or do it. On the other hand, Leedy warns against simply adopting human lists of dos and don'ts. In the face of these false alternatives, Scripture demands discernment, and Leedy illustrates this by examining passages in which Scripture models this demand for discernment. His treatment of 1 Corinthians 8-10 is masterful, providing not only a clear outline of Paul's argument but also a model for understanding how the epistolary authors reason with their readers. With this Scripture foundation in place, Leedy sets up a framework for applying Scripture to present-day culture.
The book's final chapter moves into practical thoughts about overcoming worldliness. It begins with a serious consideration of cost of worldliness, before moving toward practical steps for resisting worldliness. This application is firmly grounded on the recognition of what Christ has accomplished in overcoming the world. Sanctification is not a matter of mere will power. It does involve means of grace, however. Leedy lists, "the indwelling Spirit, Scripture, prayer, and fellowship with other believers," and he develops at length the role Scripture study and meditation play in overcoming worldliness. No doubt space constraints played a role in focusing on Scripture, but this section would have been strengthened by a consideration of the other elements listed. I would have been especially interested in a discussion about the role of the indwelling Spirit.
In all, Leedy has provided a helpful guidebook to a distasteful but very important critic.
*I wonder if world is used to indicate the extent of the twisting of God's good creation. I wonder if age reflects Paul's theology that we live in a present evil age while awaiting the full arrival of the age to come.
February 7, 2017
This was such a good book and easy read for a theological book, comparatively. I really appreciated his slowing down to address the specifics of "just stop being like the world" (my quote). There are many issues here from how we feel about the world, the lure of the world to our own desires against our Lord and even how we witness to others and how the world sees Christians. This is a good pair with Pursuing God. It truly has helped me to refocus on my purpose here and what are my true desires in life. Above hobbies, above appearances, above my selfish focus.
January 22, 2013
Good book. There is clear exegesis, careful thinking and rigorous application. I didn't necessarily agree with all the applications, but I grew in my respect for the author as I read through the book, so I wasn't put-off by what I felt were unnecessary applications. Worldliness seems to almost mean nothing anymore, so it is refreshing to find someone tackling the subject from and exegetical viewpoint. Well done! The second book I have read in this series...I look forward to reading more.
May 14, 2012
Excellent exegesis. Clear writing. Successfully keeps the author's prodigious Greek knowledge below the surface. Good scriptural and theological defense of the necessity of careful application of the Bible. Doesn't get bogged down in disputable minutia.
I would have liked to see the expulsive power of a new affection—a benefit of the New Covenant—as the real cure for worldliness.
I would have liked to see the expulsive power of a new affection—a benefit of the New Covenant—as the real cure for worldliness.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews