Do not Love the World
15 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.
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Word Study: The word “world”, “kosmos” in Greek, here refers to the spiritual system of evil under the control of the devil. The word “desires”, the Greek word “epithymia” means in a bad sense, an unrestrained desire or longing or craving or lust for something forbidden.
Comment: John gives us a very clear command not to love the world or the things of the world, meaning not to love the spiritual system of evil under the control of the devil, and not to even love what it offers. John says if anyone loves the world, then the love of the Father is not in Him. Proof that the love of the Father is not in us, it is when we love the world.
What does the world have to offers us that we should not love. All that is in the world or all that the evil system of the world can offer us is the desires of the flesh, eyes and pride of life. This means all that the world can offer us is the unrestrained satisfaction of the forbidden desires of the flesh, eyes and pride of life.
The flesh is very sinful and likewise it’s desires are equally sinful. Now, the world comes in and gives us the opportunity to satisfy these sinful and forbidden desires. Forbidden by God. It is like knowing that a person is an alcoholic and is busy trying to sober up and you buy him alcohol. The devil knows what our fleshly desires are, those that have been forbidden by God, and he gives us the opportunity to satisfy them.
In Rom 13:14, Paul says that we must make no provision for the flesh to satisfy its desires. In Eph 2:3, Paul describes the children of wrath as those who live in the desires of the flesh, who carry out the desires of the body and mind. 1 Pet 4:2 says that we should no longer live for the human desires but for the will of God. 2 Pet 2:18 says that false pastors,preachers entice people by sensual (unbridled) desires of the flesh. Prov 27:20 says that human eyes are never satisfied. 1 Pet 2:11 says that fleshy lusts or desires, wage war against the soul. Looking at all these verse, no wonder John commands us not to love the world.
What do these desires of the flesh, eyes and pride of life refer to? The desires of the flesh refers to the needs of the flesh that have been forbidden by God to be satisfied,example, adultery, homosexuality, etc. The desires of the eyes refers to the sins of the mind. What God has forbidden and what the mind wants. Example of this is covetousness, wanting a bigger house or car and in the process showing discontentment. Pride of life refers to pride in our possessions or trusting only in our possessions.
John says we should not love these as our love of these shows us that we do not have the love of God in us. John says this world and all its opportunities that it provides to us, to satisfy our desires, its passing away. But whoever does the will of God abides forever.
Message: What does this mean for us. It means exactly what is says. If we are going to pour our love into what the system of evil under the controls of the devil offers, then that is proof that we don’t love God. We cannot love God and the world at the same time. We must either do the will of God and obey His commandments, or disobey God’s will and satisfy our forbidden desires. Not everything in the world is bad, but when it contradicts God’s will, then we must not do it. Obeying God’s will is more important than satisfying our own desires and just like the world, these desires are passing away but, those who obey God’s will, remains forever. Amen.