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Passage: 1 John 2:15-17
Have you ever imagined what the
Garden of Eden must have been like? I think we all had and one time or another.
Perhaps the word “Paradise” comes to mind. I am sure some pessimist would describe
it as “boring,” but the thought of no sin, death, sickness, pain, weariness,
stress, worries, crime, war, greed, politics, survival of the fittest
mentalities, polluted air, and et cetera do not strike me as boring! I would
trade my environment for Eden in a heartbeat! It was a place of breathtaking beauty,
rapid fertility, unbelievable peace and serenity. But all of that pales in
light of what made it really a very special place – the presence of the
Almighty taking walks in the Garden (cf. Gn 3:8), desiring fellowship with Adam
and Eve, the pinnacle of His creation.
The absence of sin was everywhere,
and the world was teeming with an abundance of life. Without sin things are
like they should be, perfect in its creative purpose. Introduce sin and everything suffers from “the tyranny of change
and decay” (JB Philips), in the world and the Universe, animate and inanimate,
first man,
This,
then, is what happened. Sin made its entry into the world through one man, and through
sin, death. The entail of sin and death passed on to the whole human race, and
no one could break it for no one was himself free from sin (Rom 5:12, JBP),
followed by creation
(everything in the Universe excluding man, Rom 8:19-23, ESV),
(19) For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (23) And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
(19) For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. (20) For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope (21) that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. (22) For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. (23) And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
All of creation is
personified in the above passage as longing for the curse (Gen 3:17) and its
effects to change, not longing for more “green” initiatives, by the way, but
“the revealing of the sons of God.” Our passage for today actually gives us
insight on what took place that fateful day in the Garden though there is no
direct reference to it. These verses also reveal why our love for God and love
for the world are incompatible in the life of a believer. There can be no
admixture of holiness and ungodliness than there can be of light and darkness
or oil and water. They just don’t mix.
John mentions the “world” 6
times in three verses. There are three Greek words in the New Testament
translated by the English word – “world”: (1) kosmos (G2889, world, 1 Jn 2:15), (2) aion (G165, Mt 28:20, age [or period of time]; Rom 12:2, world);
and (3) oikoumene (G3625, Mt 24:14,
world; Lk 21:26, earth).
In 1 John 2:15-17 “world” is
the Greek word kosmos (G2889). Our
English word cosmos comes from this
Greek noun. Kosmos is always
translated “world” in the New Testament, except for one instance found in 1 Pet
3:3 where it is translated “adornment.” Kosmos
occurs 23 times in First John in the Authorized Version (KJV). Though the
basic meaning of kosmos is order and
arrangement as opposed to chaos, it can have various meanings depending upon
the context. The three basic senses of kosmos
are these:
(1) Terra firma (global earth),
Mt 6:10; Acts 17:24.
(2) Mankind in general, Jn
3:16; Mt 24:14.
(3) The world system alienated and opposed to anything related to God, comprised of Satan, demons, and humans united in rebellion against God, 1Jn 2:15-17.
The sense John employs here is not the terrestrial ball or mankind in general but to a godless, secularized system.
(3) The world system alienated and opposed to anything related to God, comprised of Satan, demons, and humans united in rebellion against God, 1Jn 2:15-17.
The sense John employs here is not the terrestrial ball or mankind in general but to a godless, secularized system.
According to John under
inspiration, “If anyone loves the world” (or kosmos, which is alienated and opposed to God), “the love of the
Father is not in him.” If this sounds troubling, it is meant to be for
loving the world is nothing but trouble for any believer and characteristic of
all unbelievers.
The understood subject (you) in verse
15 is referring to true believers (1 Jn 2:14). (You, fathers and young men) do
not love (agapao, G25). It is the
same verb used in 1 Jn 2:10 of love (agapao,
G25) toward the brethren. This is the same verb Jesus used in Mt 22:38-39 to “love
the Lord your God … and love your neighbor as yourself.” One of the earmarks of
genuine fellowship with the Father is
love for the brethren (Mt 22:34-40; Rom 13:8-10; Jas 2:8; Jn 13:34; 15:12, 17).
This clause “do not love the world” is
in the present active imperative of love meaning one of two possibilities; you (fathers
and young men) discontinue loving the world or do not make a habit of continuing
to love the world. John is not referring to a singular incident but to a
lifestyle or practice by some believers who have switched allegiance by turning
from God to worldly interests. Stop and desist is the expectation of the writer!
Then John proceeds to make a solemn warning;
paraphrasing, “Should anyone keep on loving the world, the love of the Father
is not in him.” The phrase “the love of the Father” is found only here in the
New Testament. It is comparable to the phrase in 1 Jn 2:5, “the love of God.” The idea here is very simple and
straightforward; love for the world and love for the Father are incompatible
and cannot coincide. We simply cannot have it both ways.
If a person loves the world
system (“a secular, anti-God or ignoring-God way of doing things” [ Guzik]) or
the things of the world (loving the material things which characterizes the
world system: prestige, status, honor, and comfort, including a love for creation
(nature) over the Creator [Guzik]) and claims to love God, there is something
definitely wrong with his or her claim to love God because the Scripture is
very clear that we cannot have it
both ways for we will either love the one and hate the other or vice versa (cf.
Mt 6:24).
James pretty much nailed it in his normal cut-to-the-chase manner, “Adulterers
and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with
God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy
of God” (Jas 4:4). It’s concerning that there are many “not of the world” people
chasing after the passing things “of the world.
Because of our sin nature, we all are
susceptible to loving the world because of its appeal to the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn 2:16) and must repent of it
as with any sin of disobedience that comes between us and our Lord. However, it
should be noted, based on the authority of the Scriptures, a lifestyle of loving the world is
indicative of “the love of the Father is not in him,” or in other words, this
person has probably never been born again.
Keep in mind the world system is the
same system that crucified Jesus on the cross. Hopefully, this will give you a
different perspective on the incompatibility of loving the world and loving
God. You may not look at it that way, but that is how the Apostle John looked
at it while writing his letter under the superintendence of the Holy Spirit!
How can we love the very system that nailed Jesus to the cross! I like the
words from Dr. Harry Ironside in this regard, “No one can ever put this world
beneath his feet until he has found a better world above.”
The Garden connection is found in
1 Jn 2:17; these three elements of worldliness found expression in Eve’s
willingness to rebel against God’s one and only prohibition in Eden (Gn 2:17)
in Gn 3:6 that virtually turned the world upside down. The tree was good
for food (the lust of the flesh), and it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the
eyes). It also was a tree desirable to make one wise (the pride of life).
After taking a bite, the eyes
of both Adam and Eve were open. These three rudiments of the world are evil
because it runs contrary to the will of God – “it is not of the Father” in any
way, shape, or form. “Not” is a strong negative.
In addition we see another
characteristic in 1 Jn 2:17 – the kosmos is
passing away and its lusts. John lays out for us two features of this word kosmos: (1) The world he is referring to
here is actually an evil system that is comprised of Satan, demons, and
unregenerate men that have in common no love for God, alienation from God, and
in direct opposition to God and to His revelation (cf. 2 Cor 4:4; 10:3-5; 2 Tim
2:26; 1 Jn 5:19), compare “not of the Father” (1 Jn 2:16),
and (2) This world is passing
away,” 1 Jn 2:17, (contrast, “but he who does the will of God abides
forever,”). The people belonging to the world system are described in
John’s Gospel as “of the world [kosmos]”
whereas true believers are described as “not of the world [kosmos]” (see Jn 15:19; 17:14).
When we choose of our own free
will to go "of the world," our fellowship with God as a believer is
broken immediately (1 Jn 1:6; Rom 8:7). The first byproduct of broken
fellowship is that the peace of God (not the peace with
God) is absent in our life and any further blessings bypasses us as long as we
choose to remain unfaithful in abiding in His will. The eternal stuff is in the
will of God exclusively; everything that is outside the will of God is temporal
and passing away.
When believers fall into
worldliness, they act (or adorn themselves) like the people who are “of the
world” chasing after the things that are passing away. They begin to look and
act like the world. For a believer focusing on this world is like, as one commentator
put it, “rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic!” They are on a sinking
ship, but he “that does the will of God abides forever,” focusing on the things
that will never sink or pass away.
Thank goodness that we can
repent and be instantly forgiven and restored by God (1 Jn 1:9), but the ripple
effect of disobedience can be another troubling matter, having to live with the
consequences of our rebellion. Though forgiven, Adam and Eve had a bumpy ride
the rest of their days outside of Paradise. Their first born turned out to be a
murderer! The moment Eve and Adam tasted from the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil it was too late to turn back; everything changed (Gen 3:24). What God
had emphatically warned against eventually came to fruition (contrast, Gn 3:4);
note the reoccurring clause in the pre-flood genealogy in Gn 5:1-31, “and he
died.” It would be worth reading the fall of Adam and Eve over and over again (cf.
Prov 16:25).
Unlike Adam and Eve who were created sinless and fell, we were born with a sin nature in
a post-fallen world (Psa 51:5); but God's immutability or unchangeableness (Mal 3:6) teaches us that
God's wrath toward sin is still the same intensity today as it was back in the
Garden of Eden. 1 John 2:16 teaches us that the heart of man during the time of
John had not changed since the Garden nor has it changed since John’s time to
the present! God who is holy will judge sin impartially, consistently,
and righteously. Thank God for Jesus' work on the cross (2 Cor 5:21,
foreshadowed in Gn 3:21)!
No matter how advanced we
become in the Christian faith, the temptation of getting sucked into the vortex
of the kosmos is an ever present
danger as long as we are trekking this side of eternity. We would be crazy and
careless to think that the kosmos is not
vying for our love and attention to drag us away from the faith in order to
bring dishonor to God and shame and grief upon ourselves and the body of
Christ. The world wants for believers to love them, but with an earthy,
sensual, natural love, not by the supernatural God-love (agape) that has
standards. The things “of the world" that we are attracted to outside the will of God for our
life are intended by Satan to take us down and trash our effectiveness for God.
For any believer who buys into
the “of the world” schemes of the devil, the kosmos is nothing more than a tempting morsel filled with chaos,
misery, and heartache with a guaranteed ripple effect. If you are feeling the
tug of the kosmos on your spirit and the
world is looking pretty good to you right now with all of its comfy creature features,
what do you have to lose by stopping by the Garden story and read the account
of the Fall of Man again and of its consequences that are being felt today?
If you are a genuine believer
in Christ all you risk is the potential to lose everything but salvation for
refusing to learn from the consequences of Eve’s and Adam’s mistake…. (cf. a
pitiful scene in 1 Cor 3:15). We can only imagine how many times in their long
life (cf. Gen 5:5) Adam and Eve mulled over their disobedience, and what it cost
them.
Whatever the kosmos is trying to sell you is based on a lie
("Did God really say...?" Gen 3:1, NIV), but you can say no to the world and turn away from
the forbidden fruit of the kosmos (cf.
1 Cor 10:13; Php 4:13). Is it worth showing hatred toward God by loving the world or the
things of the world? Reconsider Eve being deceived and what it cost her and Adam before
you bite! <><
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