1 John 2:15-29 - Do Not Love the World

LINK: 1 John 2

BACKGROUND

After the encouragements in 2:12-14, John went back to "warning mode" by cautioning them about two things:

1) Love not the World 

This is in contrast to loving the Father and one another, which he had just previously taught. Remember James also warned of this when he said, "Friendship with the world is hostility toward God" (James 4:4). We must choose God and love Him more than the world.  

Love of the world involves the . . .  

Lust (epithymia) of the flesh - Desires that are sinful and particularly illicit bodily appetites. 

Lust (epithymia) of the eyes - This means "man's covetous and acquisitive nature" (The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Volume 2, p. 891) and "the avenue through which outward things of the world, riches, pomp, and beauty, inflame us" (A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory: Volume 2, p. 529).  

The boastful pride of life - "an insolent and empty assurance, which trusts in its own power and resources and shamefully despises and violates divine laws and human rights" or "an impious and empty presumption which trusts in the stability of earthy things" (Strong's exhaustive concordance of the Bible, G212). 

Do these three cautions sound like something we have discussed in the Old Testament? In the Genesis 3 post for the Bible Book Club, I drew a comparison between 1 John 2:16 and the temptation of Eve:

Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable to make one wise. Compare that with this verse:

For all that is in the world, 
the lust of the flesh (good for food) and
the lust of the eyes (pleasing to the eye) and 
the boastful pride of life (desirable to make wise - be like God), 
is not from the Father, but is from the world. 
(1 John 2:16)

2) Beware of Antichrists

The time between Christ's first and Second Coming is considered "the last hour."  John warned against "antichrists." These were false teachers who would deny that Jesus was the Christ and lead them astray. John assured these believers that they had the Holy Spirit who would teach them all things (John 14:26). They were to hold on to what they had heard from John in the beginning. The truth of Jesus as God the Son was to abide ("be at home") in them so that they could abide in fellowship with God the Father and God the Son.

The actual "body" of this letter begins at 1 John 2:28. So, I will deal with the end of 1 John 2 tomorrow. 

APPLICATION

Are you "abiding" in the truth and asking the Holy Spirit to teach you?

Do you love the world more than you love God?

PRAYER

Lord, we love You and want to love You more and more. This world pulls us in, especially with media that bombards us daily and lures us in. Strengthen us in our inner person so that we may resist the temptations of the world and love You with an undivided heart. Help us to discern truth from error. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.