"The World" is usually terminology for a system that man controls. The Bible refers to it much in that way and if taken spiritually, it means that once you surrender your heart to Jesus he removes the bondage that living under such a system places over us all.
True freedom can only be found in Christ. The world wants to do things their way and anytime man is in control their human weaknesses will cause others to live under their ideas and rules. Scripture says "Christ came to save the world and the world chose to know him not." Everything is a choice, even the world slowly dying under its own ignorance.