1 John 2:15-17
Love Not the World
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. - 1 John 2:15-17
Introduction
At the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention in 2021, a phrase was often repeated: “The world is watching!” When the messengers demanded a clear denunciation of worldly ideologies like Critical Race Theory, or a bold commitment to abolish abortion, the accusation was made that they cared more about political/secondary theological issues than maintaining a reputable witness before the world. On this subject, Resolution One read:
RESOLVED, That we will not permit our personal, social, theological, or political interests to supersede the urgency of evangelism…RESOLVED, That we protect the witness of Jesus Christ before a watching world by wise use of all forms of communication, whether in verbal speech, written word, or social media, so that others may see Christ in us and desire to know Him personally [emphasis added].
Now, there are undoubtedly some good things to glean from this. But, overall, this resolution is essentially saying, “Be nice and keep your convictions to yourself.” With this wording in place, any time a person takes a strong stance on an important political or theological issue, they would be accused of not caring about the gospel. James Merritt even said, “If some people were as passionate about the gospel as they were about [refuting] Critical Race Theory, we would win this world tomorrow!” What Mr. Merritt seems unable or unwilling to recognize is that not a single person there would have given a second of study to CRT if they didn’t care about the gospel.
I believe that the SBC annual meeting in 2021 was just a microcosm of American Evangelicalism as a whole. There is a pragmatism that seems to have swept across the Western Church that says, “Cherish the world’s opinion! Be like the world! Appease the world! If the world doesn’t like you, you’re a bad Christian.” This mindset is as deadly as it is unbiblical. Taken to its logical end, this mindset would lead us to believe the worst thing we could possibly do as Christians is act like the Church. We cannot win the world by making our music, attire, architecture, or application of difficult Biblical passages more to the world’s liking. The only person we should aim to please is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the only watching eyes we should be fearful of are God’s.
There is a doctrine of separation that American Christians need to rediscover. The call to repent and be baptized (Acts 2:38) always goes hand in hand with the call to “save yourselves from this crooked generation” (Acts 2:40). Our God is holy, and He calls His people to be like Him (1 Peter 1:15-17, Ephesians 5:1). To be holy means to be different; holiness is to be set apart from the norms and standards of a people who know not God. When we are justified, we are immediately placed into a process of sanctification; this process involves an incremental separation between us and the world.
A worldly witness is worthless to a dying world. When lost people meet us or enter our public gatherings they should feel like outsiders; they should feel like they are different from us, because they are. Our hand of friendship should always be extended, but our ties of brotherhood are reserved for the regenerated. It is the holiness of Christ’s Church that is to attract the lost. As they see how we hope in times of hopelessness, and possess the kind of joy and satisfaction this life cannot take away, Christ will be more appealing. We welcome the world, but only salvation can produce worship. From this text, I’d like to explore what separation does and doesn’t mean, and call us to live with an eternal perspective. Only when we are free from worldliness will we have a gospel witness that is actually worth something to a dying world.
To Love or Not to Love?
Every pseudo-Christian cult has their favorite texts they love to misinterpret in order to gain abusive control over people’s lives. One cult will proclaim, “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you” (2 Corinthians 6:16)! The only problem is that they won’t define “them” “touch” “thing” or who the “I” is referring to according to Scripture. One notorious cult called The Church of Wells out in Texas was known for misinterpreting the words of Christ in Luke 14:26, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” They would use this text to force their members to abandon all ties with their friends and families, and offer unquestioning allegiance to the church elders. They would practically kidnap people from their family homes late at night and take them to the church grounds, refusing to let them make any contact with their families. Bad exegesis can ruin lives and destroy souls.
The medieval period of Church history was known for extremist monastic movements based on a misunderstanding of “not loving the world.” Monks would remove themselves from cities and churches, flee to the desert, and proceed to pray/fast themselves into early graves. Some would place themselves on the top of large pillars out in the desert so as to force themselves to sit still, meditate, and not have the opportunity to eat. One such monk was suspended on a pillar for so long that moths and worms began to eat his garments and skin; he simply told the worms, “feast on what God has given you.” The result of these ancient monastic movements may have gained some reform in the Church, but they did nothing to reach a dying world or produce Biblical holiness. How do we not love the world, while still emulating the God who “so loved the world” (John 3:16)? How do we separate ourselves from the world without falling into the pit of cults and extremists? The answer is always found in Biblical exposition. We let Scripture interpret Scripture, and apply what we find to our lives.
The Apostle John makes a clear distinction in this text between love for the world, and the love of the Father. Two kingdoms are described by these two loves. There is a righteous love for the Father; this love includes all that which reigns in His dominion. Next, there is love for the “world,” and this does not refer to people, or physical land. Rather, this love speaks of all this life has to offer without God. Everything in existence that does not bow the knee to Christ is considered “worldly” in this sense. Once we are born again, the ultimate allegiance of our hearts will be to one or the other. Christians are always subject to temptation, and periodic failures with sin; but the default setting of their life is to love the Father, not the world. Even their failures cause them to fall forward into the care, mercy, and restoration of God. The failures of Christians teach them to love and depend upon God more. So where are your affections, dear Christian? What brings you ultimate joy and satisfaction? Are you more defined by love for the father, or love for the world?
There are two teachings of Christ that come to mind when I consider how it is that we love not the world while still maintaining healthy Christians lives in the world. The first teaching is found in Matthew 5:13-16,
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Salt and light are both mingled with the substances they affect, yet they remain distinct from those substances the whole time. Salt is placed alongside, and mingled within certain foods, yet it preserves and prevents their decay. Light can be seen right next to darkness, yet the darkness cannot overcome the light. Many theologians have repeated the famous words, “Be in but not of the world,” and I think that truth hits the nail on the head! We love the world being salt and light to them, preaching the gospel and representing Christ in their midst. Yet, we “love not the world” by remaining separate from its passions, desires, and tempting influence.
Second, John’s call for us to “love not the world” is synonymous with Jesus’ call to “remember Lot’s wife” (Luke 17:32). It is a warning for those professing religion to keep guard over the direction of their desires, and fruit their lives bear. Lot’s wife is the perfect picture of the unconverted professing Christian. She was related to the righteous, delivered by angels, and knew of the promise of redemption along with the price of damnation, but her heart was still in Sodom. She was delivered from the judgment of God just long enough to distinguish her from the rest of the perishing multitudes; but right before reaching ultimate safety, her true nature was exposed. She looked back to the world. She mourned the destruction of Sodom; she protested the judgment of God; she longed to have her old life back. As a result, she was turned to a pillar of salt. So it will be for all those professing Christ as “Lord” yet do not do the things He says. They will hear the dreadful words, “depart from me” (Matthew 7:21) on that great day. A religious exterior will not save the soul whose heart still loves the world.
Worldliness
In the text before us, John gives three measuring lines of worldliness. How do we distinguish the love of the Father from the love of the world? Look at your life in light of these three things…. First, there is the lust of the flesh. This is the cravings and desires of sinful nature. Paul describes the enemies of the cross as those whose god is their “belly” (Philippians 3:19). These are the people who live life on their own rules, determining what’s right by how it makes them feel. “How could it be sinful to ingest this substance? How could it be sinful to sleep with that person, or watch this material? It’s natural!” The lust of the flesh is not concerned with the will of God, or teaching of Scripture, only the belly. When in doubt of the sinfulness of a particular action, seek the answer in Scripture with the counsel of your local church pastors. If the area is still grey after that, ask God if He can bless it. That will quickly reveal whether or not the action sows to the flesh or spirit.
Second, there is the lust of the eyes. Joel Beeke defines this as anything that glamorizes or makes light of violating the Ten Commandments. In the 1950’s, it would have been scandalous to show the married couple Lucy and Ricky Ricardo sharing one bed. By the 1990’s, it was normal for our sitcoms to joke about their main characters fornicating in every episode. Not even 20 years ago, homosexuality was taboo in Hollywood. Now, shows will get cancelled if they don’t have a gay couple on display every season! The things we watch desensitize us from the things of God. Joe Biden himself said that if it hadn’t been for the normalization of “gay marriage” in the TV show Will and Grace, it may never have been legalized in our country.
Some preachers advocate for all Christians to destroy their TVs, and never attend the theater or ball games. I have no intention of shaming or taking potshots at my “fundamentalist” brethren who hold such convictions, it’s just that I do share their views on worldliness. When it comes to the shows we watch, the books we read, the music we listen to, etc., it doesn’t matter so much what we’re watching as much as it does the way they affect us. Certain material (such as pornography) is offline to everyone no matter what. However, other kinds of media need to be taken as conscience issues for each individual.
When I first graduated high school, I loved horror films and punk rock; when I say “love” I mean those things were part of my identity as a person. In my pursuit of these things, I studied film production and video editing for a semester in community college, and played shows with my band on the weekends. My aspirations were to be a freelance independent filmmaker with a somewhat successful hardcore punk band. What a life! However, the same semester I started that pursuit in community college, I joined a flawed yet faithful church that helped me get closer to Jesus. As I discovered the sermons of men of God from past generations, developed my prayer life, studied the Bible regularly, and prioritized fellowship with other Christians, my desires began to change. One day, I was watching my favorite horror film, and midway through I remember thinking, “I don’t enjoy this anymore….” I turned the TV off, and felt better. I sold my horror film collection, and felt nothing but happiness for being rid of them and having grocery money for the week! I remember going to punk shows on the weekends, and slowly realizing that I didn’t belong there anymore. Soon, I only went to the shows to evangelize, and by the time I had shared the gospel with everyone in my local scene it was like the Lord released me to never go to another show again.
The closer you get to Jesus, the fewer things you’re content to take with you. In my late teens, horror movies and punk music took precedence in my life over Jesus. As the Lord began to sanctify me, I probably went three years without watching movies or listening to any secular music. I felt convicted when I did so, and at the time, for me, that was where God wanted me. Now that I am so far removed from identifying with or being sinfully influenced by either of those subcultures (over and before my identity in Christ), it isn’t convincing anymore for me to watch a movie with my wife, or listen to a “secular” song. Dear reader, you need to assess the things that catch the gaze of your eyes. Does the content you consume control and identify you as a person? If it does, you may need to go through a time of purging literally everything (books, music, movies) that doesn’t bring you closer to God.
Lastly, there is the pride of life. This is anything that glorifies man rather than giving glory to God. The pride of life is that which inspired the ancients to build the tower of Babel out of the motive to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4). If we are shocked to hear of a particular actor, politician, or minister caught in some scandal, it may be because the pride of life caused us to sinfully idolize them in ways we never should have done in the first place. I remember hearing a preacher say, “There are no great men of God. There are only weak and sinful men who are undeservedly used by the grace of good and great God.” If there is any blessing worth counting in your life, recognize that you did not earn it; it was God’s gift of grace. If there is any person suffering for their sins, remember the old saying, “Were it not for the grace of God, there would I go also.” Pride, thinking we can manage our lives without God, lays at the root of every sin.
Eternal Perspective
John concludes by proclaiming, “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” This week, one of my church members sent me a video which repeated a common and sobering reminder: the most significant part of our gravestones is the dash between the dates. It doesn’t matter when you’re born or when you die as much as it matters what you did with your time on earth. The dash symbolizes the choices you made, the people you helped, the impact you left on a broken world. When they put you in the grave, what will the dash on your tombstone communicate? What are you doing with your dash?
Of all the sobering words for human minds to meditate on, perhaps none are more fearful than “eternity.” This world is overwhelming at times. The sickness, death, and decay it brings to our bodies and souls are often unbearable. But all that makes up the kingdom of this world, and all its lust and pride, will one day be swept into destruction. The grass will wither, the flower will fade, but the Word of God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). The only thing that matters in light of eternity is who we are, and how we lived in accordance with the Word and will of God. Only he who does the will of God lives forever.
Conclusion
How do we gain victory over worldliness? What is the will of God that brings eternal life? I am so grateful that John doesn’t leave us in the dark with this regard. The work of God is to believe in Christ for salvation (John 6:29). The victory that overcomes the world is faith in Christ (1 John 5:4). My deliverance from worldliness didn’t come from hard work. It came naturally by growing in my faithful walk with Jesus. Our sanctification comes the same way as our justification, by grace through faith in Christ alone. Look to Him, and live forever.
