Love Not the World
1 John 2:12–17
Do you love the world? A group of first-graders was just ending a tour of a hospital when one of them raised his hands to ask a question. “How come the people who work here are always washing their hands? After the laughter had subsided, a nurse gave a wise answer: “They are ‘always washing their hands’ for two reasons. First, they love health; and second, they hate germs.”
And so it should be for every believer. We are to love God and hate the “world.” By the “world” John is not referring to the natural creation, or to people. Creation is good and God loves people. So should we.
The “world” John speaks about is the organized system of evil under the control of the Prince of darkness, operated through human beings and demons, that are opposed to God and all those who belong to Him. The world system steals, kills, and destroys. It’s ultimate goal is to prevent the will of God from being done on earth.
We are not to love the world. John gives us several reasons why.
1. We are not of this world. We do not belong to it. We are children of God and citizens of heaven.
2. The two loves, love of God and love of the world, are mutually exclusive. They can not coexist. It’s either one or the other.
3. This world is passing away, and the evil thereof, but He who does the will of God abides forever.
Would you board a plane if you knew it was doomed to crash? Would you drive onto a bridge if you knew it would collapse? Would you invest your hard earned savings into a business you knew would fail? Why, then, would you entrust your future to a system doomed to destruction? You shouldn’t!
Now, the influence of the world is strong and overcoming it is not simply a matter of will-power. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life do not yield to human strength alone. Your victory will be obtained through faith, not through will-power.
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” I John 5:4 NKJV
Herein lies the source of your victory–that which God has already accomplished for you and done in you by grace! You see, when you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, God imparted His Spirit to you. Through your union with the Holy Spirit, you have received a new purpose for living, and a new nature, full of holy desires and a strong love for God. And it is only by means of the new birth and the work of the Spirit in energizing your will to do God’s will that victory over the world is experienced.
Child of God, the way to love not the world is to believe God’s love for you and all He has wrought for you in Christ Jesus. The more you draw nigh to focus on your union with Jesus and depend on the One who gave His life for you, in order to give His life to you, so that He may live His life through you, the more you will experience His victory as your own. And you will find yourself not loving the world because He who is living in and through you does not love the world.
A Moment of Grace 