Friends with the world an enemy of God ?

Question

Why did Jesus say those words?

Answer 1

Do you not know that the friendship with the world is enmity with God?:

James uses the question form for emphasis and to prick the consciences of his brothers, who knew or certainly should have known this fact. By friendship with the world, James refers to the community or people called “the world,” as distinguished from God’s people, Christians. Such friendship constitutes spiritual adultery. This world caters to fleshly desires, as described by the apostle John, at 1 John 2:16: “Everything in the world—the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one’s means of life—does not originate with the Father, but originates with the world.” This friendship manifests itself in a person’s being like the world in attitude, goals, methods and action.

The Christian who fails to center his life on his service to God and makes the pursuit of material possessions, position or the like his main objective in life is acting just as the world does. He gives no evidence that he has his sight on the things unseen or that he is working diligently to store up treasures in heaven, that is, making a record of fine works with the Most High. (Matt. 6:20; 2 Cor. 4:18)

Whoever, therefore, wants to be a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God:

Christians are to be no part of the world in attitude, speech or ways. The Son of God said respecting his faithful apostles: “The world has hated them, because they are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world.” (John 17:14) Therefore, the Christian who desires and seeks the world’s friendship must change in such a way that he will no longer be an object of its hatred. He must make himself acceptable to worldlings who have no regard for spiritual things. This requires a compromise on his part, a lack of firm, unwavering loyalty to Christ. He must adopt many of the very viewpoints, words and often the actions and methods that are contrary to what God expects of his servants. If a Christian voluntarily selects worldly companions as his intimate or regular associates, he is “testing” God and ‘inciting him to jealousy.’ (1 Cor. 10:22; 2 Cor. 6:14)

Since love for God is displayed by obedience, all who seek the world’s friendship are really showing hatred for the Most High, making themselves his enemies. We cannot serve two masters. (Matt. 6:24) The Christians whom James was addressing had made themselves enemies of God by yielding to covetousness and warring.

Or does it seem to you that the scripture says to no purpose: “It is with a tendency to envy that the spirit which has taken up residence within us keeps longing”?

*James is one of the writers of the Bible. All in all, there are 40 different writers.

Answer 2

Use the good sense God gave you. Do you truly believe God is a literalist, or a respecter of ink? Any one can arrange words in a sequential order onto paper. Well, maybe not anyone, but anyone with a modicum of intelligence. No enemy can stand before the will of God. So what if some people think they are the enemy of God? That's meaningless. It takes real guts to be the friend of man. Dare to set aside your predelection to suppose that there is such a thing as a "Holy Book"for a moment. God will be so alive and vital in your mind that you'll wonder why you were so damned hypnotized by the words of some dumba*s from who knows where. If anything is Holy it is compassion and understanding. You won't find it anywhere but in the hearts and souls of man.

Answer 3

Jesus said that because He knew that Satan was the ruler of this world when He said this. At 1 John 5:19 we read-"The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one." That would be Satan the devil. Since the world is ruled by Satan ,Jesus considers those that support this system as adulteresses, or enemies of God. While Jesus was on earth He told his followers that His kingdom was no part of this world, just as he was no part of the world. While we have to live and work with people of the world we can still stay away from Satan's world, which includes bad behavior, stealing, pornography, adultery, idolatry, spirit ism, magic, sorcery, violence, fornication, drunkenness and so on. This is what the world of Satan has to offer and that is what Jesus warned his followers to avoid. We can become friends of God by avoiding these things and learning more about what he requires of us in His book, the Bible.

Answer 4

People who love the world has its desires, its lusts, its greed, its pride etc. Such people cannot please God and will certainly go to Hell. That’s what that verse means.

If a man loves the world so much, he should stay behind on earth and not seek for the kingdom of God. Some people however are smarter, they seek everything they want in this world, get lots of money, pretty cars etc, but at the same time attend church weekly and pray hard.

Such people are very intelligent. So intelligent that they think they can make a fool of God. They revel and enjoy to their hearts content and then shout “Praise God!” and wait for the day of Salvation.

I wonder if the deal’s really so cheap.

The apostles had to dump all, John the Baptist had to live in the desert, Jesus had no house to go to and these people who claim to follow Christ are enjoying themselves. Ha ha ha.

Those who truly please God are those who treat this world as scum and are only interested in doing what God wills.

Answer 5

The same reason He said for us to love not the world or anything in the world. The world rejects the God of the bible and Jesus as the only way to salvation. They do not believe the bible is the inspired word of God. They ridicule people who live by His word and will not compromise it. To be friends with those who mock God, and His word, is absolutely to be an enemy of God. You cannot be double-minded, have one foot in the world and one foot in God's kingdom. You have to choose who you are going to serve; God and His ways, or the world and its ways.

Answer 6

Because the world hates God and all His commands. The world has chosen Satan to be it's father. He is the father of lies. Therefore, how can we be friends with what the world stands for and not be against God? Or visa versa.

Answer 7

People with worldly views are more than likely not living the way they are supposed to. This is a bad world we live in and alot of us aren't following the right path. This refers to the evil in the world against God.

Answer 8

Because the world in general is not for God. Following Christ means seperating yourself from the things of this world, and putting first the kingdom of God.

Answer 9

because the world is an enemy of god

Answer 10

WHY! you must must keeping asking this question of all the words!

The world seeks to draw you back into it, for you have risen from the world and to the world will you return... Unless you come to know the world for what it is so you might know it and avoid your return to feed it.