There are two extremes that Christians follow as they respond to the world.  One is to separate oneself from the world and seek to live in isolation.  The other extreme is to fully immerse oneself in the the world so there is not much difference between the world and Christians.  Since Jesus is our example we should look at His life and ask ourselves “How did He respond to the world?”  We see that Jesus was criticized because he ate with “tax collectors and sinners” yet He was also sinless.  How do we live in this tension?

The Apostle Paul presents helpful advice to enable us to know to respond to the world.  The advice he gave to the Colossians is just as relevant for us today,

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  (Colossians 4:5)

Paul is literally saying, “Walk with wisdom toward those who are outside of the faith . . .”  Outsiders is a technical term that refers to those who are not part of the church (see 1 Corinthians 5:12, 1 Timothy 3:7 for the use of this term).  The phrase “making the most” conveys the idea of buying out and referred to purchasing a slave with a view to his freedom.  This verse emphasizes that we need to be “redeeming the time”.  As you respond to the world you are to make the most of every opportunity, seeking the best advantage since they may not occur again if missed.  John Gardner wisely observed, “We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.”  Paul presented this  same idea to the Ephesians,

Dr. Rick Higgins

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University