The world, as described, is not God's world, despite His role as Creator, Owner, and Ruler. The systems that operate our cultures—government, politics, entertainment, fashion, religion, business ethics, medicine, health care, culinary tastes, social programs, institutions, education, science, technology, economics, and use of power—are not His. These systems, derived from a moral connotation of being apart from God, shape humanity's belief systems, attitudes, and conduct. God's Word urges us to overcome these appealing yet deceptive systems, advising against wasting love on them as they have no future. This world is so corrupt that it will be destroyed and replaced in the restitution of all things. At the foundation of this world stands a destroying and antagonistic spirit, satan the devil, the ruler of this world. His way is a deadly mixture of good and evil, incapable of producing purely good fruit. God's warning about the world is strong, calling for separation from unbelievers and avoidance of what is unclean. Not one part of this system will carry over into the world to come, as it contaminates and defiles, rendering unholy those touched by it. Even when the world seems friendly and tolerant, producing apparently good things, it remains unclean in God's judgment, and the mixture of good and evil still yields a poisonous brew.

The concept of the world, as explored through the New Testament term "cosmos," carries profound spiritual, moral, and ethical implications. Cosmos, a word adopted from the Greek language, was given a unique usage by the apostles, distinct from its original Greek meaning of order and adornment. In the Scriptures, it often appears in a negative light, representing a system opposed to God. This term is used to denote various cultures developed since Adam and Eve, portraying them as transient, worthless, and evil, whether the evil is physical or spiritual. It is seen as the seat of cares, temptations, and irregular desires, combined with the influence of the prince of the power of the air, leading to disobedience. Cosmos appears 188 times in the New Testament, used by every writer, indicating its significant role in understanding the spiritual landscape. Unlike its neutral or positive connotation in Greek as something beautifully ordered, the apostles infused it with a sense of evil, reflecting the spiritual origins of the world's cultures as being in deadly opposition to God. The whole world is described as lying under the control of the evil one, with satan having considerable power, subject to God's ultimate authority and restraint for His purposes. This paints a sobering picture of a world in rebellion against Almighty God, driven by a spirit that is deceitful, incurably sick, and incapable of repentance. This spirit, originating from satan, motivates the unconverted and continues to influence even those who have made a covenant with God, showing through carnal conduct that mirrors the characteristics of the devil rather than the image of God. The antagonism between the world and God's people is deep, fundamental, and perpetual, creating two distinct communities—the church and the world. Jesus Christ warns that because of the union with Him, His followers will be hated by the world, as they are perceived as part of His body, striving to inherit the earth while the world seeks to retain it. The opposition, though appearing to come from men, has its true source in the spiritual realm, with principalities and powers driving the conflict. The story of Demas serves as a solemn warning, illustrating a man who, despite being in a privileged position alongside Paul, succumbed to the world's allure, loving it more than Christ and abandoning principle, duty, and honor. This danger envelops all, as the world stands in deadly antagonism against God, His way, and His people, driven by the unseen prince of this world. It is essential to remain vigilant and guard against this pervasive influence by choosing the spiritual reality over the physical one.

The concept of the world, as derived from the Greek term "cosmos," signifies mankind under the present order of things, often depicted as evil, transient, and worthless, subject to the power of the evil one. This understanding reveals a clear division between God and His children on one side, and the world on the other, highlighting a fundamental opposition. As Ephesians 2:2 indicates, all have lived according to the course of this world, following a path or way that is influenced by the spirit of this age. The term "course," translated from the Greek "aion," further emphasizes this path or manner of life, akin to a race course or a chosen procedure, reflecting the accustomed way of the world. This spirit of the world, which shapes human nature into something evil after birth, contrasts with the purity intended by God. It is through contact with this spirit that individuals turn from God, absorbing influences that lead them astray. Human nature, though capable of good acts, remains intrinsically evil and unacceptable for the Kingdom of God, necessitating a complete replacement through conversion and transformation. This process aims to remove the spirit of this world from individuals, aligning them with the purity of our Heavenly Father. The pervasive influence of this world's spirit can manifest even in those being converted, as it lies just below the surface, ready to emerge in actions or words contrary to God's will. God compels choices between Him and the spirit of this world, testing the depth of love and faith in individuals. Without the love of God, one remains defenseless, inevitably siding with the world and unable to choose obedience. The love of God, shed abroad in the heart by His Spirit, enables a relationship with Him, fostering choices that favor His way over the world's allure. The struggle against the world requires denying the old nature, which finds its source and activation in the evil one, in every aspect of life. This ongoing battle involves daily choices, sacrifices, and the exercise of faith and love to displace the influence of the world. Jesus Christ's teachings, foundational in resisting the world, emphasize setting the heart and mind on treasures aligned with God's purpose rather than material desires, which can become misplaced treasures leading away from the Kingdom of God.

The concept of the world, as God defines it, is central to understanding the Christian struggle. In Ephesians 2:2, the term "course" translates from the Greek "aion," meaning path or way, and more specifically, the characteristics of a given period of time, often rendered as "age" in modern translations. Secular historians recognize this phenomenon, naming ages like the Dark Ages, Renaissance, or Technological Age, based on distinct traits that define those times. The German term "zeitgeist," meaning spirit of the times, captures this essence, reflecting how Paul describes walking according to the spirit of the times or the spirit of a system. This spirit shapes individuals and societies, varying in morality, energy for exploration, or periods of tranquility across different eras. From God's perspective, this spirit of the world is inherently evil, influenced by the prince of the power of the air, who works in the children of disobedience. This immaterial power profoundly affects human thought and worldview, deceiving mankind into an anti-God way of life on a global scale, as seen in Revelation 12:9. Despite human capacity for good, as acknowledged by Jesus Christ, the mixture remains corrupt in God's eyes without transformation through His Spirit. The course of this world, embedded within us, must be overcome to align with God's pure motivations and conduct. The spirit of the world continues to exert influence even on Christians, as illustrated by Peter's momentary alignment with satanic thought despite close proximity to Christ. This ongoing battle requires active resistance, as neutrality is impossible. Jesus Christ's teachings, such as in Luke 11, warn that satan, a strong adversary, does not passively relinquish control, necessitating constant vigilance and effort from believers. In Matthew 6:19-24, Christ advises against laying up earthly treasures, emphasizing that where one's treasure is, there the heart will be, underscoring the impossibility of serving both God and the world simultaneously. The heart, representing the mind and the source of all life activities, is crucial in this conflict. It can be swayed by the spirit of the world, pulling individuals toward earthly desires unless guarded diligently. Jesus Christ's instruction to set affections on heavenly things, as opposed to the perishable attractions of this world, is vital. The world and its lusts are passing away, and focusing on eternal treasures protects against deception by sensual and temporal enticements. Thus, God places believers in a position to choose between Him and the world, urging a deliberate choice for eternal life through faith and will.

The world, as shaped by Satan with the aid of his demons and deceived men, poses a constant danger to our faith in God. There is no escaping contact with the world, yet we must avoid being deceived into conforming to it. The term "cosmos" portrays mankind alienated from God throughout history, while "aion," or the spirit of the times, reflects specific periods marked by distinct characteristics that Satan customizes to deceive and destroy, under God's overarching rule. This invisible influence of concepts and ways of life antagonistic to God emanates from the system Satan has created, fine-tuning attitudes across different eras to lead us into disloyalty to God. Jesus warned of an intense deception in the times we live in, urging vigilance against being misled. The world's influence, designed by a master craftsman skilled at disguising his intentions, remains ever-present and attractive to human nature, necessitating constant vigilance. God commands us not to love the world, indicating a spiritual attachment that conflicts with loving the Father. This attachment to the world, as a lifestyle denying God's way, cannot coexist with love for Him, as no one can serve two masters. John identifies three broad categories of sin in the world—lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride—all of which are spiritual influences not from the Father but from the world itself. These lead to idolatry, the primary danger of the world to Christians, as they exalt human desires and accomplishments over God. The world's system, based on men's desires, greedy ambitions, and glamour, stands in opposition to the Father's will. The world's fleeting existence and shallow pleasures contrast with the eternal security of a child of God who aligns with His will. Though in the world, the church is not of it, uniquely separate as the Israel of God, fitting nowhere within the world's systems. The world's influence, where our carnal nature was formed and feels most comfortable, constantly pressures us to revert to old habits and attitudes antagonistic to God. Jesus warns that association with the world is perilous due to its consistent anti-God stance, pulling us toward idolatry and disloyalty through sin. We must resist this pull, recognizing that human nature, formed in the world, remains drawn to it, requiring discipline to prevent domination by these yearnings.

The world supplies the source of the Laodicean attitude that has entered the church, an attitude of spiritual listlessness that arises because energies are directed toward material concerns rather than toward God. This outlook produces self-satisfaction based on physical well-being, leading those affected to judge themselves rich and in need of nothing while remaining spiritually wretched, poor, blind, and naked. Because the world functions under an entirely different spirit, its approval of any idea signals that the idea is probably wrong or at best of lesser importance than what God judges vital. As the church gradually adopted the world's doctrines, it simultaneously adopted the world's attitudes and perspective, making Christmas, Easter, Sunday, and similar practices appear sophisticated while the Sabbath, holy days, and other revealed truths came to seem elementary and dispensable. The resulting fruits—greedy and warring cultures, perverted religion, and mass confusion—identify the motivation as coming directly from the world, which Scripture calls Babylon the Great. The term "world," rendered from the Greek cosmos, carries several distinct senses determined by context: the ordered physical universe, the earth itself, the anti-God political-religious-economic system under Satan, the sphere of those under the law, or humanity apart from those who believe. In John 3:16 the word designates the world of believers, those whom God has called and who reciprocate His love by keeping His commandments. God's love for this world of the godly is personal and full, whereas His love for the world of the ungodly remains impersonal and limited to the outworking of His purpose; He continues to serve its members by sending rain and sunshine, yet withholds His Spirit, forgiveness, and intimate fellowship until repentance occurs. This distinction underscores the necessity of reciprocity: God loves first, but requires a returning love expressed in obedience and preference for the brethren. Failure to maintain that distinction draws the church back into the very world from which it was called, confirming that Laodiceanism and worldliness are inseparable.

The world, under Satan's sway and shaped by "gods many and lords many," is God's enemy and under a curse that began with the scattering at Babel. From Abraham through Israel to the church, God separates a covenant people from it. Israel was told to drive out the nations and destroy their idols, and when Israel failed, the world absorbed them. The church, which has no land or civil power, is instead told to "come out from among them and be separate" (II Corinthians 6:17), while remaining surrounded by the world. The world's spiritual influences show up in its government, education, religion, business, entertainment, diet, and handling of the commandments. Christian churches support war despite "You shall not kill" and reject the fourth commandment, because the Bible is written to the covenant people and only those with God's Spirit rightly understand it. Friendship with the world is spiritual adultery and enmity with God (James 4:4). The world is passing away and will be destroyed, so efforts to reform it are a lost cause, since only God can change hearts, and only when He calls. Christians' priorities are God first, then family, then the church, then everything else. Neighbor and brother are synonymous terms for fellow covenant members, who are owed the fullest love. Enemies in the world are to be treated with love in the spirit of I Corinthians 13, but not "as yourself." Mercy is shown to outsiders as opportunity arises. This distinction is about priorities and not superiority, since those outside have simply not yet been called.

The concept of "the world" is presented as a rival power system that competes for human loyalty and treasure, standing in direct opposition to devoted service to God. This opposition is anchored in Jesus' teaching that mammon, personified as having human qualities, represents the prince and builder of this world—Satan himself. To serve mammon is therefore to serve Satan, making the idea of serving God and the world equally an impossibility, comparable to walking on both sides of a street simultaneously. The world's influence operates most dangerously through anxiety and foreboding about material security—worry over food, clothing, and basic needs. This distraction is identified as a serious threat because it consumes thinking that should be directed toward God's kingdom, and it reveals a fundamental lack of faith. The wilderness experience of Israel is cited as evidence that God can sustain people entirely apart from worldly means, teaching dependence on Him rather than the world's systems of provision. Agur's prayer in Proverbs, requesting neither poverty nor riches, illustrates that both extremes reflect a failure to live by faith, since wealth carries the temptation to be distracted by the world's power and influence, while poverty tempts one toward dishonesty. Paul's instruction in 1 Timothy reinforces this by reminding believers that nothing material can be carried out of this world, redirecting attention instead toward spiritual qualities—righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness—that alone survive beyond the grave. Romans 13 extends this theme by instructing believers to walk honestly, putting on the Lord Jesus Christ rather than making provision for the flesh, which is described as human nature aligned with worldly desires. This "putting on" of Christ means adopting His disposition and way of life in contrast to the world's patterns of behavior, such as rioting, drunkenness, and strife. The world and human nature are said to vibrate on the same frequency, creating a constant, subtle pull that easily distracts believers, which is why Jesus addressed this danger so early and so forcefully in His ministry. Laodiceanism is identified as worldliness carried to its fullest expression within the church itself—a spiritual condition in which one's treasure is firmly anchored in worldly things while claiming self-sufficiency and need of nothing. This self-reliance stands in direct contrast to the dependence on God that Jesus urges, and it is described as so detestable that it results in being spiritually rejected altogether. This connects to the broader warning that friendship with the world constitutes enmity with God. The remedy for worldly anxiety and entanglement lies in building faith through considering God's works in creation, as demonstrated by birds being fed and creatures of the sea receiving sustenance without anxious effort. Since God has already shown His faithfulness through the greater act of creation and sustaining all living things, it is inconceivable that He would fail believers in lesser, daily needs. This reasoning forms the foundation for resisting the world's pull and instead cultivating trust in God for every aspect of life.

The concept of "the world" centers on the "course of this world" described in Ephesians 2:2-3, which operates like invisible radio or television transmissions—constantly impressing itself upon human beings through Satan, the prince of the power of the air, working through culture. Just as children absorb regional accents without being taught, people absorb the moral, spiritual, and ethical values of their culture without resistance, becoming a mixture of good and evil, miniature destroyers of beauty, harmony, and peace. God's calling breaks this iron-clad grip, making believers aware of this spirit and beginning the internal struggle between good and evil that God intends. Winning this battle requires knowing the enemy and understanding how to resist worldliness, principles laid out by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Central to this defense is guarding the heart, since Proverbs 4:20-23 instructs believers to store God's word in the heart and protect it, for out of it flow the issues of life. Whatever the heart treasures determines its direction, and conduct inevitably follows—people will lie, commit adultery, break the Sabbath, murder, or engage in idolatry to possess their treasure. Since earthly treasures are inherently temporary, subject to moths, rust, thieves, disease, war, and death, setting one's heart on them offers no lasting security or spiritual value. Deuteronomy 8 illustrates this danger, warning that prosperity can lead to forgetting God and claiming self-achieved wealth, when in reality God gives the power to get wealth. Jesus reinforces this in John 6, rebuking those who sought Him only to fill their bellies rather than laboring for food that endures to everlasting life—which is defined as believing on the One God sent. The remedy for worldliness is allowing God to prosper His people spiritually, as He did materially for Israel in the wilderness. This connects to Matthew 6:22-23, where Jesus shifts from treasure itself to the quality of spiritual vision—the "single eye." Just as a healthy physical eye guides the body, the heart possesses a spiritual eye, which is understanding rather than mere knowledge. Understanding allows one to discern between the world's values and God's Kingdom, determining how life is aimed and lived. Solomon's request for an understanding heart, rather than wisdom directly, exemplifies this: understanding precedes wisdom's practical application. Without this understanding, one's treasure remains anchored in the world, and one becomes worse off than physically blind, since spiritual judgment is now upon believers. A single eye—fixed wholly on God's glory—produces confidence, a clear conscience, and answered prayer, as described in 1 John 3:18-23, ultimately proving that the Kingdom of God and worldliness cannot be combined.

The world, in its cultures and systems, is presented as the direct product of human nature, which itself mirrors Satan's nature. Since the whole world lies under the influence and control of the evil one, as stated in I John 5:19, serving worldly priorities—personified by Jesus as "mammon" in Matthew 6:24—is in reality serving Satan himself. Anyone who becomes a friend of the world thereby makes himself an enemy of God, a principle drawn from James 4:4. This creates the ever-present temptation toward idolatry, since no man can serve two masters equally; the world constantly competes with God for the devotion, time, and energy of believers. This worldliness manifests distinctly as Laodiceanism, in which God is not rejected outright but gradually pushed to the margins of one's life while faith subtly transfers to materialism. The book of Amos illustrates an entire nation succumbing to this pattern—trusting in military and economic strength, indulging in luxury, and feeling no grief over spiritual affliction, all while outwardly maintaining religious observance. This parallels a church that grew rich and self-satisfied while its heart drifted from God, ultimately reaping consequences for having sown to the flesh. Resisting the world's pull requires deliberate devotion, and Jesus addresses this at the very foundation of His Kingdom teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. Anxious care for material provision—food, drink, clothing—is exposed as unbelief, a distrust of God's providence rooted in the same covetousness that fuels idolatry. This inordinate care is described as the tap root of covetousness, capable of leading into lying, stealing, and the breaking of every commandment. Yet this does not mean neglecting practical responsibility; Scripture also commands diligence, foresight, and provision for one's family, following the example of the ant and the instruction that parents must lay up for children. The distinction lies between foresight, which is godly, and foreboding, which is distrustful anxiety that distracts from spiritual priorities. The account of Martha and Mary illustrates how worldly distraction—being "cumbered about much serving"—competes with worship, showing that even legitimate concerns must yield to the higher priority of attending to Christ. Likewise, the parable of the sower reveals that "the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches" choke spiritual growth, making the fruit of the Spirit unattainable for those who remain divided in devotion. The remedy lies in faith: committing one's way to the Lord, casting all care upon Him, and trusting that the God who gave life and calling will also sustain material needs. Human effort divorced from God's blessing is vain, whether in building, laboring, or providing for family, and outward material prosperity or poverty is not a reliable measure of one's standing with God. True worth is measured by likeness to God's character, not by how successfully one navigates or accumulates the things of this world. The call, therefore, is to trust the Father's wisdom in preparing His children for His Kingdom, resisting the world's counterfeit priorities through faith-driven obedience.

The relationship between resisting the world and spiritual survival forms the central concern, with worldliness identified as the direct cause of Laodiceanism and the decline of faith within the Church. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 6 establishes a progression: a wrong treasure produces fuzzy spiritual focus, which produces a misdirected will, ultimately resulting in service to the world rather than to God. The command that no man can serve two masters is shown to be absolute—serve meaning to be a bond-slave, and other signifying something diametrically opposed in kind. God and mammon represent entirely incompatible masters, and since mammon is personified as a living entity standing in contrast to the living God, mammon is identified as Satan himself, making the pursuit of worldly treasure equivalent to idolatry and enmity with God, as James 4:4 affirms. The two masters demand opposite behaviors—faith versus sight, humility versus pride, heavenly affection versus earthly affection, contentment versus insatiable desire—making equal service impossible. Judas Iscariot illustrates self-deceived divided loyalty, sowing to mammon while outwardly following Christ, ultimately reaping betrayal and destruction. Paul and Moses, by contrast, illustrate total renunciation of worldly treasure and status for the sake of Christ, demonstrating that trusting in earthly achievement—whether riches, pedigree, or human attainment—actively drives a person from God and erodes faith, as seen in the rich young ruler's inability to release his wealth. Wealth itself is not condemned, but the pursuit and trust placed in it are shown to be spiritually dangerous: Proverbs 18:11 reveals that a rich man's wealth becomes his false refuge and high tower, replacing God as the object of trust. This misplaced trust blurs spiritual vision, destroys understanding, and breeds pride and covetousness, which constitute idolatry. This idolatry is explicitly tied to Laodicean self-sufficiency—the claim of being "rich and increased with goods," needing nothing, not even God, despite having received the broadest understanding of God's word in history. The Sermon on the Mount, then, offers the remedy: securing the right treasure, clarifying spiritual understanding (the "single eye"), and setting the will to become God's willing slave, loving Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength. This requires sowing to the Spirit rather than the flesh, since whatever is sown will be reaped—corruption from fleshly pursuits, or everlasting life from spiritual devotion. Reclaiming the faith once delivered requires reversing the process of worldliness, returning to wholehearted devotion, and recognizing that abundant and eternal life come only through loosening one's grasp on earthly rewards and submitting entirely to God rather than the counterfeit security offered by the world.

The world, as presented here, finds its origin in Eden, where Adam and Eve were deceived by a sensually appealing, living spirit into distrusting God's plain word; this pattern of disbelief has characterized every one of their descendants, shaping all human culture—religion, politics, economics, science, and the healing arts—with a mind fundamentally hostile to God, unable to submit to His law. This explains why professing Christians in the world, despite possessing intellectual knowledge of Scripture, fail to translate that knowledge into obedience, as illustrated by their treatment of the Fourth and Sixth Commandments. Their carnal minds naturally side with the world, making worldly practices like Sunday-keeping or Christmas seem perfectly logical to them, even though such things have no basis in Scripture. This worldliness produces confusion and division, evidenced historically in the fracturing of Protestantism and, more recently, the Catholic Church. Paul's rebuke of the Corinthians demonstrates that even converted believers can remain carnal, with envying, strife, and division serving as proof; such division stands opposed to Christ's desire that His people be one with Him and each other. This same carnality explains the Church's own scattering, requiring individual repentance from worldliness in both doctrine and character. Prophetically, the world's unity will not endure. Daniel's image of iron mixed with clay and Revelation's picture of ten kings giving power to the beast reveal a coalition bound only by common cause, not love of truth, destined to fracture, as the beast's own allies eventually turn on the whore. The world will marvel at and worship the beast because, lacking love for the truth, they will be given over to a strong delusion. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life are distinguished by faith and patience, while those without are identified by their failure to keep God's commandments and hold the testimony of Jesus Christ, revealing that their loyalties ultimately lie with the world despite outward religious profession. The world is further described as protean—constantly changing shape to appeal to each person's particular weakness, whether material advantage, fame, knowledge, or entertainment. These are not fantasies but temporal realities, and though engagement with the world is a necessary duty, loving it is sin. An inner "Trojan horse"—the spirit of this world residing within—appeals to the senses and desires, creating a razor's edge between devotion to God and surrender to the world. Only a dominant love for God, as described in Romans and echoed in the call to the Ephesian church to return to one's first love, can keep a person from flopping to the wrong side. Deuteronomy's choice between life and death, blessing and cursing, frames this ongoing tension, while John's declaration that the world is passing away underscores the eternal stakes of choosing faith over sight.

The relationship between God, Israel, and the world forms a central pattern running through Scripture, beginning in Genesis 10-11 where humanity, descending from Noah through Shem, Ham, and Japheth, became scattered nations alienated from God and placed under a curse after Babel. Out of this cursed world, God called one man, Abraham, promising that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed—a promise repeated five times in Genesis and explicitly tied to obedience. This same pattern repeated on a national scale when God made a covenant with Israel at Sinai, separating them as a holy, treasured people distinct from the nations even though they remained physically part of the world. The Old Testament term "Gentiles" functions the same way the New Testament term "the world" does: both describe peoples outside covenant relationship with God. Deuteronomy reveals the stakes of this covenant: obedience brings blessings given by God rather than gained through conquest, while unfaithfulness results in being scattered back among the nations, losing identity and rest—a pattern mirrored for the church, whose identity is the Kingdom of God. The intended outcome was that Israel's faithfulness would attract the nations to seek the God of Jacob, but both Israel and the Gentiles failed their respective conditions. This pattern recurs in Christ, who was called "out of Egypt" (a type of the world) and began His ministry in Gentile territory before being rejected by His own covenant people, who proved themselves "of their father the devil." This demonstrates that even covenant people can become indistinguishable from the world when unfaithful. God's attitude toward the world is twofold: He loves it as His unfinished creation, as shown in John 3:16, yet hates it with perfect hatred for what it has done to that creation, including killing His Son. First John 5:19 declares the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one, establishing only two categories of people—God's elect and the world—with no middle ground. This cleavage is personal and internal, as Galatians 5 and Ephesians 2 show two contrary spirits at war within believers, explaining why the carnal mind is enmity against God. The world also serves as the source of the most dangerous temptations, illustrated by Israel's failure to drive out the nations and subsequent adoption of their idolatrous, even murderous, practices—a warning applicable to contemporary society. God's command to utterly remove pagan influence and establish worship only where He placed His name foreshadows the church as God's temple. The church's task is harder than Israel's, since it possesses no territory or military power to expel worldly influence, and the "gods" it faces are living spiritual entities shaping worldview itself, not mere idols of stone. The call, therefore, is to come out of the world while remaining surrounded by it, viewing life as God views it—as Nehemiah did through his fear of God.