Dr. Andreas Kostenberger will be doing a Q & A session in our Sunday School this week, and he will preach in our Sunday worship gathering. We're just finishing a sermon series on John's Gospel, which will be the subject of both meetings. Dr. Kostenberger has written numerous scholarly volumes on the Gospel of John. We have been given the opportunity to submit questions ahead of time, and I just sent mine in. Here it is:
Please discuss the meaning of the word "world" (KOSMOS) in the writings of John. Does the word have a consistent meaning? Is there a basic definition that fits in every case? Or does the word have a range of possible meanings, and if so how should we determine which meaning applies to particular texts? To what extent can we use John's epistles to define the word in John's Gospel?
I guess that's actually 5 or 6 questions, but who's counting?
My current understanding is that KOSMOS almost always means "the order of mankind as sinners, on (or near) the earth, in active opposition to God, under the domain and influence of Satan." I'll be very interested to see how this compares to Dr. Kostenberger's answer, which I will report here next week.
If you're in the Jacksonville area this Sunday, you may hear the answer for yourself at Lakeside Community Church.
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