15Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
Simple words but profound ideas—this aptly describes the apostle John’s writing style. Students beginning to learn the underlying Greek language will usually start their translation exercises with the writings of John because of their simplicity. However, packed into relatively few words are concepts that would take volumes to unpack for their depth and expansiveness. What does it mean to love the world instead of the Father? Theologians wonder at what children pick up intuitively. John is not interested in theological detail but is writing to give a large perspective.
Those of us who have come into the knowledge of God can innately sense the message here: we will either love God or the world, but not both. Of course, in practical everyday life, we must work out the implications, but our love influences our daily decisions. We may not always act according to our larger convictions, but we have the spiritual propensity to be guided by them.
In particular, love for the world instead of God manifests in three ways, which John writes about negatively: engaging in the lust of the flesh (that is, what makes us feel good) as our primary operative in life, giving way to the desire to look at things that please our eyes, and living a life centered on our pride in ourselves. (For another list outlining the sins of the flesh see Galatians 5:19-21.)
These three expressions (“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life”) seem to encapsulate the whole of what it means to love the world. They are the manifestation of the desire to live in the way the unregenerate people of the world live. These are the driving principles that determine the choices of daily life. That which a person loves determines that which a person does.
Those worldly propensities are not characteristic of Christians who love God (referred to in loving, familial terms as “the Father”). Of course, we are not yet perfect this side of heaven, but John is stoking in us the flame of devotion to God. The love of the world is relatively short-lived; that enjoyment lasts, at the most, only until a person dies. But our love of God will have benefits that will last well past the grave and into eternity!
PRAYER: Lord, I love you. Help me to avoid the love of the world.
0 Comments