Not of the World

 

Not of the World

 

John 17:16

 

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

 

They are not of the world. This is repeated from verse 14, where the words are used as a reason that these should be protected from the evil of the world and the evil, of the evil one. In verse one of this chapter Christ had said: “Father, the hour is come” indicating that it was the hour of His corporeal departure from this world (John 16:7). Christ Jesus had said to the men of this world “this is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). The Father had given the men of this world (when they came with Judas to capture Him) power to crucify His only begotten and well beloved Son. Consequently our Lord Jesus would later tell Pontius Pilate: “Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin” (John 19:11). In verse 17 of this chapter our Lord Jesus prays for the experiential sanctification of the apostles, and of those who would believe through their word, verse 20. The reason for their sanctification is given in our subject verse: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”.

 

These events were in accordance with the ancient stipulations of the everlasting covenant of grace. They were amplified when Christ Jesus said: “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice” (John 18:37). Truth in this world has been proved to be a deadly thing. A brief look into Fox’s Book of Martyrs will demonstrate this principle. Unregenerate men hate the God of the Bible, for He claims His absolute authority over them. And this is a thing that natural men will not tolerate in this world.

 

The Holy Three In One had determined that One of them should come into this world to put away the sin of the children of the covenant. This representative of the people who would put away sin, must be taken from among the people. Therefore the Son of God, that is, the Word of God, was made flesh. The Son of God was made man (John1:14). God the Son took a pure, spotless and perfectly holy human body (the seed of woman, Genesis 3:15) into union with His Deity (Luke 1:35; Hebrews 10:5) “for the suffering of death” (Hebrews 2:9). For every high priest taken from among men is ordained of God to offer both gifts and sacrifices to God for the sins of men (Hebrews 5:1). It was therefore necessary that this Great High Priest, Jesus Christ, “should have somewhat also to offer” (Hebrews 8:3). And so: “now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9:26). As it is written: “Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people (Psalm 89:19). The prophet Isaiah had written of Him: “Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles” (Isaiah 42:1).

 

They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Jesus Christ came into this world as Man and Mediator, the God-Man, because of ancient covenant engagements, made before the world was called into existence. In eternity past all of time existed in the infinite mind of Jehovah, all the events that have come to pass in the time state of creation, were foreordained by the God of the Bible. For: “The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil” (Proverbs 16:4). So the death of Jesus Christ, was according to the stipulations of the everlasting covenant grace (I Peter 1:20). Not only was the death of Christ foreordained in the covenant of grace, but so were all those things that were to be accomplished by His death. For through His cross death, a death filled with violence, blood, and contempt, Jesus Christ endured the curse that was pronounced against the Surety of the covenant (Hebrews 7:22; 13:20), of the children of God. These children of the covenant are not of this world, for they are named in the same covenant wherein Christ Jesus is named the Savior of the world (I John 4:14). The world of elect children of the covenant, for it is that world only whose sins are put away (John 1:29). In a future day, when all the children of God have been taught, and are gathered together in one, Christ Jesus will say to the Father “Behold I and the children which God hath given me” (Hebrews 2:13; John17:2). The holy scriptures know nothing of a possible savior, but the scriptures speak of a Savior who saves absolutely, by Himself (Hebrews 1:3; Matthew 1:21).

 

The religious language of our day reflects the religion of the world, which is the “world of the ungodly” (II Peter 2:5), and that “whole world lieth in wickedness” (I John 5:19), whom the god of this world has blinded, as it is written: “But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (II Corinthians 4:3-4). In this world of the ungodly, all its citizens are deceived, for Satan deceiveth this whole world, as it is written: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:9). The Apostle James adds to the indictment when he said: “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4). In this verse the Apostle is speaking of spiritual adultery against Christ. Those who commit this spiritual adultery claim to be of the spouse of Christ, but they worship “another Jesus” (II Corinthians 11;4), through the preaching of, and hearing of, “another gospel” (Galatians 1:6), the false gospel of the universalists. The Apostle John wrote: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (I John 2: 15-16). This is that world that cannot receive the Spirit of truth, as it is written: “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:17). This is the world that does not know the Righteous Father, as it is written: “O Righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me (John17:25).

 

“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”. This is the world of God’s elect and redeemed children of the covenant, whether regenerate or as yet unregenerate, who are not of the world of the religious ungodly. Our Lord Jesus said: “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:18-19). Therefore: “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath” (Mark 4:23-25). Those who are enabled to believe the gospel of Jesus Christ do so through grace (Acts 18:27), and they believe because their names are written in heaven. They are the children of the covenant, and it is written concerning them: “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Hebrews 12: 22-24).

AJ Ison

See the writers blog at www.hebrews915.blogspot.com hear the true gospel of Jesus Christ preached at www.13thstbaptist.org web casting live at listed service times.