Daily Thoughts from 1 John: Worldliness (2:15-17)

Daily Thoughts from 1 John: Worldliness

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. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.  (1 John 2:15-17 ESV)

John has shown that believers give three distinct evidences that that they know the Light, that they are in fellowship with the Father and His Son.  They respond properly when sin is exposed in their lives, they keep God’s commands, and they love one another.  He encourages them that they are growing in these characteristics as little children, young men and fathers.  But now he challenges them not to yield to the powerful temptation that is there to join all the rest of mankind in the pursuit of life apart from God.

The “world” is John’s term for the approach people take to getting their needs met apart from submission to God and dependence on His provision.  We encourage one another in this pursuit because apart from God it is all up to us to find life and we want the company of others so we don’t feel as guilty.  “Everybody else is doing it.”  And we are searching for our answers on this human, earth-bound level rather than looking to heaven.

John sees three motives to this pursuit.  The first is the desires of the flesh.  Our natural cravings for satisfying hunger, avoiding pain, satisfying sexual drives, and indulging in physical comfort are driving much of our pursuit for life.  If only, we believe, we can find a way to meet all those fleshy needs we will be in “heaven.”  But we don’t submit this pursuit to God and even when it seems the only way to satisfy those needs involves command breaking, we’ll do it.

The second motive is the desire for acquiring things we deem valuable.  I want beauty around me because it makes me feel wise and beautiful.  I want wealth because it makes me feel powerful and assured that I can always get my needs of the flesh fulfilled as well as my need for beauty.

The third motive is pride.  I want to be viewed as valuable and loved because of my self-generated value and lovability.  At the same time I long for unconditional love and respect, that you would love and value me no matter what I do or am.  But I wrestle with love freely given in that I didn’t contribute anything to earn it.  I try to satisfy my ego needs apart from God.

We see this process in Eve’s decision to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 3).  She saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food (desire of the flesh), that it was pleasing to the eye (desire to acquire things of value), and that eating it would make her as wise as God (pride).

But all such pursuits driven by these motives, are contrary to God’s best for us and in fact are passing away.  He is bringing the human kingdoms to an end and introducing His kingdom once again to the earth.  Those who look to Him for their needs, who do His will instead of their own, will remain with the ever abiding kingdom of God.