THE LOVE OF THE WORLD
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For
everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and
the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the
world. The world and its desires pass
away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
The last reason given by John for not loving the world is
that if we love the world, it means we do not truly understand this great
gospel of salvation. ‘The world passeth away,’ says John, ‘and the lust
thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’ What he means is
this: if you still love the world and the things that are in it, then it is
clear that you have never understood the principles of sin. Cannot you see that
all that belongs to the world is passing away? All these things, says John, are
disappearing, they are dying, You may be proud of your personal appearance, but
you will soon be old and haggard. You will be dying, and then you will have
nothing to boast of, it is all passing. Oh fool, to glory in something that is
so transient! Wealth, riches, learning, knowledge, social status and all these
things, they are vanishing, they have the seeds of death in them. Christian
people, how can we glory in things like that? It means we are blind to our own
gospel which starts by telling us that all that is under the wrath of God and
will be destroyed. It is all going to perdition and eternal destruction; so
those who live for these things, therefore, are utterly inconsistent and show
that they have never understood that if they belong to that realm they will be
destroyed to all eternity. They must come out of and escape from it, and they
should glory in the fact that there is a new life and realm, a new kingdom, and
if they belong to this, they will abide forever.
‘So,’
says the Apostle, ‘that is my injunction to you; realize these truths; do the
will of God; do not be concerned about your own desires; Do the will of God,
and if you do that, you will abide for ever. You will be building up a firm
foundation, a building which will be tried and tested as by fire, but because
it consists of god and precious metals and not of wood, hay and stubble, it
will last and it will stand the test. And when you arrive in glory, your works
will follow you and you will rest in eternal joy from your labors.’
Life
In Christ: Studies in 1 John, By Martyn Lloyd-Jones, pg. 221-222.