1 John 2:15-17 KJV “Love not the WORLD {kosmos}, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (16) For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (17) And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
What Does John Mean By “The World”?
When we are told “Love not the world”, it makes us think “what does John mean by the word “‘WORLD’”? Jesus told us to “Go into ALL THE WORLD {kosmos}and preach the Gospel to every creature”. God loves the world, His Creation. That familiar passage we all know says:
John 3:16 KJV “For GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
God loved the world so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for the sins of the world. In fact, if you’ll look above our focal text today, you’ll read:
1 John 2:1-2 KJV My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, WE HAVE AN ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER, JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS: 2 And HE IS THE PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS: and not for ours only, but also FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD.
Jesus Christ is the “PROPITIATION FOR OUR SINS”, which means that His work on the Cross covers our sins, satisfying the justice of God. But Jesus did not just die for Riverview, or for the Baptists, but “FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD”. God loves His creation. He loved humanity enough to sacrifice His Son for the basest of sinners. God wants us who are His Children to go out and tell others about Jesus – to love them enough to share the Cross with them. When Jesus died on the Cross for the whole world, He died even for His enemies. Christians are called of God to model this love. Jesus said:
Matthew 5:43-46 HCSB “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. (44) But I tell you, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES and PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU, (45) so that YOU MAY BE THE SONS OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (46) For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?
When God tells us to “Love not the WORLD {kosmos}”, He’s not telling us to hate creation or humanity. He is addressing worldly THOUGHTS that are contrary to the Word of God.
One of my commentaries, Robertson’s Word Pictures in The Greek New Testament tells us that this verse would be better rendered as …
STOP LOVING the world and the things that are in the world
The Church in John’s day had begun to do something that God commanded them Not to do. It has nothing to do with loving creation nor people. It has to do with worldly thoughts contrary to what the Scripture teaches. It has to do with small shifts in what the Word of God says. God said something similar to Israel when the went into the Promised Land under the Old Covenant. He told Israel not to get intimate with the lost. He said:
Deuteronomy 7:3-4 KJV NEITHER SHALT THOU MAKE MARRIAGES WITH THEM; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt thou take unto thy son. For THEY WILL TURN AWAY THY SON FROM FOLLOWING ME, that they may serve other gods…”
God told Israel to avoid intimate relationships with the Canaanites. These people worshiped false gods and goddesses. If they intermarried with the lost, that compromise would lead them away from God. God also told Israel to avoid covenants with the lost (Exodus 34:12-16; Joshua 23:12-13). You can be friendly with the lost, but if you become close friends with the unsaved, their worldly thoughts and actions will rub off on your life. Solomon wrote:
Proverbs 13:20 KJV He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a COMPANION OF FOOLS SHALL BE DESTROYED.
And the Apostle told the Church:
1 Corinthians 15:33-34 NKJV Do not be deceived: “EVIL COMPANY CORRUPTS GOOD HABITS”. 34 Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.
The Christian Is A Citizen Of The Kingdom of God.
We Are In The World, But No Of The World.
In our text today “THE WORLD” refers to that system of thought that
belongs in the realm of the lost unbeliever. “THE WORLD” is the mindset of those who do not know Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. “THE WORLD” refers to a way of life where “I” is placed above the God Who is the “I Am”. It is a way of thought where “Me” is a god and the “Maker of Me” is what I want to do. The kosmos or the world stands in direct opposition to Jesus Christ. The Bible says that Satan is “the GOD OF THIS WORLD”. He continually tries to hide the Gospel from the lost. The Apostle wrote:
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 KJV if our gospel be hid, it is HID TO THEM THAT ARE LOST: In whom the god of this world hath BLINDED THE MINDS OF THEM THAT BELIEVE NOT, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
When Satan crept into the Garden of Eden as a serpent, his very first words were:
Genesis 3:1 NIV “Did God REALLY say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Had Adam been smart, he would have at least ignored that talking snake. At best, he should have killed it! Our Lord is God – we are not. To all those who chase after the world, after worldly thought divorced from the Scripture, God says:
Romans 9:20-21 NKJ “…WHO ARE YOU TO REPLY AGAINST GOD? Will the THING formed say to Him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?” (21) Does not the Potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?”
God is the Master Potter. He made us, not we ourselves. We should heed His Word. God told Adam, “Do not eat of that which is forbidden – the day you do so, you will SURELY DIE”. God always knows what is best. The Chinese Pastor Watchman Nee wrote:
“Man’s actions should not be governed by the knowledge of good or evil; it should be motivated by a sense of obedience [to God]. … By taking the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they found a source of right and wrong in other than God Himself. Consequently after the fall men need not find in God the sense of right and wrong. They have it in themselves. This is the result of the fall. The work of redemption is to bring us back to the place where we will now find our right and wrong in God.”
It is not what the world thinks is right. Right is what GOD thinks is right.
We as Christians have enough to do to plow the Word of God, harvesting it’s truths and living by them. We do not need to be second guessing what God has said. If you love God, if He is your Father, you will obey Him.
1 John 2:15 KJV “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. IF ANY MAN LOVE THE WORLD, THE LOVE OF THE FATHER IS NOT IN HIM.”
You are not loving God when you compromise His Word. Worldly thought is godless thought. The great Evangelist A.W. Tozer said:
“A Christian is spiritual when he sees everything from God’s viewpoint. The ability to weigh all things in the divine scale and place the same value upon them as God does is the mark of a Spirit-filled life. God looks AT and THROUGH at the same time. His gaze does not rest on the surface but penetrates to the true meaning of things. The carnal or worldly person looks at an object or a situation, but because he does not see THROUGH it he is elated or cast down by what he sees. The spiritual man is able to look THROUGH things as God looks and think of them as God thinks. He insists on seeing all things as God sees them even if it humbles him and exposes his ignorance to the point of real pain”
Look THROUGH The Valley To The Mountain Of God. Look BEYOND the darkness for the Light that is God.
When trials come your way, how do you examine them? The worldly thinker says “Satan sent this trial my way”, and then despairs throughout the valley. The spiritual believer instead looks to the Scripture, and asks, “What has God said?” Has not God told us
James 1:2-4 NKJV My brethren, COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN YOU FALL INTO VARIOUS TRIALS, 3 knowing that the TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES PATIENCE. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
God is at work in you, dear Christian. Worldly thought is to chafe at every valley. Spiritual Christ centered thought is to know that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). ALL things are for your good, dear Christian. God called you for His purpose. He is at work in you.
Ephesians 2:10 (KJV) “For WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
God demands that we not stay where we are once we are saved. But as a Potter works with a lump, God works with us. He is in control. Not you, but Him. Learn this.
The Worldly Are Locked Into Godlessness, But The Christian Can Choose To Reject That Foolishness
1 John 2:15-16 KJV “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. …. (16) For ALL THAT IS IN THE WORLD, the LUST OF THE FLESH, and the LUST OF THE EYES, and the PRIDE OF LIFE, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
What is the worldly thought we are to avoid? The “LUST OF THE FLESH”. My FEELINGS. What I FEEL like. Eve FELT the fruit before taking a bite. Adam FELT like it would be all right to disobey the command of God. The phrase a woman makes,
“I FEEL like I should have been born a man”.
Then she moves forward (or backward) into sexual sin. The “LUST OF THE EYES”. Eve LOOK at the fruit before taking a bite. If it LOOKS good, we think it will be good. Then there is the “PRIDE OF LIFE”. We forget that it is God Who gave us what we have. Do you have talent? God gave it to you. Do you have beauty? God gave it to you. Al that you have, you have from God. Let us lift Him up and glorify Him. The Bible says:
Jeremiah 17:5 HCSB “CURSED is the man who TRUSTS IN MANKIND, who makes HUMAN FLESH HIS STRENGTH and TURNS HIS HEART FROM THE LORD.”
You will not find many Bible characters who did not fall into the trap of worldliness – and discover that trap had teeth!
King David brought a terrible punishment on Israel when he numbered his armies and began to think that what he had acquired was the result of his own cunning. Seventy thousand men died because of David’s pride! Abraham kept doubting God, and had to wait 25 years to have his first and only child Isaac. Samson had a love for godless but beautiful women, and ended up blinded and tied to a post. Peter denied Jesus three times, then left the Presence of Christ weeping bitterly. Hezekiah bragged to a foreign king about his riches, and lost his kingdom. Though Solomon built the Temple of God, his compromise in marrying godless women led his son Rehoboam to be a narcissistic jerk of a king – dividing Israel in civil war. We are all broken, and can do no good unless we learn to reject worldliness and embrace obedience to God. The Scripture says:
Psalms 127:1 KJV “Except the LORD build the house, they labor in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”
Christ is building his Church. The Kingdom of God belongs to God. It is not about you or I, but life is about the Lord. Do we glorify Him or do we glorify ourselves? “Whatever you EAT, or DRINK, or whatever you DO, DO ALL TO THE GLORY OF GOD” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
1 John 2:17 KJV And THE WORLD PASSETH AWAY, and the lust thereof: but he that DOETH THE WILL OF GOD ABIDETH FOREVER.”
Like a fog in the morning, worldly thought, worldly things will pass away. But those who “DOETH THE WILL OF GOD ABIDETH FOREVER”. There are a lot of people who profess to love Jesus, but who will not do what Jesus says to do. It is obedience to the will of God that saved the believer. Once saved, we are to continue to do His will, not our will. Jesus said,
Luke 6:46 (KJV) “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and DO NOT THE THINGS WHICH I SAY?”
and again, in John 14:15 (KJV) “If ye love Me, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.”
We are not called to dissect His commandments, but to keep them. We are not called to debate His commandments, but to keep them. When Jesus came to this earth, He came “NOT TO DO MY WILL, but the WILL OF HIM THAT SENT ME” (John 6:38). A Son of God does the will of God. We do not compromise with the world. What should we do? Rather than compromise with the world,
1 Learn to wait upon the Lord in prayer.
Isaiah 40123 NKJV But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
2 Read and meditate on the Word of God. David wrote, “When princes sit and speak against me; I am Your servant – I meditate on Your statutes” (Psalm 119:23).
3 Realize that to obey God often means you will be at odds with the world around you. (Proverbs 1:6-7; John 15:18, 20). That’s perfectly fine. You are not trying to win friends or impress people. You are trying to lead souls to salvation.
4 Know that sometimes God will allow us to walk in the dark so that we will learn to trust Him. When you don’t know what to do, stop, and seek God in prayer. Trust Him, that He is with you no matter what. Solomon wrote:
Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATHS.
5 There are going to be times when you will doubt, trip, and fail. Keep trusting and looking to God. There are internal struggles when you follow the Lord. That is a part of your growth in Christ. The Apostle wrote:
Romans 7:15-20 NKJV For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
6 There is always blessing when you obey God, but you bring a curse on yourself and others when you do not heed Him. God expects your obedience. Before Israel gained the Promised Land, God told them:
Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NKJV Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse: 27 THE BLESSING, IF YOU OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD your God which I command you today; 28 AND THE CURSE, IF YOU DO NOT OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I command you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.
As believers, we are to stand in opposition to the way of this world, and to follow Him Who is “The WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE” (John 14:6). The Church and the Christian is not to be a part of this world, but to be fully committed to the Kingdom of God. Let us obey His Word, and trust God for the results.
Proverbs 16123 NKJV COMMIT YOUR WORKS TO THE LORD, And your thoughts will be established.
Let us live for Him. Amen.
