Russell Haffner
I'm so pleased you have chosen to enroll in the school. You obviously understand the importance of living righteously in a world consumed by sin. You may have even grown discouraged to see the proliferation of immorality in our day and are looking for encouragement. You know that by following God's word you will be able to overcome worldliness. Studying God's word will help you to have a life that is successful. You get it - the Bible is the answer to this world's problems.
Let us take a moment to talk about worldliness. We need to know what it is so we can avoid it in our lives. What is Worldliness?
1 John 2:15-17 tells us, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."
Worldliness is love for the world and the evil things of the world. It is living like the world which is a life devoted to temporal things instead of spiritual things. It is a life of following sinful desires. Worldliness separates us from God (James 1:15; Isaiah 59:1-2) and it will result in our eternal damnation (Romans 6:23).
In contrast to worldliness, the Bible describes a righteous life:
- Holy (1 Peter 1:15)
- Pure (1 John 3:3)
- Separated from sin (1 John 3:1)
- Separated from the world (2 Corinthians 6:14)
- God fearing (1 Peter 2:17)
- Respectful of God’s word (Psalm 119:11)
- Obedient to God's law (1 John 3:4)
When you enrolled in the school you chose to reject worldliness and seek righteousness by gaining a greater knowledge of the Scriptures. You are not like others in the world who follow after their sinful desires. I commend you on your decision to become a strong, righteous servant of the Lord.
If you have already watched several lessons you may have noticed the “Mark Complete” button located below each video. This feature helps you to track your progress as you view the videos. We encourage you to always click this button when you finish viewing a lesson. The marking of lessons serves as a guide for your own information to mark your place in the study. Even if the lesson is marked complete you can return to watch it again as many times as you want.
For additional information please see the Help Center, where you will find an article which will walk you through the necessary steps to track your progress by marking each lesson complete. It is titled: How-to: "Mark Complete" Lessons.