Love Not the World

The Love God Hates, Part 1

1 John 2:15

INTRODUCTION

A. The Antithesis in God's Character

1. God's love

The Bible is clear that God is a God of love. I doubt that anyone familiar with Christianity would argue that point. The apostle John emphasizes God's love in his epistle. For example, in 1 John 4:7-8 we read, "Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." Verse 11 says, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another." And verse 16 says, "We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him."

2. God's Hatred

Because God loves, He also hates. There can be no love unless there is the antithesis of love, which is hate. Those two emotions are inseparable. For example, if you love someone, you hate whatever it is that would harm that person. If you're a parent, you hate anything that would harm your children. If you're married, you hate anything that would defile or injure your spouse. If you love good, then you hate evil. If you love God, you hate Satan. If you love unity, you hate discord.

Some scriptural examples of the relationship between love and hate are found in the psalms.a) Psalm 97:10--"Ye who love the LORD, hate evil." There will be some degree of hated for that which opposes what you love.b) Psalm 119--"Through thy precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way.... I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I love.... I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right, and I hate every false way.... I hate and abhor lying but, thy law do I love" (vv. 104, 113, 128, 163). Whenever you commit yourself totally to something, you resent anything that would violate it. That is why God can be a God of love and a God of hate at the same time.

What does God hate?

Proverbs 6:17-19 lists seven things that God hates. In a Hebrew idiom used for emphasis, Solomon said, "These six things doth the LORD hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto him:"

1. A proud look

Pride is manifested in lofty eyes, which is the literal Hebrew meaning of that phrase. Someone who is prideful has his nose in the air and his eyes uplifted. When pride fills the heart, it is reflected in one's mannerisms. God hates people who disdain everyone and everything. The sin of pride is probably listed first because it is the root of all disobedience and rebellion against God (Rom. 1:22).

2. A lying tongue

God is a God of truth who cannot lie (Heb. 6:18). That He loves truth and hates lying is illustrated in the account of Ananias and Sapphira, who lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). God took their lives as an example to the early church of His holiness.

3. Murderous hands

Verse 17 says that God hates "hands that shed innocent blood." God hates people with murderous, cruel dispositions who will kill rather than be denied or frustrated of what they want. God hates murder because He created life and established its sanctity. Therefore God ordained that when someone takes a life, he should pay with his own life (Gen. 9:6).

4. A wicked heart

God hates "an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations" (v. 18). It's bad enough for a person to do evil, but it's even worse when he plans at great length on how to do it. A wicked heart is the devil's workshop for devising new ways of sinning.

5. Mischievous feet

God also hates "feet that are swift in running to mischief" (v. 18). The difference between this and normal sinning is that normal sinning is described in the Bible as a falling or a tripping. But the mischievous person purposely runs as fast as he can--he's in a hurry to sin.

6. A false witness

Another thing God hates is "a false witness that speaketh lies" (v. 19). God hates people who put the blame on an innocent party. David, Jesus, and Paul experienced accusations by false witnesses (Ps. 27:12; Matt. 26:59-61; Acts 25:7-8). Bearing false witness obstructs justice, destroys reputations, and even destroys lives in some cases.

7. A devisive spirit

Verse 19 says that God also hates people who "soweth discord among brethren." Troublemakers create divisions where there should be unity.

The things God hates are in direct opposition to the things He loves: truth, goodness, and unity. Because He loves men to worship Him in truth, He hates idolatry and hypocritical religion. His hatred is the antithesis of His love.

B. The Analysis of the Epistle's Context

The Epistle of 1 John introduces something else that God hates. First John 2:15 says there is a love that God hates: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." God hates the love of the world and the things that are in it.

1. The thematic context

a) Surveyed

One of John's purposes in his letter is to distinguish the true Christian from the false Christian. He wants to show who is truly a believer and who is not. His Christian readers had been infiltrated with false teachers, which he called "antichrists" in 2:18. Evidently, the people were having a hard time figuring out who were truly saved and whose teaching they should follow. Therefore, throughout the letter he gives them some tests by which they can evaluate whether a person is a Christian or not. These tests fall into two categories: the doctrinal test (confessing sin and Christ) and the moral test (obeying God and loving the brethren). John returns to the doctrinal test (which he began in chapter 1) at the end of chapter 2, where he introduces the doctrinal test regarding Christ: "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?... Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; he that confesseth the Son hath the Father also" (vv. 22-23).

b) Specified

In the first half of chapter 2, John interjects the moral test of obedience and love. The moral test of love has three parts, each of which helps determine who really is a Christian by identifying the objects of a person's love. First John 2:5 says, "Whosoever keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected." The first requirement for a Christian is that he loves God. The second requirement is that he "loveth his brother" (v. 10). The third is found in verse 15: "Love not the world." The love of the world is diametrically opposed to the first requirement of loving God. The apostle John is saying that a true Christian does not continue to habitually love the world. That kind of love is inconsistent with Christianity. It does not characterize the lives of Christians.c) Supported

(1) 1 John 4:5-6--"They are of the world [unsaved]; therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God." Christians are not of the world. Their citizenship has been transferred to heaven (Phil. 3:20).

(2) 1 John 5:4-5--"Whatever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?" A Christian has overcome the world and is no longer in love with it.

(3) John 15:18-19--Jesus said to His disciples, "If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." Christians do not have a love relationship with the world: It hates us and we hate it. It is the ungodly system of the world, however--not individual people--that we are to hate.

(4) Colossians 1:13-14--When we were saved, the Father made us "partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." Our citizenship has been transferred from this world to heaven. Our manner of life is not earthly; it is heavenly.

(5) James 4:4--"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." Christians are not enemies of God, but His friends. Jesus said to His disciples, "Henceforth I call you not servants .... I have called you friends" (John 15:15). More than that, "We are the children of God" (Rom. 8:16)--certainly not His enemies. Romans 5:1 says that "we have made peace with God." We are no longer enemies with God. We do not love the world because loving the world would make us enemies of God, which is inconsistent with our nature.

If you need to know whether someone is a Christian, determine if he loves God and other Christians, but not the world. It may sometimes seem like Christians love the world, while failing to fully love God and His children. But remember, we're not talking about legal obedience; we're talking about gracious obedience, which allows for our failings and misdirected love. The pattern of a Christian's life is to love God, not the world. However, there are times when, even though we don't love the world, we flirt with it. But that is where grace is applied. Ideally, we obey God. Yet even though we fail from time to time, we maintain a spirit of obedience because Christ's sacrifice for sin has already graciously paid the penalty for our sins. The pattern of a Christian's life is not to love the world but to love God. Since God and the world are at odds, you can't love both.

2. The historical context

a) Examined

The apostle John directed his thoughts at a particular problem: Gnosticism. Gnostic teachers were claiming to be Christians. John asks in his letter, "Do they confess sin? Do they confess Jesus Christ as God in human flesh? Do they obey the law of God? Do they love God and the brethren?" The answer to all those questions is no. One thing they did do, however, is love the world's system. The Gnostics had infiltrated the church and propagated worldly philosophy. They falsely believed that true spirituality was only available to those who possessed a special knowledge. Their pursuit of worldly knowledge (Gk. gnosis) caused them to be called Gnostics. Their system of philosophy was just as worldly as their system of morality.

b) Exemplified

Second Timothy 3:2-7 seems to describe Gnostic philosophy. Timothy may have been in a situation where Gnostics were very influential. In fact, many commentators believe Paul's warning to Timothy refers to the same Gnostics that John addressed in his letter. Paul writes, "Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power of it; from such turn away. For of this sort are they who creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with various lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." There isn't a more fitting description of Gnostics than that passage.

God hates the things that characterized the Gnostics. Although the Gnostics claimed to be Christians, they focused on the world's philosophy and immorality. That is why John said they weren't be in the fellowship. They actually loved the world. Therefore, the Gnostics failed the third phase of John's moral test. John helped his readers identify who was really saved so they could avoid teachers who would attempt to deceive them.

C. The Application to Modern Christians

John's imperative to his readers to stop loving the world is also an exhortation to us today. There are times when we as Christians flirt with the world's system. If Christians are not to love the world, then we must submit to that truth. The Bible says that Christians should confess their sin. That doesn't necessarily mean every believer is faithful in confessing his sins. We have to be exhorted to do what every Christian should be doing. The Bible also says that Christians obey God's Word. Rather than merely hoping for obedience, they must activate their wills to obey. Similarly, the Bible says that Christians will love their brothers. Although that is an accurate description of Christians, there still need to be exhortations to love the brethren (1 Pet. 4:8). And even though the Bible indicates that a Christian will not love the world, we still need the Holy Spirit's exhortation to stop loving the world. When our lives become inconsistent with who we are, we need to activate our wills to become what we should be. We need to learn what God expects of Christians and act accordingly. If you're a Christian, you will confess your sin, but it's possible you're not doing that as faithfully as you ought to. You will obey God and love the brethren, but it's possible you're not being as faithful as you ought to be in those areas either. And if you're a Christian, you will not love the world; you will love God instead. However, it's possible that you are flirting with the world and attaching yourself to some of its attractions. When that happens, you are cleansed by Christ's sacrifice on the cross. Although Christians do not habitually love the world, they must still be careful not to love the world at all.

LESSON

First John 2:12-17 gives four reasons why Christians don't love the world:

I. BECAUSE OF WHAT THE WORLD IS (v. 15)

The word "world" is used six times in the immediate context. Verses 15-17 say, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world .... is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away."

A. The Definition of the World

What does John mean by the term "world"? The Greek word for "world" is kosmos. It has three basic meanings:

1. The earth

Kosmos is used to refer to the physical world of mountains, water bodies, plant and animal life, and all the other things that are part of God's creation on this planet. Paul used kosmos that way in Acts 17:24, where he says it was "God, who made the world and all things in it." Paul was talking about the created loveliness of God's wonderful world. Is John saying that we are not to admire the beauty of the mountains, rivers, seas, and sky? No. Psalm 19 tells us that God's creation reveals His glory. Verses 1-2 say, "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge." God has created the heavenly bodies that we might know Him and see His beauty. If you read Psalm 104, you will find the psalmist's sense of awe at the beauty of God's world. We are to love the world that God has created. In fact, Christians ought to be the supreme ecologists. How can a humanistic unbeliever admire the scenery that he thinks is only an accident?

We are to love the earth because He created it. and He made it for our enjoyment. If you have a child who has ever brought home a big mess on a piece of paper from kindergarten, you admire it, even though you may not know what it is. You may even plaster such cherished works of art all over your refrigerator. They mean something to us because they were created by someone we love. Whenever someone gives you a gift that they've made with their own hands, it carries a special meaning. We have the right to love the earth because it's the product of the very God that I love. God isn't telling us in 1 John not to love His creation. In fact, I get upset when people adulterate it.

2. The human race

Kosmos can also refer to the world of people--humanity. That is how it is used in John 3:16: "God so loved the world." Jesus wasn't talking about the mountains and the bodies of water; He was talking about people. God loves all the people in the world. Kosmos is used in both ways in John 1:10: "He was in the [physical] world, and the [physical] world was made by him, and the [human] world knew him not."

Christians are also to love the human world. God loves all men equally with no respect of persons, and we're to love the world as God loves it. We're to "do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith" (Gal. 6:10). We are to extend the love of Christ to every man. We're not to hate the people of the world because God loves them and sent His Son to die for them.

3. The evil system

Kosmos also refers to the invisible spiritual system of evil. First John 2:15 tells us that we're not to love that evil system or the features of that system. The world's system is opposed to God.

The English language often uses the word world in the sense of a system. When we speak of the world of sports, the world of politics, or the world of medicine, we refer to systems of ideas, activities and purposes that relate to a specific area of society. Hence, "the world" can also refer to Satan's ideas, activities, and purposes as they are manifested on earth. Because the satanic world system is opposed to God, there is no way you can love it and God. John says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). Those two loves are antithetical.

B. The Description of the World

1. Its prince

a) 1 John 5:19--"We know that we [Christians] are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness [lit. `the wicked one']." Christians belong to God, but the world's evil system belongs to Satan. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan are incompatible.

b) 1 John 4:4--"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." God, who indwells us, is greater than Satan, who operates in the world. That is why a Christian loves God and hates the world's system. It's sad that the system we hate sometimes entangles us in a struggle with worldliness.

Worldliness isn't necessarily what you do, as much it is what you think. You can do nothing but still have worldly desires. You may say, "I don't do any worldly things, but I sure would like to!" Worldliness is primarily living to experience the world's passing pleasures.

c) John 12:31--The world's evil system is run by Satan, who is called "the prince of this world."d) Ephesians 6:11-12--Paul tell us that Satan and his demons work wickedness in the spiritual realm.

2. Its people

a) Luke 16:8--Satan traps people in his evil system. In fact, all unsaved people are a part of the spiritual system that is against God. Jesus referred to unsaved people as "the children of this world" (KJV). Without knowing it, unbelievers are part of Satan's evil system.

b) Philippians 3:20--"Our citizenship is in heaven" even though we live on earth. Believers are not subjects of the world's system.

c) 1 John 4:3--"Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; and this is that spirit of antichrist, of which ye have heard that it should come, and even now already is it in the world." The spirit of antichrist is already a part of the world's evil system, which is preparing for an ultimate antichrist. The world is literally anti-Christ. If you're a Christian, you are pro- Christ. There is no harmony between the two.

d) 1 John 4:1--"Believe not every spirit, but test the spirits whether they are of God; because many false prophets are gone out into the world." The world is inundated with false teachers.

e) 1 John 3:1--"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God; therefore, the world knoweth us not." The world's system can't even relate to Christians. Non-Christians don't even understand our relationship to God. Our world views are diametrically opposed to each other. Christians are in love with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. The people in the world blindly follow Satan and are in love with themselves.

f) John 17:6--Jesus said that His disciples had been chosen out of the world.

g) Colossians 1:13--God has "translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." Christians exist in a heavenly realm (cf. Eph. 2:6).

h) 1 John 3:13--"Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you." Don't be surprised when unbelievers hate what you stand for. Christians are too different for them to handle.i) 1 John 4:5-6--"They are of the world; therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us." The world listens to false prophets only. When unbelievers get upset with what I have preached, I am not surprised.

In the World, but Not of It

Although Christians have been chosen out of the world, we still rub shoulders with it. That's inevitable. Living the Christian life involves carefully interacting with the world but not being submerged in it. It would be like a boat in water. When the boat is in the water, there's no problem. But when the water is in the boat, you've got problems. It's all right for a Christian to be in the world, but it's not very good for the world to be in the Christian. We exist in the sphere of the world, but we don't let it overcome us. Because we belong to God, we operate in a different dimension. That doesn't mean, however, that we fail to reach into Satan's domain and try to rescue his subjects.

Why should Christians not love the world?

1. It opposes God

The very nature of the world should keep Christians from loving it. How could you love a world that hates Jesus? Could you love a system that attempts to defile everything God stands for? Could you be a part of that which is in direct opposition to God? Would you be a part of what Satan runs and his demons administer? Jesus implied that the world's system is damned when He said, "Woe unto the world because of offenses" (Matt. 18:7).

2. It is spiritually dead

Christians can't have anything to do with the world because it is spiritually dead and cannot receive the Holy Spirit (John 14:17). In John 17:9, Jesus said to the Father, "I pray for [the disciples]; I pray not for the world."

3. Jesus died to deliver us from it

In Galatians 1:4, the apostle Paul said that Jesus "gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world" (KJV).

4. It is morally polluted

Second Peter 2:20 mentions "the pollutions of the world." Just a cursory look at society will reveal that it is hostile to godliness and dominated by carnal ambition, pride, greed, self- pleasure, and evil desires. Its opinions are wrong, its aims are selfish, its pleasures are sinful, its influence is demoralizing, its politics are corrupt, its honors are empty, its smiles are fake, and its love is fickle. It's a system of rebellion against God that's run by Satan. Christians are not a part of the world's evil system and should never love it.

5. It distracts us from loving God

Love is the supreme affection. When you love someone, you are committing yourself to that person. No woman comes to the place where she tells two men, "I love both of you equally." Rather she might say, "I can't decide which one I love more." By its very definition, love knows no rivals. Love gives its object first place. To love the world is to give that system first place. If a Christian gave the world first place, that would be the antithesis of what his life should be dedicated to. That's why John says at the end of verse 15, "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." We do not love the world because it is the enemy of God.

CONCLUSION

There are many things about the world's system that entice us. The lust of the flesh (v. 16) affects the area of sexual gratification. Sexual immorality is rampant on television and other kinds of entertainment. It is difficult to avoid being inundated with the world's emphasis on the lust of the flesh. Another common lust of the flesh in our society is gluttony. There are countless commercials about fast food restaurants. Food isn't only for the purpose of sustenance any longer--it's entertainment. You don't necessarily go to eat because the food's good; you go because you like the atmosphere. It's hard to avoid gluttony, which isn't just being overweight; it's eating for the sake of fulfilling the lust of your flesh beyond the point of your body's need.

There are many things like those that are hard to resist. Maybe the the lust of the eyes (v. 16) is a problem as you look around and see something new and wonderful that causes you to want it badly. Maybe pride is a problem. I heard a commercial on television that said you ought to have their product because of what your neighbors would say.

If you're a Christian and you really don't love the world, but find that the sin in you is drawing you to worldly affections, you should confess that to Christ. Spend some time praying to the Lord and reading about Him until you fall more in love with Him. The more you love Him, the less you'll love the things that would push aside godly priorities in your life. We don't love the world because of what it is--the enemy of all that we are and all that we love.

Focusing on the Facts

1. What attribute of God does the apostle John emphasize in his first letter?

2. What other divine response is inseparable from God's love? Explain.

3. Why is the sin of pride most likely listed first in the list of things God hates (Prov. 6:17)?

4. Identify one of the purposes of John's letter.

5. What are the three parts of the moral test of love?

6. What does a Christian's faith enable him to do in relation to the world, according to 1 John 5:4-5?

7. What does James 4:4 call men and women who redirect their devotion from God to the world?

8. Explain the particular problem of Gnosticism that the apostle Paul was writing against.

9. What are the three basic meanings for the Greek term for "world" in the New Testament?

10. What two forms of the world are Christians supposed to love? Explain.

11. Who rules the world's system? Support your answer with Scripture.

12. Even though Christians live on earth, where is their citizenship (Phil. 3:20)?

13. Explain how a boat in water can illustrate the Christian in the world.

14. Why did Jesus give "himself for our sins," according to Galatians 1:4?

15. What are some elements of the lust of the flesh that entice us in our society?

16. How can a Christian fall more in love with Jesus than he is with the world?

Pondering the Principles

1. Look back at the seven things God hates in Proverbs 6:17-19. If you are a Christian, none of those things should be consistently present in your life. However, you may struggle with some of them from time to time. Analyze your life with regard to each of those sins. Pray that you would submit your will to God's in any area that poses a potential threat. Look up the following verses to determine the New Testament counterpart of those sins: Luke 6:31-37; Ephesians 4:15; 4:25; Philippians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2:22; and Hebrews 12:1, 13-14; James 4:10; .

2. Meditate on Matthew 19:16-30. Jesus confronted a rich young ruler about what stood between him and his complete devotion to God--his wealth. Is there any attraction of the world that prevents you from following Christ? Memorize James 4:4: "Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (NASB).

3. The world's system is so morally polluted that it is difficult to function in society without being tempted to indulge in "the passing pleasures of sin" (Heb. 11:25; NASB). Meditate on Hebrews 12:1-15. What are Christians told to lay aside in the race of life? Why? Whom are we to focus on as we run. Training in righteousness is difficult. But it is necessary for the Christian who is enlisted in active duty against the world's system and the demonic forces that oppose God. What do you need to do to strengthen yourself as you run the race toward righteousness? Run with endurance as you hurdle the obstacles of the world. Don't ever lose sight of who you are, and where you are headed.