Freedom from the world is the heritage of every believer, and not for some believers only, or for the mature [Gal 1:4]
Most people can relate with the idea of freedom from sin because it is habit forming and continual. Most may not be able to relate with freedom from the Law. But most people cannot relate with the idea of freedom from the world. The worst type of bondage is the one you are not even conscious of. The way to keep people bound is to keep them ignorant of that bondage.
When we speak of freedom from the world, the idea of freedom from demonic attack, oppression, and witchcraft is not the one in issue here. It is a blessed reality from god’s word that we are free of these things and He has freed us and given us authority over them [Col 1:13,Luk 10:19,Acts 26:18]
When we speak of freedom from the world, the ‘world’ here refers to a system, a social system by which the world runs which most times is independent of God. By virtue of this independence, it is opposed to God and therefore EVIL [Gal 1:4,1 Jn 2:15]. The head of this world system is Satan [2 Cor 4:4,1 Jn 5:19]
We must see the character of the world, the way God depicts it as being EVIL. Loving the world is against the will of God. As a believer, when I do not realize the true character of this world as evil, then i do not see the danger. I am bound already.
Just as the Jews had the Law as a social system that regulated the life of the Jew and acted as a tutor [Gal 3:25,Gal 4:1-2], gentiles also had customs, principles, traditions, laws which governed their lives [Gal 4:3, Col 2:20]. They were to regulate human society, restrain sin, UNTIL the dawn of Christianity through the Saviour.
Now that the Saviour has come, He has freed us from bondage to the world system [Gal4:4-9]. Our shackles are broken.
The world desires that your behaviour fits their system by influencing the way you think. This is the primary way it wants you to conform e.g. cigarettes adverts, standards of beauty & morality, beer adverts, fashion trends, corruption, media, films Ultimately this affects the way you live.
Though it is a blessed reality that we have been freed from the world, renewal of the mind is crucial, lest we conform to the world’s standards [Rom 12:1-2]. Thus Rom 12:2 is a switch if we do not renew our minds, we will be conformed to this world, and vice-versa.
This renewal is the key to EXPERIENCING freedom from the world system. It is not an absolute state but must be a continual practice, for the rest of our lives. Renewal of the mind means we drop the values of the world, and replace with God’s values as revealed in His word. It is when we practice this renewal that we prove [Rom 12:2,Lk 14:15] or see the reality of all we received in the new creature.
Pastor Jide Lawal