“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (I John 2:15)
Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24) No one can have divided loyalties. Samson tried that and it brought about his ruin. (Judges 13-16)
The “world” John is writing about is not the beautiful planet on which we live. He is writing of the world system with all its evil, hatred and lusts. It is that world under the control of the devil.
God loved the world (Mankind) and sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to be the perfect sacrifice that would pay for man’s sin. But the world here is the system with God left out. Paul tells us of a man named Demas who forsook him in his darkest hour, “having loved this present world.” (II Timothy 4:10) Many a church could testify of being forsaken by those who love the world.
We are commanded to “love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind.” (Matthew 22:37) That doesn’t leave room for loving the world and lusting after all it promises us.
No comments:
Post a Comment