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"Do not love the world..."

Text: 1 John 2:15

THE WORLD

The Scriptures speak of “the world” in two distinctively different ways:

1. The physical world

a) The physical world is always described as created by God.

b) The earth and all its fullness reflect the greatness and glory of God.

2. The non-physical world

a) The system of the world.

b) This is directly associated with:-

i) The Wicked One (Ephesians 2:1-3)

ii) Sinful activities

A SOLEMN WORD OF WARNING

It is with reference to the second meaning that the Apostle John wrote the following text.

“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.”
1 John 2:15

1. “Do not love the world”

a) This was written in the Imperative mode.

b) John was literally “commanding” his readers not to love the world!

2. Why was there this strong emphasis not to love the world?

a) John must have kept in his heart what the Lord Jesus had taught His disciples.

i) The world had hated the Lord Jesus.

ii) The world would also hate those who followed Him (John 15:18).

iii) The disciples of Christ were taken out of the world.

iv) They were thus “not of the world” (John 15:19).

b) The world would be hostile to the true disciples of Christ. This sense of hostility must be expected!

c) Why then would the followers of the Lord “love the world?”

i) This would be illogical.

ii) This would not be reflective of a true understanding of what the Lord had taught.

iii) Wisdom would teach the heart to respond to this imperative word from the Apostle John.