1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Tag: Our Love for God Changes our Love for the World
John, in his little epistle, is writing to assure the believers of their walk with God and for God. In explaining what it means to walk with God, John gives several commands and observations about what happens when we “abide” in Christ’s love for us. One of the life style changes we should see (if we truly are “abiding” in Christ) is a change in how we view the world. The “world” here, in this context, is the worldly system and the world life view that puts man at the center and pleasing man, at all costs. John is telling us that when we have “the love of the Father” our world life view will change. Being loved by God and loving God changes appetite for life. The “world,” John explains, is the “desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life.” When we attempt to fulfill the desires of the flesh and the eyes, or when we allow our self-pride to determine our walk, we are not reflecting the Love of the Father in our lives. One real “test” about our Christian walk is seen in how we interact with the world and the world’s system. The Christian can be tempted to get caught up in all the worldly systems. But, the true believer is so driven by love for the Father and the love of the Father, the world has no pull on them. This is John’s message to us. John knows that loving the world is useless since it is “passing away, along with its desires.” The things of the Father are eternal. The things of the world are temporal. Everything we see with our eyes will be gone someday. Everything we see via faith will be here for eternity. Our love for the Father diminishes our love for the world and its desires and temptations. It should!!
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