The Apostle John tells us in his first letter:

Do not love the world or anything in the world.

1 John 2:15

According to BlueLetterBible, the world is “The whole circle of earthly goods, endowments, riches, advantages, pleasures which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire and seduce away from God.”¹ Another definition is “ornament, decoration, adornment.” In other words, all the shiny stuff that attracts our attention.

John does not want us to love these things, to give our time, attention, and money to them. He goes on to describe the world in three specific ways:

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father, but from the world.

1 John 3:16

The lust of the flesh is sensuality, a craving for what feels good to the body. It’s the desire to DO something apart from God’s will.² The lust of the flesh says, “This will make me happy.”³

Remember John was aware the Gnostics believed the body is evil. But everything God created is good. Therefore we should care for our bodies and enjoy physical pleasure. However, letting our body control us—overeating, sleeping all day, or indulging in addictive behaviors—is loving the world.

The longing of the eyes is covetousness, a craving for what looks good. It’s the desire to HAVE something apart from God’s will. The longing of the eyes says, “It will not hurt to look.”

We are surrounded by good gifts from God that he has given to meet our needs and even spark joy. But expecting these same things to satisfy and craving more and more of them is misplaced love.

The pride of life is boasting in one’s achievements and possessions. It’s the desire to BE something apart from God’s will. The pride of life says, “This will make me amazing.”

Pursuing a goal or purpose brings meaning to our lives, but not at the cost of constantly climbing higher while ignoring or trampling on people around us.

When shiny things beg for our affection and submission, ask yourself, “Is this from the Father, or from the world?”

How do we resist loving the world? John says, “Don’t do it!”

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them…The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:15, 17

Instead, love the Father. Because if we love these things, we can’t also love God (just like we can’t love a boyfriend and a spouse at the same time Mt 6:24; Jam 4:4). Remember too that the world will rip us off because it promises things that only God can give (Mt 7:11, Jam 1:17). Furthermore, the infatuation will fade whereas doing God’s will—abiding in him (1 Jn 2:28), walking like Jesus did (1 Jn 2:6), loving the Father, and loving others (1 Jn 2:10)—remains eternally.

The apostle Paul explains further how to resist the world. He says that following the ways of this world and gratifying the desires and thoughts of our flesh is how we used to be before Christ saved us and made us alive by his great mercy (Eph 2:1–5). Because our minds are being transformed by the Holy Spirit, we do not live conformed to the world (Rom 12:2). Even Jesus reminded his followers they were not of the world and prayed to the Father to protect them from the evil one (John 17:14–16).

We do not have to respond to the world’s shiny appeal because we don’t belong to it. We have a new identity. So when John tells us to not love the world, we have the power to do so. It is not who we are.

How can you replace love for the world with love for the Father?

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, the world is a shiny thing that calls for my attention. Give me eyes to see it from your perspective—full of useful, beautiful gifts from you to enhance my enjoyment of life and my service, not as objects of desire that consume me and overtake my love for you.

---

1. “G2889 – kosmos – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (kjv).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 20 Sep, 2024. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2889/kjv/tr/0-1/ ↩︎
2. “apart from God’s will” quotes are from Dr. Constable, SonicLight ↩︎
3. “This will make me…” quotes are from Jen Wilkin, Abide ↩︎