- Joined
- Jul 13, 2015
- Messages
- 19,201
- Location
- Western Australia
- Gender
- Male
- Religious Affiliation
- Catholic
- Political Affiliation
- Moderate
- Marital Status
- Single
- Acceptance of the Trinity & Nicene Creed
- Yes
Jesus spoke of his disciples as being in the world but not of it. His words can be interpreted in different ways. One interpretation is that the faithful in Christ are in the world meaning that they are living in the world and thus need to have interactions with worldly people and governments but that the faithful are not of the world meaning they are not vested in worldly goals, politics, movements, religions, and so forth. Like an ambassador lives in a foreign nation but is not a citizen of it nor a participant in its political life. What do you think that passage is telling you about living your life as Christ's body in the world?
I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us. While I was with them, I kept those you had given me true to your name. I have watched over them and not one is lost except one who was destined to be lost, and this was to fulfil the scriptures. But now I am coming to you and I say these things in the world to share my joy with them to the full. I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. (Joh 17:11-16)
