World

John 1:8-9 – He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

Isaiah 49:5-6 – And now the Lord says—he who formed me in the womb to be his servant to bring Jacob back to him and gather Israel to himself, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has been my strength—he says: “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

John 17:14-15 – I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

Application:

• ·         Christ is the light of the world, and I am to reflect His light.
• ·         “The world” is the world that is hostile to God and God’s people. “Not of the world” means they do not have the mindset of the world, i.e., hostility to God, for they have been “born of the Spirit” and are “children of God”.
• ·         The world is where Jesus’ disciples are to do their work; Jesus does not wish them to be taken from it until that work is done. “The evil one” is Satan, who is especially active in the world, making God’s protection indispensable.

All Scripture verses taken from NIV