“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” (1 John 2:15).
This instruction is not as obvious as it appears on face value. What harm can there be in just loving our earthly home? But that’s exactly what “world” here does not mean. The term world here refers to the sinful culture around us–the kingdom of darkness from which we were translated when we were born again (Col 1:13). Perceptive believers can see through the seemingly normal agendas, programmes and activities of their culture. They can discern the ungodly, atheistic and humanistic motives of apparently innocent events in our society. When you do that, you can’t love the world! Neither can you love it’s “things”, because you understand that the activities and events of the world are manifestations of its underlying values, philosophy and mission. That’s why God’s love and the world’s love cannot coexist in our hearts. They are rival kingdoms. That’s why some of us Christians cannot be on fire for God–our love for the world makes sure of that. Spirit of wisdom and revelation help us!
Pastor Josh