Written By
Isabel Maguire
Professional Writing Student
Christians are called to live apart from worldly desires. In college, this means setting boundaries, choosing godly friendships, and prioritizing time with God daily.
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Approved and verified accurate by the Local Outreach Ministry Coordinator of the Department of Spiritual Life on Oct. 2, 2025
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.
“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”
— James 4:4, ESV
There is a difference between saying you are a Christian and really living it out. The moment you become a Christian, you accept Christ into your heart and are born again as a new person. This day begins your new life. As a Christian, you should turn away from sin and live apart from the world. The Bible tells us that if we do nothing to stay away from sin, then we are deliberately turning away from God.
James uses very intense language in this verse, but it is very much needed. Most pass off their ungodly actions as okay because they turn to God in every other area or repent each time they sin. But the point of being a follower of Christ is not to live exactly how we were before we became Christians and repent every time we sin, but to make an effort to obey God’s word and despise sin.
Living separately from the world as a college student can be very difficult, even at a Christian university. Just because you go to a private university does not mean that everybody who goes there is a Christian or lives like one. There will be times when your friends are doing something that you don’t think abides by the Bible, and you’ll have to choose whether to join them or say no. Nobody wants to be left out of a fun activity, but if it’s not honoring to God, we are called to remove ourselves from it.
Letting Go of Worldly Desires
Grand Canyon University is dedicated to helping you plug into a community of believers through weekly life groups.
Even though living to glorify God makes sense, how exactly are you supposed to live separately from the world in college?
Here are some practical steps to live out your faith in college by being different from the crowd:
