LOVE NOT THE WORLD
“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.”-1 John
2:15.
One can scarcely read this advice of the Apostle John without having
another scripture suggested to his mind, which, at first sight, may seem
contradictory; viz., “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting
life.” The two, however, are not antagonistic, but are in full harmony when
rightly understood. If God so loved the world, even while they were yet sinners
(Rom. 6:8), as to sacrifice the dearest treasure of his heart in order to
redeem and save them, then such love and such benevolence toward the world on
our part cannot be out of harmony with his will. Indeed, such is the direct
teaching of the Word. “Do good to all men as you have opportunity;” “Love your
enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you and persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father which is
in heaven; for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and
sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. .. Be ye therefore perfect, even as
your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”-Matt. 5:44-48.
To love the world as God loves it, is not the sentiment against which the
Apostle warns the church, as the context clearly shows. That is a grand and
ennobling love-a love which stands on the high plane of purity, and without
having the least fellowship with the impure, nevertheless pities the fallen,
and is active in efforts to rescue them from their degradation. This divine
love, so worthy of our imitation, is that which benevolently ignores personal
antagonisms and animosities, and, overleaping all selfish considerations and
vengeful feelings, considers only the possibilities and the ways and means for
peace and reformation and salvation.
But the love of the world to which John refers, as the context shows, is the
love of fellowship, which implies the partaking of its spirit-its aims,
ambitions and hopes, and its methods of pursuing them. If any man love the
world in this sense, surely the love of the Father is not in him; “For all that
is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world [i.e., according to
the spirit of this present evil world]. And the world passeth away, and the
lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”
As children of God we have been called to a position of great favor and
advantage. Our Heavenly Father has revealed to us his plans and purposes and
has condescended to take us into his fellowship and active cooperation; and so
grand and extensive is our outlook of the future that we are able to view the
present life in a very different light from that in which the world views it.
The world walks on in darkness without the light of life, and consequently to
them the things of this present life, which we have learned to count but as
dross, are to them of great value, and they strive and run and contend for the
delusive prizes that bring with them only labor and sorrow and quickly pass
away.
The Apostle has very briefly summed up the world’s treasures as the lust of the
flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. The lust of the flesh
includes all the fleshly appetites and passions, the merely animal instincts.
To these thousands sacrifice all the higher interests. To fare sumptuously in
eating and drinking and frolic and pleasure is their delight. The lust of the
eyes demands luxury in dress and home appointments, and the gathering for
self-gratification of all that is admired and desired. And the pride of life
glories in the shame of that selfishness which has ignored the wants and woes
of the needy and suffering, and complacently said to self, “Soul, thou hast
much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.”
And it goes further; it despises the poor and needy and oppresses them.
Such is the spirit of this world. It is the very opposite of the Spirit of God
and of Christ; and those who are led of the spirit of God should keep as far
from it as possible. Their conduct, their dress, their home-life and home
appointments must all speak a different language. We are to mind not high
things, but to condescend to men of low estate; to show no preference to
the man that wears the fine clothing or the gold ring, but, like our Master, to
regard with highest esteem and Christian love those who do the will of our
Heavenly Father.-Rom. 12:16; James 2:1-5.
“God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
Herein is love with us made perfect [completed] that we may have boldness in
the day of judgment; because as he [God] is, so are we in this world.” As God
is love, and is so manifested to all his creatures, so ought we to be love, and
thus to shine as lights in the world. And if in this world we become living
embodiments and representatives of love, we may be confident that at the end of
our course we will stand approved before him who seeks above all things to see
in us this likeness to himself.-1 John 4:16-18.
To fellowship the world is to walk in harmony with its
ideas and to conform to its ways. In this sense we may not love it, but must be
apart from it and in opposition to it. The way thus pointed out to us, is in
some respects at least, a difficult way, and a lonely way; but it is the only
way of peace and lasting happiness. This world with the lust thereof is rapidly
passing away: it is hollow and unsatisfying and eventually leads to disaster
and ruin; but those whose delight is in the Lord’s way have blessed communion
and fellowship with him. Their joys come from a source which the world cannot
comprehend. They live on a higher plane, breathe a purer atmosphere and enjoy a
holier, sweeter friendship than the world could ever offer.
But if any man in Christ descend from these high privileges to partake
of the poor substitutes which the world has to offer, he is thereby proving his
lack of appreciation, and hence his unworthiness of the heavenly things: the
love of the Father is not in him; and he may well fear the verdict of the day
of decision.