Dead To the World?

[Sunstone]

http://desertpastor.typepad.com/paradoxology/2006/08/dead_to_the_wor.html

What did Paul mean by being "dead to the world"? I've never quite understood him on that point.

 

[verita]

The dead of this world mentioned by Paul is not the literal dead humans in the cementery. There are peoples because they unknowingly and continuously commit sins so God considered them dead. Even our Lord Jesus Christ mentioned them.
Mat 8:22 But Jesus said to him, Follow Me, and let the dead bury their dead.
Luk 9:60 Jesus said to him, Let the dead bury their dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.

The dead mentioned there are those who have not yet repented, those who did not yet return to God's warning and because they don't know the law of God so they continuously commit sins.
1Co 15:56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the Law.
1Ti 5:6 But she who lives in self-pleasure has died while living.

May God bless you.

 

[Scuba Pete]

Paul continues these thoughts in Romans:

Romans 6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. NIV

Now consider this short passage from Hebrews:

Hebrews 11:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. NIV

When it comes to sin, we are stinking wimps: me included! We are completely FREE from it for we died to it during baptism. Yet we keep falling prey to it rather letting it fall pray to God.

 

[verita]

Paul continues these thoughts in Romans:

Romans 6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. NIV

If the question means who is the dead in this World. I think the answer is in...
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

God bless you.

 

[Booko]

http://desertpastor.typepad.com/paradoxology/2006/08/dead_to_the_wor.htmlWhat did Paul mean by being "dead to the world"? I've never quite understood him on that point.

I've always taken that statement along with "Be in the world, but not of it" and taken "dead to the world" for a statement of detachment.

As St. Paul was attached wholly to Christ, there was no room for attachments to the world.

 

[verita]

I've always taken that statement along with "Be in the world, but not of it" and taken "dead to the world" for a statement of detachment.

As St. Paul was attached wholly to Christ, there was no room for attachments to the world.

Excellent Analysis. :clap

 

[Halcyon]

I've always taken that statement along with "Be in the world, but not of it" and taken "dead to the world" for a statement of detachment.

As St. Paul was attached wholly to Christ, there was no room for attachments to the world.

I agree.

From the Gnostic perspective the statement makes perfect sense;

Once you become aware of God, through gnosis, the material world is no longer of consequence, it is dead.
Similarily, once you have gnosis, the world holds no sway over you, its authorities cannot affect you, to the world it is the same as if you were dead.