OVERCOME THE WORLD BY THE WORD (3)

For all that is in the world – the lust of the FLESH, the lust of the EYES, and the PRIDE of LIFE – is not of the Father but is of the world” – 1 John 2:15b

Believers in Christ are instructed to OVERCOME the WORLD by the WORD: “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 lust of the FLESH, the lust of the EYES, and the PRIDE of LIFE – is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 Jh.2:15). We’ve noted the three broad classification of the Believer’s main foes – The World; the Devil; and the Flesh. John mentions “the world” six times in three verses, referring to the entire system of rebellion against God and His rule. He explicitly reveals the constituents of the world: The Lust of the Eyes; Lust of the Flesh; and Pride of Life.

God’s Word begins with a command to not love the world, but to overcome all manifestations of worldliness. This is complemented by three incentives of why we should not love the world.

First, love for the world is contrary to love for the Father; the two cannot co-exist: “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (v.15b). We cannot love the world (view it as ultimate) and love the Father (view Him as ultimate) at the same time. One must come first in our heart. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Mt.6:24). Love for the world will put one in the class with God-haters! The reason love for the world contradicts and excludes love for God is that “all that is in the world…is not of the Father but is of the world” (v.16). It’s empty talk to say that I love God if I love what is not of God. Love for the world can’t coexist with love for God.

Second, the world and its lusts will pass (v.17a). God is saying, “If you love the world, it will pass away and take you with it”! Nobody invests in a company that’s billed for bankruptcy. Nobody sets up house in a sinking ship. No sane person would lay up treasure where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal. The world is passing away! To set one’s heart on it is only asking for heartache and misery. Not only is the world passing away, but also the lusts of it. Worldliness does not merely lie in things we do or in places we frequent, but in the human heart, in the set of human affections and attitudes. Worldliness is thinking the world is all that ultimately matters – placing it above the Father. What makes the world bad is not the stuff in it – which came from God – but how we treat or relate to that stuff.

Third, whoever loves God instead of the world, will live with Him forever; while he who is driven by the world’s lusts will not only lose his treasure, but also his life: “he who does the will of God abides forever” (v.17b). If we love God, we will love and do what He wills. The opposite of loving the world is not only loving the Father, but doing His Will; keeping His commandments (Jh.14:15; 1 Jh.5:3). It is our love for God that overcomes the obstacles of disobedience and makes the commandments of God a joy rather than a burden. Paul and James also hold out the promises of Life only to those who love God (Rom.8:28; 1 Cor.2:9; 2 Tim.4:8; Jam.1:12; 2:5). Nothing in all the world is more important than experiencing love for God in our hearts; it is the first and great commandment (Mt.22: 36-40).

Going forward, we shall delve deeper into Overcoming All that is in the World: The lust of the flesh; lust of the eyes; and pride of life.