what does it mean to love the world

A blog reader asked,What exactly does it mean to "love not the world nor the things of the world" (1 John two:xv)? I hear it preached from time to time, but no one seems to have the courage to tell us what that means.

1 John ii:15-16 reads, "Do not dearest the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the dear of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh [the sin nature] and the desires of the optics [which relates to the warped perspective we sometimes take] and pride in possessions—is not from the Father simply is from the world." (Pride is the root of all other sins. Information technology is rebellion against God and self-sufficiency. It is the mental attitude, "I can make it on my own. I don't need God. I'm going to do things my way. Don't tell me what to do.")

The world every bit it is now is under the curse of sin. This is the world nosotros are non supposed to dear. Now, nosotros should certainly love the earth as created past God. (Of course, in the beginning Eden was a perfect world, and the world to come—the New Earth—will be a cracking and wondrous world.) So it is not the globe we are supposed to reject and avoid (in fact we can't avert it), and certainly we are not supposed to hate people or culture. What we should detest is sin.

"Don't honey the earth" in John 2:xv doesn't hateful "don't dear the globe" that is spoken of in John iii:16, where the same word, cosmos, is used. What does "God and then loved the world that He sent His only Son" hateful? It doesn't mean that God loved the sin of the world. It means God loved the people in the world. Obviously when Scripture says to us in i John 2, "Don't beloved the world," it'south not telling us, "Don't love the people of the globe." Rather, it is telling us, "Don't love the sin of the globe."

In terms of what that practically means, I think it involves not beingness mesmerized by popular culture. 1 of the negative things that I see in the American church today is its preoccupation with pop culture. It has get so much a part of united states of america that we tend to be immersed in exactly the aforementioned things every bit the people effectually united states of america. It's not an inherently bad thing to watch a decent television program, get to a music concert, or enjoy some arts or sports that are decent and don't contain anything that specifically violates Scripture. (And hopefully they have some things that non but avoid violating Scripture, just are actually in accord with it and honor it.)  At that place are such things in our civilization, and they can exist very positive. Simply let'south face it—there are a lot that aren't.

Sometimes we equally Christians love the world around us in a way that draws our hearts abroad from God. Now, of form yous tin can love the people in the world in the right sense and accept your heart drawn toward God. Merely we need to guard against loving the decadent, cultural elements that appeal to our sin nature, pride, and independence. These things are non pleasing to God.

I call up that's really what 1 John 2 is proverb. I don't know that information technology takes a lot of courage to say that we should avert existence absorbed past the world, but it does accept courage to actually live out those words. 1 fashion we can begin to do that is past request ourselves, "What are the novels I'k reading?" "What are the movies I'm watching?" "What are the things that preoccupy me?" "What are the things that I talk about?" "Am I proud of my favorite professional, college, or loftier school team and willing to talk nearly and defend that squad, and yet am ashamed of the gospel of Christ?" Something is fundamentally wrong if we won't talk to people most Jesus with any kind of passion and enthusiasm like we talk about a sports team or a motion-picture show or a Boob tube programme. Those things tin become idolatrous. The passions we invest in other things should exist directed to Jesus.

The alarm of 1 John 2:15-16 corresponds beautifully to the last verse of i John which says, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." An idol is whatever God-substitute, anything we brand bigger than Him. If we have some element of popular civilization—whether it's our leisure, pastime, hobby, or special involvement in sports or arts or music—and make that an idol instead of serving the Lord, it becomes our god. Nosotros are set in orbit effectually information technology, and God becomes secondary. Idolatry is when God is removed from the throne and something else is put in His place. Only God must ever be primary.

So nosotros should enquire ourselves, "Is anything more important to me than God?" If it is, it is an idol and should exist taken down. We should also inquire ourselves, "Is this action that I've been involved in or place that I've been going to contaminating me by tempting me toward sin and helping me be entertained past sin? Do I detect myself laughing at a joke that should brand me blench?" If it's something that makes God in His holiness aroused, and calls upon the wrath of God in judgment, why would we desire to be entertained by it and express joy at it? That'south why we should examine our hearts and get on our knees before the Lord. Nosotros demand to seek His forgiveness and ask Him to convict the states of areas of sin in our lives not when we're loving the beauty of God'south world or the people of the world, simply when we're loving the world'south idols instead of loving God.

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Source: https://www.epm.org/blog/2012/Jun/18/what-does-it-mean-love-not-things-world