The Spirit as Comforter Encourages the Church (15:18—16:4) - part 3 of 5

We are not from the world. ​(15:19)
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When we trusted Christ, we entered into a new spiritual position. We are “in Christ” and “out of the world.” Of course, we are in the world physically, but not of the world spiritually. We no longer desire the treasures and pleasures of sin in this world, now that we are "partakers of the heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1). This does not mean that we are cut off from reality or insulated from the needs of the world so that we are “heavenly minded but are no earthly good." This does not mean that we see earthly things from heaven’s viewpoint.

The world system functions on the principle of conformity. A person who goes along with fads and fashions and accepts the world’s values will “get along.” But the Christian will not be “conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). The believer is a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17) and no longer desires to live the “old life” (1 Peter 4:1–4). We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth, but a dark world does not want light, and a decaying world does not want salt! (Matt. 5:13–16) In other words, the believer is not merely “out of step”; he is out of place! (Compare Jn 17:14, 16; 1 Jn 4:5.)