Our Commitment: A Practical Side: Chapter 5. Still on the Salvation Series, we will continue with the subject of commitment.
In this chapter, however, we will examine commitment through the lens of being separated from the world, regardless of the hatred we may receive from it.
Before we delve into the main agenda for this chapter, we must establish a foundation. Salvation does not take believers out of the world, and God has never promised to do so.
Our Commitment: Establishing the Foundation
This foundation is reflected in the prayer of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in John 17:15, where He said, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”
He then went on in the next verse to say, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it,” which shows that although we may still live in the world after salvation, we ought to be separated from the world.
Jesus is saying that there needs to be a clear distinction between us and the world’s systems, beliefs, ideas, and behaviors.
In line with this, the Apostle Paul wrote to the people of Rome in Romans 12:1–2 concerning an issue he observed that needed to be addressed in the church in Rome.
The people at that time had continued to live as part of the world, even though they ought to have stood against everything it encouraged.
Paul then gave counsel that remains relevant for us today: “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”
This is where commitment comes in, and why it is extremely important for believers today.
Commitment Is Inseparable from Salvation
What should be our attitude toward commitment? In our previous chapter, we saw that we cannot separate commitment from salvation. If we claim to be truly saved, we must be committed to our salvation. How can we do that?
First of all, we acknowledge that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are accepting citizenship in Heaven and death to this earthly life.
In other words, once Jesus purchases us, we become aliens on earth – strangers.
As stated in Matthew 16:24–25: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
When we consider this biblical reference, we see that we are required to give up our lives on earth by dying to everything the world entails – its ideas, beliefs, thought patterns, and culture.
Believers have obtained citizenship in Heaven through Jesus Christ. We therefore belong to another race and kingdom, and we live as aliens on earth who are expectant of a King.
As we saw in John 14:3, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me, that you also may be where I am.” Therefore, we must live as people who eagerly await the return of the One who went ahead of us.
How can we live as Aliens on Earth
The question we must now consider is this: How can we live as aliens on earth?
This is what this means in essence: there are places and practices in the world that believers should not go into or embrace.
Jesus said: If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
We are in the world, but we are not part of it. If you are a follower of Christ, you may live in the world, but you do not belong to it. That is precisely why the world hates you.
The world hates believers because we are not part of its system. Therefore, there must be a clear barrier between us and everything the world represents if we are truly disciples of Christ.
Conclusion
Commitment to Christ demands intentional separation from the world’s values, systems, and way of life. While we remain physically present in the world, our allegiance is no longer to it but to Christ alone.
The hatred or resistance we may face is not a sign of failure, but evidence of true discipleship. To follow Jesus faithfully is to live distinctively – to draw clear boundaries, uphold godly convictions, and remain committed to our heavenly citizenship as we await the return of our King.