“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16For 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. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” – 1 John 2:15-17
Christians get accused of opposing everything. People characterize us as being killjoys, hostile to even a little bit of fun.
The first verse in the passage above seems to lend credence to this caricature. It sounds like John is warning us believers against enjoying ourselves. Does God want us to live like isolated, stagnant, and grim monks?
But this interpretation doesn’t survive scrutiny. When we dig into this passage, we learn what the Lord intends for His people.
Verse 15
No doubt about it–John contrasts loving the world with loving God. Our hearts are too small to accommodate both; we have to choose.
Here’s the problem. God is infinite, but He feels distant. The world, while vast, isn’t as grand as God is. But it’s immediate; it’s everywhere we look. So while the world can’t give us everything, it offers us quite a lot. Enough to keep us distracted.
Furthermore, what’s wrong with enjoying a walk in the park? Or gazing at a beautiful sunset? Or listening to moving music? I’ve enjoyed fantastic meals–is that worldly?
Verse 16
John doesn’t leave us guessing. He tells us what he means by the things of this world.
- The lust of the flesh
- The lust of the eyes
- The pride of life
These are what he had in mind.
Desires run amok. Chasing after the next best thing. Insisting that everything should revolve around us. Whether private or public, life can’t function this way. It’s not how God designed us to operate.
But why warn Christians about these dangers? What was John worried about?
In the first two verses, the apostle keeps distinguishing the Father and the world. The Christians to whom John was writing must have been confusing the two. Under the influence of the purveyors of false teaching (see 1 John 1:6-10; 2:4, 9-11, 18-27; 3:4, 6-17; 4:1-6, 20; 5:10, 18), the church was beginning to rethink its understanding of spirituality.
Morality didn’t matter much in this alternative view. When a Christian’s spiritual life is strong, he or she is beyond morality. The things of this world have no effect on the heart.
But this denies that God created the heavens and the earth. He made the world, so why can’t Christians love what God created?
John’s not talking about the heavens above and the earth beneath. He’s targeting the system that arrays itself against the Lord. It’s a mindset that distances people from God. It’s a lifestyle that diminishes the significance of Jesus Christ. And it offers people innumerable alternatives to the simple gospel.
Verse 17
But the world won’t last. And neither will those who buy into its ways of living. We find fulfillment only in God. We can waste our lives pursuing things that fade or we can thrive for eternity by doing His will.
Jesus is our great Example. The One crucified for us rose from the dead on our behalf. He did the will of God and the Father rewarded Him. As we follow Christ, we will face the same path He did. We will have to turn aside from the temptations the world throws at us. Even if it costs us, we must make God’s plan our priority. And in doing so, we endure. Our trials will die, but we won’t. Death can’t keep us.
The world in its current form is fading. The spiritual will outlast the sinful. When we follow Jesus, we learn a new life, one centered in God.
And so we abide.
Because He does.
Recent Comments