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 lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

Why We Should Not Love The World

If there is an absolute about life, the world is a difficult place to be in. There are so many things in life that vie for the hearts and minds of humanity. With social media bursting on the world stage, the attractions of the world have become center stage in everything. Sin has been around since the beginning. It comes in a different form today, but its nature is the same. Fleshly lusts are not new, and yearning for the eye candy of a corrupt and perverse world has always attracted the weak of heart. Pride rules the hearts of most men.

The evil of three began when Eve looked at the forbidden fruit and desired its wisdom, taste, and beauty. Nothing has changed. In the days of Noah, the world had become so corrupt with the lusts of the world that God killed all but eight. Millions of people drowned in a global flood that did not cleanse the human spirit of sin. When Jesus came, sin was just as dominant as it had always been. At the death of Jesus, sin did not go away. The purpose of the Son of God coming to earth was not to remove sin but to offer a way of escape. Sin still rules in the hearts of men. The world is not getting worse; it has always been worse.

For Christians, the challenge is living in a world dominated by the influence and power of corruption. When a man becomes godless, he turns his back on the divine to accept the pittance of worldly crumbs. An eternal truth illustrated by Jesus throughout His teachings is found in the pitiful language of men who spend their whole lives gaining the world, only to lose everything in death, including their souls. Men desire to live in the lusts of the flesh, enjoying all the fulfillments of fleshly satisfaction. To what end? Nothing. It all comes to an end. Men will exhaust themselves working to attain all the world’s wealth with its finest instruments of enjoyment and status to make a name for themselves, and to what end? Nothing. It all goes away.

The pride of life makes the human heart arrogant and self-centered. Every generation has those who think they rule the world with the influence of power and might, and to what end? They die and are forgotten. Death is the great equalizer. The powerful man dies as quickly as the peasant. Rich men are buried in elaborate tombs, and the poor are shuffled off in wooden boxes, and they both share in the reality of death.

John reminds Christians not to love the world or things in the world. When the heart is focused on the world, it turns away from God. The lusts of the flesh, eyes, and pride of life do not draw someone closer to God but away. What becomes the sad reality of the godless is they spend their lives embracing a world that is passing away. Death ends the lusts of the flesh and the lusts of the eyes. Pride is killed in death. And to what end? Nothing. There is no abiding for those who love the world because God does not dwell in a godless heart. Do not love the world. It is a foolish effort doomed from the start. Do the will of God, and you will abide forever.