THE LOVE OF THE WORLD AND THE PRIDE OF
LIFE
“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. And the world is
passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides
forever.” I Jn 2:15-17.
PHRASES USED IN
THIS PASSAGE
The World
In this passage, the “world” refers
to the sum total of things that go to make up the world order—its politics
[pertaining to governing bodies—governments, ecclesiastical hierarchies,
committees, organizations etc], its economics [the world of finance—of
acquiring and selling of goods and services, of acquiring possessions], and its
social order [social elements of living that constitute our way of life].
The Things in the World
The ‘things in the world’ are the things
through which the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life are enticed to operate. They are
things like money, goods, entertainments, recreations, wealth, earthly
pleasures, food, sport—the things of the world that have the power to stir
desire, seduce, enslave and captivate.
They are a stumbling block to us surrendering our hearts to God, and
receiving spiritual knowledge and salvation.
The Love of the World
The Greek word ‘agapao,’ used for ‘love’ in
“love of the world,” is
1) used of persons: to welcome, to
entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly, and
2) used of things:
to be well pleased, to be contented at or with a thing.
John’s
burden for those who love the world is that it is used by Satan to bring people
into bondage, resulting in things of the world taking precedence over the
things of God—over attending fellowship, over ministries, and over personal
growth in Christ.
He warns in I Jn 5:19, that, the whole world system is under Satan’s control. “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.” The world is the main avenue for Satan bringing people into bondage. Knowing this, Paul said of himself, “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” 1 Cor 6:12.
In the parable of the sower, Jesus warns
that the cares of the world ensnare us, and the word of the kingdom is choked
and becomes dead in a person’s heart. The end result is that he becomes an
unfruitful servant of Christ. "Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the
word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the
word, and he becomes unfruitful.” Matt 13:22.
A concrete example of the spirit of the
world overcoming a Christian brother is provided for us by Paul’s account of
the departure of Demas from his ministry.
"for Demas has forsaken me, having loved
this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica-- Crescens for
The Love of the Father
The word “love” used here, is different
to that used for love of the world. This is the Greek word ‘agape,’ the
word used for the love of God and Jesus Christ for us. This love should be appropriated by the
brethren through Christ’s life within them.
It is the agape love manifested in the brethren that makes the church distinct
from the world. Those who love the
things of the world do not have the love of the Father in them. They do not love the Father, nor have they
got Christ’s or the Father’s love for the brethren in them.
Is not in Him
It is a startling
reality that if someone loves the world or the things of the world, the love of
the Father, that is, the ‘agape’ love which distinguishes Christian brethren,
IS NOT IN HIM. It is possible to be a
Christian, and be a member of the body of Christ, and be devoid of Christian
love.
Further, John
wrote, “In this the children of God and the
children of the devil are manifest [or be plainly recognized]:
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who
does not love [‘agaoa’—to
love in a social or moral sense] his brother.” I Jn
3:10.
John was writing to Christians when he
said that he who does not love his brother, even in a natural social or moral
sense, is “not
of [proceeding out of] God.”
The conversion of a Christian, accompanied by regeneration of his
spirit, should result in at least a natural love of his Christian
brothers. This changes to ‘agape’ love
when we appropriate the life and love of Christ. It is sobering to realize that if a Christian
does not have a natural love of his brothers, he is not of God. We may conclude that either his conduct is
not of God, or even worse, his conversion is not real.
It is just as
sobering to realize that if we love the world or the things of the world, to the degree that we
are captivated and controlled by them, it is not possible for us to know the
reality of Christ’s love for the our brothers in Christ.
The Lust of The Flesh
Lust
is an enslaving desire or longing to satisfy the demands or appetites of the
carnal body and fleshly nature. In
sexuality it leads to sensuous lust of the eyes and imagination, fornication
and adultery.
Even food, which is essential to life, has the power to bring us into bondage. Paul warned us that this is not to be taken lightly. “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame-- who set their mind on earthly things.” Phil 3:18-19.
The lust of the flesh, or carnal
nature, leads us into bondage of things of the world, such as the desire for
money and worldly goods and possessions, and bondage to recreations and
entertainments.
The Lust of The Eyes
This
is the looking at things or other people with idolatry, covetousness, or
sensuality; again inciting desires to fulfill the demands of the flesh.
In Hebrews we are warned about
looking at the material possessions of others with covetousness: “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such
things as you have. For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you
nor forsake you." Heb 13:5.
Jesus warned about men looking at women with lust in
their hearts. "But
I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already
committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin,
pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one
of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.” Matt 5:28-29. Are we meant to take the instruction to pluck
out your right eye literally? Why
the right eye? If it is to be taken
spiritually, or figuratively, what does it mean?
It should be quite obvious that
this direction from the Lord to pluck out an eye is not to be taken
literally.
Firstly Jesus uses the
starkness of this analogy to illustrate the seriousness of the lust of the
eyes.
Secondly, there is a significance attached to His
use of “your right eye.” In the bible, “right” symbolizes strength, as in the right hand of
God: "Your
right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; your right hand, O LORD, has
dashed the enemy in pieces.” Exod
15:6.
But this attribute of strength should not to be associated with the eyes, as if one eye is stronger than the other. Strength in this case concerns lust of the eyes that are motivated by the things of the world. If, for instance, there is a strong lust of covetousness, it should be “plucked out.”
Plucking out, or entirely eliminating the
offending lust is not achieved by the use of our will power in an effort to
avoid it. That would be using the flesh
trying to overcome the flesh, and that always results in frustration and
failure. It must be “put off,” or placed
on the altar of the cross, and be replaced by “putting on” Jesus Christ and His
victory over the world. Paul instructed, “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in
true righteousness and holiness.” Eph 4:22-24. This process is
explained more fully later in this study.
The Pride of Life
Life
in this reading means all that pertains to one’s way of living, including all
that sustains that manner of life.
The pride of life is an empty
presumptuous assurance that trusts in one’s own ability to gather wealth,
possessions, and satisfy life’s demands.
It trusts in its own power and resources and the resources of the world,
and despises dependence on God.
THE ESSENCE OF THE
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the
eyes, and the pride of life are out workings of the carnal flesh that are
enticed into operation by the things of the world, which “lies under the sway of the wicked one.” The world
order is one arm of the
John gives us a clear warning. ‘If anyone loves the
world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Those who love the
things of the world do not love the Father, nor have they got Christ’s or the
Father’s love for the brethren in them.
Just as the Spirit and the flesh are
opposed to each other and war against each other, the love of the world is
likewise opposed to the love of the Father.
A Christian must make up his mind which he will give allegiance to—God
or the world. The apostle James bluntly sets the
alternatives before us. “Adulterers and adulteresses [those who have committed adultery with the world]! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with
God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an
enemy of God.” James 4:4.
HOW WE SHOULD CONDUCT OURSELVES IN THE WORLD
Overcoming Individual Aspects of the World’s Control
The
love of the world and the things of the world, is born out of carnal
desire. There is only one way to overcome
fleshly desires, and that is by the Spirit. We must claim our union with Christ in His
death, and our resurrection with Him in newness of life—to live our new lives
by the power of His indwelling life in us.
Paul outlines the nature of such a Spiritual walk in union with Christ.
“I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but
Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20. (KJV).
Again we are looking at spiritual
realities. Jesus became mankind on the
cross, so we (spiritually) are incorporated in His crucifixion. Our old man, or carnal nature [from a spiritual
point of view] was crucified in Him.
When we desire with all our hearts to have our carnal nature crucified
with Christ, and testify to it having happened on the cross, the Holy Spirit
makes it a reality. In this case we have
decided to declare the power of the cross on our love of the world. Paul makes this testimony:
“But God
forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Gal 6:14.
When the destructive power of the world has been
revealed to us, and we have decided to break its control over us, we must make
a similar testimony. The Holy Spirit may
have revealed to us that a particular facet of the world is having an enslaving
influence on us—say watching TV [watching TV, like many of the world’s
activities, is all right in itself, but has the potential to exert a control
over us]. Your testimony may be
something like: “I choose to put the
love of TV on the altar of the cross, declaring that in Jesus Christ I was
crucified to the world and all of its power.”
This will break the power of the spirits of the world that Satan uses to
enslave us, and in this case the enslaving nature of TV will diminish, and go
completely as we stand on our testimony.
This is a spiritual walk in which we are putting to death the
deeds of the flesh by the Spirit. [Rom
8:13].
“And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the
Spirit.” Gal 5:24-25.
Overcoming the World Generally in our Daily Walk
To overcome the power of the world
generally in our daily walk, we must put off our carnal nature daily, declaring
it crucified in Jesus Christ, and clothe ourselves with the life of Jesus,
allowing Him to reign in us. In this
case our victory over the world is by appropriating Christ’s victory over the
world. Jesus declared, "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world." John
16:33. The apostle John emphasized this
when he wrote, “You are of God, little children, and
have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in
the world.” I Jn 4:4-6.
The last aspect of overcoming the world, is to avoid
contact with Christian brothers who have given themselves over to the enslaving
power of the world.
“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually
immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral
people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since
then you would need to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not
to keep company with anyone named a
brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a
reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner-- not even to eat with such a person.”
1 Cor 5:9-11.
FINAL WARNING
“For if,
after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of
the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and
overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning.” 2 Pet 2:20.