Mensa Otabil - Do Not Love the World
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We’re still in First John chapter 2, and verse 15 states: «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.»
Now that’s getting serious. John expresses some very deep truths about our relationship with God, and this is one of them. No matter how spiritually mature we are, we need a voice of warning and exhortation to keep us from the evils that are around us. We must recognize that although we are surrounded by evil, wickedness, and sin, we have been called to live a righteous and holy life. Although our flesh is not regenerated, we have no excuse but to live for God. The Christian life is a commitment to live for God and to follow His teachings as prescribed in His Word.
So, what does the passage «do not love the world» mean? Does it mean we shouldn’t love the Earth as a planet, or the land, water bodies, rocks, animals, and trees? No, that’s not what it’s addressing. The world here refers to the temporary pleasures that exist in our world contrasted with the eternal desires of God. The things of this world are short-term; they are temporary and pleasure-driven, seeking to make us happy. That is all the world aims to do. The things of God are eternal; they are long-term and seek to make God happy.
When the Bible talks about the things of the world, it refers to the short-term pleasures against the long-term, eternal things that please God. The scripture does not teach that we should have nothing to do with the world. On the contrary, Jesus Christ said that we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We engage the world, but we don’t do so by developing an appetite for its pleasures. Instead, we engage the world to point it to what is eternal and godly.
So, that is what John is discussing. The world offers sensual gratification; it feeds our sense of self-importance. We want to feel important; we seek fame, money, and power. John and the scriptures call all of that the things of the world, so we’re not supposed to love these things. This defines the Christian life. Those who live solely for physical pleasure, focused only on obtaining what they see to be happy, who say, «Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die,» live for the moment. All of that is part of the things of the world.
In Christ, we don’t live for the moment; we live for eternity. Eternity must always be on the mind of a child of God. John is saying if all you do is live for the now, then you cannot live to please God. The love of God is not in you, and you wouldn’t do things that please Him. Our assignment is to be eternally minded and to view everything we do on this earth from an eternal perspective. That is how we please God as Christians.
Let’s pray. Say with me: Heavenly Father, turn my heart away from the things of this world, and let my desires be only towards You. In Jesus' name, Amen and Amen.
I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.