The Spirit of God and the spirit of the World

In the New Testament "the world" is described as a social world order or system that is in rebellion against God.

Through man's fall Satan has become the ruler of this world or god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 John 5:19) . Every single person is born into this rebellious social world order. Satan controls the world through deceptions. If a person is not submitted to God, then Satan is his ruler. The spirit of the world does not come from God but from Satan!

Paul said to the church in Corinth, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Cor. 2:12).

The world does not recognise Jesus or His disciples. The world hates Jesus and His disciples (John 15:18,19). The Spirit of God and the spirit of the world oppose to each other.

Contrast between the Spirit of God and the spirit of the World

1. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth; the spirit of the world is the spirit of error.

"...the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him ...." (John 14:17, NKJV).

"..... By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error" (1 John 4:6).

2. The Spirit of God reveals the things of God; the spirit of the world ridicules the things of God. (1 Cor. 2:10, 14).

3. The Spirit of God focuses on Jesus; the spirit of the world focuses on man, and makes man his god.

4. The Spirit of God focuses on the eternal; the spirit of the world focuses on the temporal (2 Cor. 4:18).

5. The Spirit of God convicts the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (John 16:8). The Spirit of God says the world is passing away (1 John 2:17). The spirit of the world blinds man of this truth and tells man all things continue as they were from the beginning (2 Peter 3:4).

6. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim. 1:7); the spirit of the world is the spirit of subjection to evil through lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).

7. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22,23); the spirit of the world is the spirit of strive, hatred, division, rashness, self indulgence and arrogance.

8. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of supernatural grace (Heb. 10:29); the spirit of the world is the spirit of fleshly effort.

God's Plan of deliverance for believers from the spirit of the world

God loves the world and gave Jesus to die for it (John 3:16).

Paul said, "Our Lord Jesus who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father" (Gal. 1:3,4).

In other words, the present age is an evil age controls by the spirit of the world. It is God's will that all mankind be delivered from it.

The cross is God's judgement for Satan and the world. The cross resulted in Satan's defeat (Col. 2:15) and God reconcils the world unto Himself (2 Cor 5:19; Col 1:20).

Christians (the Church) in their relationship to the World

1. Jesus and His people (christians) are the only source of light in the dark world.

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12).

Jesus said to His disciples, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden" (Matt. 5:14).

Paul said, "That you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world" (Phil. 2:15).

2. Christians must not love the world. They are in the world but not of the world.

John said, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15).

Jesus prayed to the Father, "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, but that You shoul keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15,16).

3. Jesus chose christians out of the world system.

Jesus said to His disciples, "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you" (John 15:19).

4. Jesus overcomes the world and He expects His disciples (christians) to overcome the world also.

Jesus said to His disciples, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

John said, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?" (1 John 5:4,5)

The Spirit of Grace and Supplication

Paul warned Timothy that the spirit of the World will have great influence over the Church in the last days. Apostasy will come and people will give heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4:1 to 5). Other problems are listed in 2 Tim. 3 to 5.

God, by the revelation of the Holy Spirit is calling the Church to repent just as He is calling "the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem" to repent:

"And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn" (Zechariah 12:10, eimphasis added).

Both Israel and the Church need the Spirit of grace and supplication. Notice that "supplication" means the "prayer of mercy or prayer of repentance". Only by the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of grace God's convenant people (both Israel and the Church) know how to repent.

Finally, here is the promise of God to His covenant people following repentance:

"In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of jerusalem, for sin and uncleaness. 'It shall be in that day,' says the Lord of hosts, 'that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land'" (Zechariah 13:1,2, emphasis added).

In other words, God will open a fountain to cleance the land of sin and uncleaness. Idols and false prophets will be cut off. Notice that in the context (see verse 3) "prophets" means "false prophets". I believe "unclean spirit" is the spirit of the world. I also believe an example of "false prophets" is a preacher of the "properity gospel".