Skip to main content

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)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more