LOVE NOT THE WORLD
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1 John 2:15-16 |
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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. 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. KJV |
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. NIV |
Have you ever wondered why God tells us not to love the world? God goes further and tells us that not only are we not to love the world, but also the things that are in it. Why has He said this? I hear you ask. After all, didn’t He make the world and all that is in it? Why shouldn’t we love what He has done?
It is referring to the system mankind has constructed to live without Jesus Christ in his life. It is speaking about what mankind has done since being banished from God’s presence when sin entered the world.
As William MacDonald has put it: It is a human society insofar as it is organised on wrong principles, and characterized by base desires, false values and egoism.
In the verses we are looking at today, we are plainly warned not to love the world or anything that is in it, simply because all the world has to offer is described as:
| · The lust of the flesh. | · The lust of the eyes. | · The pride of life. |
These three things sum up everything that is so very wrong with mankind trying to live without God.
- The lust of the flesh refers to sensual bodily appetites that come from within our evil nature.
- The lust of the eyes refers to the evil desires which rise to the surface from what we see.
- The pride of life refers to self-glory, self-gratification, self-promotion and self-display.
All three of these things come from way, way back in time when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and have been passed onto us:
- The lust of the flesh.: The Tree was good for food.
- The lust of the eyes: The Tree was pleasant to the eyes.
- The pride of life: The Tree was to be desired to make one wise.
Three things to note:
- None of them harmonise with the Love of the Father.
- None of them come from Him.
- All of them are direct opposites of what God would have us love.
The pride of life illustrates the arrogance of mankind thinking that he can get along fine without any reference or thought of what it cost Jesus on the Cross of Calvary.
- Our conduct reveals our convictions.
- Our direction reveals our source.
- Our deeds reveal our destiny.
My prayer for you is that your conduct, your direction and your deeds are grounded in the One who is worthy to receive all Glory and Honour, because He is the one who is coming soon to remove us from this world we call our home, and take us to our REAL home.