The Cost of Love

One passage that has caused confusion among believers is 1 John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” The usual way people interpret this passage is: don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t dance, and don’t play cards. The list of don’ts could be anything the legalist sets his or her mind on.

Is this what John meant when he wrote the phrase… “Do not love the world?”

John describes the world view in three ways:

The desires of the flesh

The desires of the eyes

The pride in possessions

First, John is not necessarily addressing a list of do's and don'ts, but a system. A world system can be different for each generation and culture. The world is the culture or system that opposes God and the gospel.

So, what about our culture? For starters, we are a very self-centered, self-focused (hey, we invented the selfie), self- absorbed culture. Every one of us has to fight the mindset of being focused only on ourselves. Yet, the world mindset goes even deeper.

How does the world system oppose the gospel? What are world systems in our culture that tempt us with our flesh, our eyes, and our pride in possessions? The list in my culture could include but not limited to: money, the sexual revolution, and works based religion.

Take money or the American dream for example.

Simply, the flesh craves it. Then the eyes see the big house with the white picket fence, the nice car with leather seats, and the fat 401K. After the flesh wants it and the eyes see it; the work begins. The sacrifice. The lust for more; the greed for more. Then envy of others who have more creeps in. You push to gain it all at all costs. For some the cost is heavy: their marriage, their reputation, even not knowing their children. Once the material is obtained, then pride in possessions takes hold. In the Greek “pride of possessions” reads – parading our possessions. We drive our cars around as if we have arrived at that final culture club. “Look at my possessions.”  Then you are hooked, and you need more and more stuff.

The world bombards us with messages that oppose the gospel anywhere and everywhere. The believer is to decipher then recognize the parts of culture that oppose the gospel and sound doctrine. Recognizing the world system helps you in your fight against it and sin. John says the believer cannot love the world and love Jesus. Our actions indicate what and who we love.

Take a moment to ask yourself these questions:

Can you list the areas in your culture that oppose the gospel or sound doctrine?

What word system entices you the most?

What desires of the eye do you struggle with?

What possessions do you parade around to show everyone? 

The Big IF

As a parent of four children I often find myself using the word “if.” “If you don’t clean your room this morning you will not play the Wii for a week.” Or, “If you don’t stop aggravating your brother you will go to bed at 6:00 PM!” The key word to my kids is… IF. When I use the word if, I give my kids a condition.  If you chose to obey my command, you will escape my discipline. For example, “If you clean your room you get to play the Wii.” The word if is not only a conditional clause in my parenting (for good or bad) but the word if is critical to understanding the gospel.

The apostle John uses the word if six times in 1 John 1:5–2:6 to contrast between true believers and those who just profess to believe. The brief letter of 1 John clearly explains the gospel by using the two letter word… if. John’s letter may explain the gospel better than any other New Testament book, by using the word if. Have you ever wondered if you were truly a believer? Have you ever thought, “I wonder if my friend is really a believer?” If you are searching for an answer, then John’s letter is for you. His concise note to believers helps in evangelism and discipleship. It is worth your time to dive deep into John’s letter and specifically the conditional clauses he chooses to use. Listed below are the six times John uses the word if to explain the gospel:

1.) 1:6 – “If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (ESV).”

2.) 1:7 – “If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin (ESV).”

3.) 1:8 – “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (ESV).”

4.) 1:9 –“ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (ESV).”

5.) 1:10 – “If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us (ESV).”

6.) 2:3 – “And by this we know that we have come to Him, if we keep His commandments (ESV).”

The apostle Paul exhorts the church at Corinth to test themselves to see if they are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). John’s description of the gospel mirrors the same self examination. Do you pass the IF test?

Two aspects are true from these six verses and can be used to test ourselves against them. First, believers recognize their condition before God. God is light, holy, and righteous. Contrasted to us… we are sinful. The world (unbelievers) lighten the blow of sin, cover up sin, excuse sin, call sin good, applaud sin, lighten the weight of sin, and take pride in sin. This is just one reason John writes that we cannot love the world and love Jesus. Believers understand the sin in our lives. Unbelievers buy into that some people are bad, but they themselves are not that evil. Unbelievers think, “With a little bit of Jesus and a lot of my effort, God will accept me.” Believers have been set free from the bondage of sin and now believers are slaves (bondservants) to Jesus. Do you pass the first test?

Second, how is your walk? The word walk represents your lifestyle or how you live your daily life. How would others characterize your walk? To walk in the light means your lifestyle bears fruit for Jesus. You love and obey Christ’s law (His commandments). The evidence that you are a real believer is seen by others and recognized by your walk. Is your lifestyle, or walk, characterized by indulging in sin? Do you fight sin? Do you hate sin? If John examined your life, would he say you walk in light or in darkness? Do you pass the second test?

Two little letters – if – are a matter of life and death.