Fruitful Living
The Christians relationship to the world
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. – 1 John2:15-16
INTRODUCTION
The term “world”, often refers to the vast world system that exists independent of God (that is when we go out of our way without regard for God) and basically opposed to Him. It is how things in the world have operated ever since the first humans gave in to Satan’s temptation, disobeyed God and brought the curse of sin upon all of creation.
As a result of defying God, humankind gave up the authority over creation that God had originally delegated to them. Satan then seized control and began to dominate human endeavours (ideas and efforts) with his evil purposes.
This means that the “world” in its present condition is characterized not only by wicked immoral and selfish lifestyles, but also by a spirit of rebellion and indifference (apathy, unresponsiveness, lack of concern) toward God and His revelation. This attitude is characteristic of all humans and human endeavours that are not submitted to Christ’s leadership and authority.
Consequently, Satan uses the world’s ideas of morality, its philosophies and its social customs to oppose God, His people, His Word and His standards. Most of these issues and areas of life are not evil in and of themselves, yet Satan will work through any or all of them to promote taking lives, as with abortion, or educational systems may be used to nurture in students an ungodly and humanistic philosophy.
Or more subtly, the clothing industry can be greatly used to promote general habits of dress that would definitely bring shame and offense to those who live according to the standards given by God for His people. Christians must be aware that behind all human endeavours, apart from God, there is a spirit of power that moves against God and His Word in varying degrees.
Finally the “world” also includes all unbiblical religious systems and organizations that use the name of Christ or His family of believers, yet teach and encourage lifestyles contrary to God’s true church standards of holiness that are given in His Word.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT THE “WORLD”
- Satan is the god of the present world system; he controls it, along with a host of evil spirits who work their destruction under his limited authority.
- Satan has long had a foothold in the world’s political, cultural, economic and religious systems that are inherently hostile toward God and His people. These systems and those who are part of them refuse to submit to God’s truth, which exposes their evil.
- The world and the true church (all genuine followers of Christ) are two distinct groups of people. The world is under Satan’s authority and control; the church belongs exclusively to God. For this reason, true believers must separate themselves from the ungodliness and corruption of the world.
- In the world, God’s people are aliens and strangers, simply passing through on the way to their true home with God.
They do not belong to the world, but are called out from it. As a result, they no longer conform to the world’s pattern. Instead, they despise the world’s evil, die to the world (become unresponsive to its influences) and are liberated from the world. Through a relationship with Christ, God’s people overcome the world and its evil.
Loving the world is a form of spiritual adultery and unfaithfulness that defiles our relationship with God and leads to spiritual destruction. It is impossible to love the world and God the Father at the same time. To love the world means to be closely related to and associated with its beliefs, behaviours and customs. It means being devoted to or accepting of its values, interests, practices and pleasures. It involves taking pleasure in or enjoying what is common in the world, but is offensive to God. While we are to hate the corrupt ways of the world, we also are to demonstrate God’s compassion for people who are spiritually lost, caught up in the world’s evil and blinded by Satan’s deception. - Three aspects of the sinful world create open hostility to God and promote defiance against His Word:
“The cravings of sinful man”: this includes spiritually impure and immoral desires and the pursuit of sinful pleasures and sensual gratification (satisfaction in selfish and ungodly ways)
“The lust of the eyes”: this refers to coveting (desiring what belongs to someone else) or lusting for things that are appealing to the eye but forbidden by God or outside of His perfect plan. This includes the desire to read, listen to or watch things that offer immoral pleasure and promote ungodly ideas. In the present modern age, this includes being entertained by watching pornography, violence, ungodly conduct, nudity or immoral behaviour portrayed on a wide range of media).
“The boasting of what he has and does”: This refers to an attitude of subtle pride and arrogance that often comes with wealth, material blessings, positions of power, personal achievements, honours or other apparent successes. This can lead to a feeling of self-sufficiency that does not recognize God as Lord or His Word as the final authority. This attitude of the human spirit seeks to exalt, honour and promote oneself in life. It is the opposite of submission to God and His Word, and it defies the spirit of humility demonstrated by Jesus and required of His true followers. - Christ’s followers must not be in close companionship with those who participate in the world’s evil system and corruption. Christians must be spiritual salt and light to the world, reflecting God’s character and love so that those who are lost in the spiritual darkness of the world can see the hope that is found only through a relationship with Christ.
- From the world, a true Christian will experience trouble, hatred, persecution and suffering. By various forms of temptations, enticements and attractions of the world, Satan makes a determined effort to destroy the life of God in the Christian and to ruin his or her relationship with Christ.
- The world system is temporary and will eventually be destroyed by God. Even now, it is in the process of passing away.
CONCLUSION
By contrast, God values self-control, a spirit of generosity, and a commitment to humble service. It is possible to give the impression of avoiding worldly pleasures while still harboring worldly attitudes in one’s heart. It is also possible, like Jesus, to love sinners and spend time with them while maintaining a commitment to the values of God’s Kingdom. What values are most important to us? Do our actions reflect the world’s values or God’s values?
Stay blessed!
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Fruitful Living
Sanitation, Hygiene, and the Morality of Public Space: Reclaiming Ghana’s Civic Virtue through Faith and Policy (Final Part)
A. The Role of Religious Leaders and Counsellors
Religious leaders wield immense influence in shaping public values. Every mosque, church, and shrine should integrate environmental stewardship into its doctrine. Islam views the earth as a masjid—a place of prostration (Sahih Bukhari, 335). Polluting it is akin to defiling a sacred space. Monthly khutbahs should focus on amanah and tahārah, connecting spiritual purity to environmental discipline.
As a counsellor, I affirm that behavioural reform requires both moral teaching and psychological reinforcement. When believers internalise that cleaning a drain is an act of ʿibādah (worship), they transform routine labour into sacred service. The Prophet (peace be upon him) taught: “Removing harmful things from the path is a branch of faith.” (Sahih Muslim, 35). This hadith perfectly captures the theology of civic virtue.
B. Individual and Community Pledge
Moral renewal begins with personal accountability. Every household must adopt responsible waste practices—segregating recyclables, composting, and cooperating with collection services. Citizens must also exercise al-amr bi-l-maʿrūf wan-nahy ʿani-l-munkar (enjoining good and forbidding evil) by correcting neighbours who litter or misuse public spaces, with gentleness and wisdom (Qur’an 16:125).
Communities should establish local sanitation committees under mosque and church leadership, creating faith-driven accountability structures. Supporting local enforcement, rather than resisting it, must be seen as a contribution to maslahah—the public interest that the Sharia seeks to protect.
This collective moral reawakening must integrate faith, governance, and citizenship into one moral project: cleanliness as worship, sanitation as patriotism.
C. Conclusion: Cleanliness, Dignity, and the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah
Ghana’s destiny as a great nation is inseparable from the cleanliness of its environment and the conscience of its citizens. The choked gutters, polluted rivers, and scattered waste are not only environmental failures but spiritual wounds upon our collective soul. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Allah is pure and accepts only what is pure.” (Sahih Muslim, 1015). A nation that aspires to divine favour must first reflect divine purity in its public spaces.
To achieve this, we must view sanitation through the lens of the Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah—the higher objectives of Islamic law—which aim to preserve life (ḥifẓ al-nafs), faith (ḥifẓ al-dīn), intellect (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql), wealth (ḥifẓ al-māl), and posterity (ḥifẓ al-nasl). Clean environments are essential for all five objectives:
- Preservation of Life (ḥifẓ al-nafs): Proper sanitation prevents disease and death. Protecting human health is a divine imperative. Allah says, “And do not throw yourselves with your own hands into destruction.” (Qur’an 2:195).
- Preservation of Faith (ḥifẓ al-dīn): Islam equates purity with faith. An unclean environment obstructs worship and spiritual growth, violating the believer’s covenant of cleanliness.
- Preservation of Intellect (ḥifẓ al-ʿaql): Healthy surroundings promote clarity of thought, while pollution and disease diminish cognitive vitality and learning.
- Preservation of Wealth (ḥifẓ al-māl): Waste management safeguards public funds, prevents costly health crises, and preserves natural resources.
- Preservation of Posterity (ḥifẓ al-nasl): Environmental care ensures a habitable planet for future generations, fulfilling our amanah to the unborn.
By aligning sanitation with these higher objectives, we transform a civic duty into a sacred mission. Achieving the Maqāṣid requires cooperation between policy and piety—laws enforced justly, education grounded in values, and citizens inspired by faith.
Let every believer remember that a clean street is a silent dhikr (remembrance of Allah), a purified drain is a fulfilled amanah, and a healthy neighbour is a protected trust. When our gutters run clear and our air smells fresh, it will signify not merely progress but piety—proof that Ghana has reclaimed its moral and civic virtue under the gaze of the Almighty Allah.
Thank you.
- By Imam Alhaji SaeedBAbdulai, the Author
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B. Instead, walk in righteousness and true holiness … (20–24)
1. This is how you learned Christ
- As you heard Him and were taught by Him (through His apostles, of course – Matt. 28:19-20)
- In Whom is the truth – John 8:31; 14:6
2. For you were taught to “put off” the “old man”
- That is, your “former conduct,” how you behaved before you were saved – Col. 3:5-9
- Putting off the old man is needed because it is never content, but grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts (like addictive drugs, you always need more).
3. And to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind”
- Which is the key to true “transformation” – Rom. 12:1-2
- You “renew your mind” only as you “set your mind on things above” – Col. 3:1-2
4. And to “put on the new man”
- A new man “which was created according to God” – Col. 3:10
- A new man, “in righteousness and true holiness” – Col. 3:12-17
In giving the admonition “No longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles,” Paul has made it clear that it involves both a “putting off” and a “putting on.” That is, our “Walking in Truth and Holiness” is not just a bunch of “Thou Shalt Not’s,” there are also some “Thou Shalt’s.”
To illustrate further the difference between the “old man” (how the rest of the Gentiles walk) and the “new man” (how Christians are to walk), we find Paul making…
II. The Application – (25–32)
Case in point: lying (25)
- The “old man” thinks nothing of lying
- The “new man” puts away lying, and in its place speaks truth with his neighbor (especially to those who are members of the same body)
Case in point: anger (26–27)
- The “old man” gets angry and lets it linger, or get out of control
- The “new man” may get angry, but does not…
- Let it linger (“do not let the sun go down on your wrath”)
- Allow it to prompt sinful behavior (“nor give place to the devil”)
Case in point: stealing (28)
- The “old man” is willing to steal
- The “new man” not only stops stealing, but works so he can help others in need!
Case in point: corrupt communication (29)
- The “old man” doesn’t worry or care what comes out of his mouth
- The “new man” not only avoids “corrupt communication,” but seeks to speak that which is uplifting to those who hear
Summary (30–32)
Why be concerned about putting off the “old man” and putting on the “new man?”
When Christians act like the “old man,” it grieves the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit we were sealed for the day of redemption – Eph. 1:13-14.
Therefore, we ought to put away those things befitting the “old man” (bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, evil speaking, malice). And in its place, we need to put on those things befitting the “new man” (being kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another just as God forgives us in Christ).
Conclusion
What a contrast there would be if all those in the church truly carried out the admonition to “Walk in Truth and Holiness!” The church would stand out like “a city that is set on a hill” – Matt. 5:14-16.
And the world, though it now has “their understanding darkened,” would be more likely to come to see the truth that is in Jesus. But what hope is there if the church is more like the world than the “holy temple” it is to be?
Brethren, are we “grieving the Holy Spirit of God?” – Ephesians 4:30. While the increasing worldliness in our society naturally concerns us, let us be careful not to react with attitudes that reveal our old characteristic when we were in the world.
BY Rev. Dr Joyce Aryee,
the author
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