The word profane can be translated as “a godless or worldly person.” Worldliness is the enemy of godliness. We know that the Christian has three basic enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil. It has often been pointed out that the flesh strives against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17), while the devil is in direct opposition to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the world system opposes the righteousness of the Father. James reminds us “that friendship with the world is enmity with God” and goes on to say that “whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas. 4:4). The aged apostle John would add, “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” (1 Jn. 2:15).

It is important for us to understand that worldliness is not so much about our activities—what we do and where we do it—as much as it is about our attitudes. It is possible for a Christian to stay away from questionable amusements and doubtful places and still love the world. Worldliness is more a matter of the heart that affects our affections and our abilities. It affects our heart in connection to our response to the love of God, and it affects our abilities in obeying the will of God. In the area of godliness, it also helps to remember that this world is presently, but temporarily, under the rule of the wicked one (Eph. 2:2, 6:12; Jn. 12:31, 14:30, 16:11). As believers in Christ, “the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world” (Gal. 6:14), and we are to keep ourselves “unspotted from the world” (Jas. 1:27).

All of this to say that worldliness is the enemy of godliness! The remedy is to remember we have been born from above, heaven is our home, and we have a glorious object to set our affections upon!