“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” — John 17:16.

I. First, we shall take our text and look at it DOCTRINALLY.

The doctrine of it is, that God’s people are a people who are not of the world, even as Christ was not of the world. It is not so much that they are not of the world, as that they are “not of the world, even as Christ was not of the world.” This is an important distinction, for there are to be found certain people who are not of the world, and yet they are not Christians. Amongst them I would mention sentimentalists — people who are always crying and groaning in affected sentimental ways. Their spirits are so refined, their characters are so delicate, that they could not attend to ordinary business. They would think it rather degrading to their spiritual nature to attend to anything connected with the world. They live much in the air of romances and novels; love to read things that fetch tears from their eyes; they would like continually to live in a cottage near a wood, or to inhabit some quiet cave, where they could read “Zimmerman on Solitude” for ever; for they feel that they are “not of the world.” The fact is, there is something too flimsy about them to stand the wear and tear of this wicked world. They are so pre-eminently good, that they cannot bear to do as we poor human creatures do I have heard of one young lady, who thought herself so spiritually-minded that she could not work. A very wise minister said to her, “That is quite correct! you are so spiritually-minded that you cannot work; very well, you are so spiritually-minded that you shall not eat unless you do.” That brought her back from her great spiritual-mindedness. There is a stupid sentimentalism that certain persons nurse themselves into. They read a parcel of books that intoxicate their brains, and then fancy that they have a lofty destiny. These people are “not of the world,” truly; but the world does not want them, and the world would not miss them much, if they were clean gone for ever. There is such a thing as being “not of the world,” from high order of sentimentalism, and yet not being a Christian after all. For it is not so much being “not of the world,” as being “not of the world, even as Christ was not of the world.” There are others, too, like your monks, and those other mad individuals of the Catholic church, who are not of the world. They are so awfully good, that they could not live with us sinful creatures at ale. They must be distinguished from us altogether. They must not wear, of course, a boot that would at all approach to a worldly shoe, but they must have a sole of leather strapped on with two or three thongs, like the far famed Father Ignatius. They could not be expected to wear worldly coats and waistcoats; but they must have peculiar garbs, cut in certain fashions, like the Passionists. They must wear particular dresses, particular garments, particular habits. And we know that some men are “not of the world” by the peculiar mouthing they give to all their words — the sort of sweet, savory, buttery flavor they give to the English language, because they think themselves so eminently sanctified that they fancy it would be wrong to indulge in anything in which ordinary mortals indulge. Such persons are, however, reminded, that their being “not of the world,” has nothing to do with it. It is not being “not of the world,” so much as being “not of the world, even as Christ was not of the world.”

Charles H. Spurgeon-The Character of Christ’s People-Delivered on Sabbath Morning,

November 22, 1855