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Do Not Love The World


 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 (I John 2:15-17)
 
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (James 4:4)
 
Harsh language. Tough words about reality. So, let’s ask a tough question. Who sets your standards? How do you decide what is OK and what’s not? Is it Scripture? The traditions of a religion/philosophy? Science? Society? Some celebrity? Our friends? You? According to the passage today, if it’s not God through His Word, the love of the Father is not in us, we hate God and we are His enemies.
What about “for God so loved the world …”? God is God. His love for the world is the pure love of a Creator for His creation. At one point, we might have been able to purely love an impure world. In our fallen state, our loving the world means turning away from God. When we allow the world (our society or our circumstances) to dictate our behavior, we are throwing rocks at God.
What about “love your neighbor as yourself”? God commanded that – it’s a good command, but only when we are first loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds and strengths. If God is not first and foremost in our love, then loving your neighbor is idolatry.   
 Now for what I am not saying. I am not suggesting that we should treat the world badly. Job 1 and Luke 4 record interactions between the Father and Satan and between Jesus and Satan.[1] Notice God’s treatment of Satan. He allows Satan into Heaven and permits him to report just like the other angels. He never trash talks him, never calls him names. He treats Satan with more kindness and courtesy than Satan deserves but not with deference. Even when He gives Satan permission to act, there is no concession of authority. Instead, God seems to set Satan up to do His bidding.
This is one of the reasons we need to study Scripture and to learn sound principles for understanding what it says. The World says “love me, love (accept and celebrate) my sin.” The world tells us that we are not perfect, and therefore we should embrace the imperfections of others. God says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48) The solution is not to accept but to repent.

            One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”
           Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”
            Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”
            “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” 
The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” (Job 1:6-9)
 
 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’’”
The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’’”
The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.  For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’’”
Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’’”
When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:4-13)

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