The Love God Hates

1 John 2:15-17

Having provided a word of encouragement in verses 12-14, John now gives a word of exhortation and warning concerning something he identifies six times as "the world." Here he is not using the word "world" (Gk cosmos) to speak of God's good creation (Acts 17:24) or even the world of people for whom Christ died (1 John 2:2; John 3:16). No, instead he is referring here to a worldview perspective (cf. John 16:11) that is led by "the evil one" whom we have overcome and that is characterized by the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and pride in possessions (1 John 2:16). To love the world is to be devoid of love for the Father (v. 15) and to give ourselves to things that are temporary and transient, things that have no lasting or eternal value.

Worldliness or "being of the world" is often misunderstood. Often it is identified with cultural issues that are of a particular concern to us. John is not telling us to reject any and all aspects of culture, much of which reflects the glory, goodness, and gifts of God. What he is telling us 40is we are not to love and idolize thoughts, values, and behaviors that are contrary to God's Word (v. 14) and His will (v. 17). Things that appeal to our sinful flesh (e.g., drug abuse, drunkenness, gluttony, abundance of possessions, sexual perversions, etc.) and are fleeting and passing are not to be the things that we live for. My friend Mark Driscoll put it like this:

John describes worldliness as the cravings of our sinful flesh (gluttony, sexual perversion, drunkenness, etc.), lust of our eyes (sexual lust, coveting, etc.), and arrogant pride that causes us to boast in ourselves without ever thanking God. In our age filled with advertising, rock stars, supermodels and celebrities, it is not an overstatement to say that if worldliness means living only to please our flesh and pursue what our eyes lust after—so that we can arrogantly boast about our conquests and accomplishments—then worldliness is a synonym for America. Therefore, John reminds us that the world is going to burn up in the end; but if we belong to God we will live forever with Him, and so we must remain ever vigilant to love God and not the world. (1, 2 & 3 John: Walking in the Light)

John highlights three things the world promises but cannot deliver. His words are strong medicine that can bring healing to our souls.

The longing of the human heart is to be loved and to love. The objects of our affections need to be rightly ordered if we are truly to find ultimate and lasting satisfaction. John, therefore, commands us, "Do not love the world or the things that belong to the world." Why? To love the world is to not love Father God, which is what you really need. It is what you were created for. John says, "Choose your lover, but choose carefully; choose wisely. Choose God the Father, not the worldly enticements of the father of lies" (John 8:44). We must recognize that turning even good things into "god" things becomes a bad thing. It is to give your love to a lesser lover—one who can never satisfy, who can never give you what you truly need.

This is one of the most important verses in the Bible. It identifies in vivid terms the weapons the world uses to seduce men and women into 41joining its side. Amazingly, each of these weapons resides in us! The enemy really is within! These same three weapons slew Adam and Eve in the Garden. Genesis 3:6 says, "Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh] and delightful to look at [lust of the eyes], and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom [the pride of life]." These same three weapons were conquered by Christ, the second Adam, in His temptation in the wilderness. Luke 4:1-13 explains that the Devil beckoned Him to "tell this stone to become bread" (Luke 4:3), which is the lust of the flesh. Then he "showed Him all the kingdoms of the world" (Luke 4:5), tempting Jesus with the lust of the eyes. Finally, from the pinnacle of the temple, the Devil challenged him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you, and they will support you with their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone" (Luke 4:9-10). But even the pride of life could not lead the Savior into sin.

Seeing how prevalent these temptations are, a close and careful inspection of each weapon will be helpful in our pursuit of spiritual victory. Though they are old, they are still effective if we do not recognize and resist them through the power of the Spirit and the Word of God.

The desires of the flesh appeal to our appetites. "Desires" means cravings, lust, or passion. The word is neutral. The object determines whether such desires are good or bad. John tells us that worldly desires are of the flesh. "Flesh" (Gk sarx) may sometimes refer to the whole person, but here it denotes the tendency and bent of humans to fulfill natural desires in a way that is contrary to God's will. For example, sexual appetite gives way to immorality, and physical appetite gives way to gluttony. We give in to the flesh because we are sinful. It is important to realize that we are not sinful because we sin. Instead, we sin because we are sinful. The lust of the flesh is powerful because we are sinful at our core. To us, sin is fun, enticing, and attractive. We are drawn to it like a fly to flypaper, like a fish to a baited hook.

The desire of the eyes appeals to our affections. Our eyes, like our natural desire, are not evil. Proverbs 20:12 says, "The hearing ear and the seeing eye—the Lord made them both." However, the eyes are windows to the mind (soul) by which sinful desires enter in. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 5:27-29,

You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already 42committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

Men, being creatures of sight, must especially be on guard here. Remember, it was David's eyes that led him to lie, commit adultery, and murder (2 Sam 11).

Pride in possessions appeals to our ambitions. Pride is vainglory, boasting, or arrogance. It refers to the braggart who exaggerates what he has in order to impress others. It is the "I, me, my" person. "Pride of possessions" or "pride of life" speaks of the person who glorifies himself rather than God. He or she makes an idol of their stuff, their career, their achievements, and their social standing. They suffer from "affluenza!" Pride, power, possessions, prestige, and position are what life is all about. This person fails to see that the Lord Jesus, the King of glory, turned the value system of this world on its head. A. W. Tozer draws our attention to the blinding deception of the "pride in possessions":

There is within the human heart a tough, fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covets "things" with a deep and fierce passion. The pronouns "my" and "mine" look innocent enough in print, but their constant and universal use is significant. They express the real nature of the old Adamic man better than a thousand volumes of theology could do. They are verbal symptoms of our deep disease. The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God's gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution. (The Pursuit of God, 22)

Jesus sets for us a beautiful counter example. Concerning pride in birth and rank, He was a carpenter's son (Matt 13:55), a poor family's child (Luke 2:24; see Lev 12:8). Concerning pride in possessions, He said, "The Son of Man has no place to lay His head" (Matt 8:20). Concerning pride in pedigree, it was said of Him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). Concerning pride in people, it was said of Him, "[He is] a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Matt 11:19). Concerning pride in intellect, He said, "As the Father taught43 Me, I say these things" (John 8:28). Concerning pride in self-will, He said, "If You are willing, take this cup away from Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done" (Luke 22:42).

The example of Jesus is instructive. James 4:6 says, "But [God] gives greater grace. Therefore He says: God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." And 1 Peter 5:6 says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time." God's newly created beings rightly relate to Him not with a heart of pride, but in a posture of humility, just as Jesus, who was Himself the Creator, demonstrated His entire life.

This verse brings to a conclusion John's argument as he contrasts the two loves, two lives, two approaches to life. Why side with the world? Why give your life to an empty imitation, a worthless fake, a temporary illusion? The world, this evil and deceptive system of Satan, is continually passing away and its desires with it. The darkness was on the run in 2:8. The world is on the run in 2:17. Light and that which will last forever has shown up in Jesus Christ. What remains? What lasts? What endures? The answer is, the one doing (continually) the will of God. This one abides (continually) forever.

Jesus said many things about the will of God, especially in John's Gospel.

My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. (John 4:34)

I can do nothing on My own. I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 5:30)

For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 6:38)

Jesus' work is lasting and effectual because it was the will of the Father for Him to do that work. For our work to abide like Christ's, our hearts must not be attached to the things of this world, but to the will of the Father.

In the book Embracing Obscurity, a beautiful contrast is drawn between the things of the world and the things of the Father (Anonymous, 44Embracing Obscurity, 87). In the chart below, I have listed differences, making only a few slight adjustments and additions to those in the book. The differences between the two could not be more striking.

Conclusion

One of the saddest stories in the Bible concerns a man by the name of Demas. He is not very well known, but his life serves as an important and tragic lesson for those of us who love the Father who sent His Son. We first hear of him in Colossians 4:14 where he is working hard for the gospel alongside Luke. He is listed along with nearly ten others for their faithful service to Christ (Col 4:7-18). We do not hear of him again until 2 Timothy 4:10, toward the end of Paul's last letter, as Paul anticipates his own execution and martyrdom for Christ. There we simply read, "Demas has deserted me, because he loved this present world." The NLT says, "he loves the things of this life." You can almost feel Paul's heart break as he pens these words.

Let's learn from the unfortunate story of Demas. Don't let love for the things of this life eclipse your love for the Father. Don't let a love for the things of this life cause you to chase after that which is fleeting and passing away. Let the love of the Father found in Jesus come in. Love the Father with all your heart, and see every room you enter become a sanctuary of love from the Father, all your work a sacrifice of love to the Father, and every praise that rolls off your lips a confession of love for the Father. Love the Father supremely who has loved you so deeply. There will be no regrets. God's Word says so.

Reflect and Discuss