This term is used in the New Testament in three main ways:
• As a PLACE—the planet Earth (John 1:10a; 9:5; 17:28; 18:37; Acts 17:24; Rom. 1:20; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 John 4:17; Rev. 13:8).
• As a SOCIETY where Christ is excluded (John 8:23; 15:19; 17:14b-16, 18; Rom. 12:2; Gal. 1:4; 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:10; James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17; 4:5a; 5:19). The world in this sense refers to the sphere of affairs and activities on earth which man in his alienation from God has arranged in an attempt to keep himself happy and satisfied without Christ. It operates on false principles and values, and is based on appealing to the desires of the flesh. The root principle that characterizes life in this sphere is self-seeking. Viewed in this sense, the world is a definite enemy of the Christian, which if it is allowed to have even a little space in a believer’s heart, will dethrone Christ from His rightful place there. The Christian overcomes this enemy by faith—by seeing Christ as the center of a whole other scene (1 John 5:4-5).
• As the PEOPLE who are part and parcel of the society that man has built for himself in his alienation from God (Psa. 17:14; John 1:10b; 3:16; 4:42; 6:51; 15:18; 17:14a; 1 John 4:5b, 14).