"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).
John commands his readers against loving the world. But why? Why would it be a problem to love the world? The first reason John says not to love the world is because love for the world is incompatible with love for God (v. 15). "Do not love the world because you cannot love God at the same time," says John. He presents a possibility here and says, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” If that’s a possibility to happen, who would be the one John is describing as the one who could love the world? The latter part of v. 15 tells us: it’s the person who doesn’t have the love of the Father in him.
What does John mean by “the love of the Father?” It does not mean God’s love for the believer—God is going to love you whether you love the world or not—He’s going to love you no matter what you’ve done or haven’t done: His love endures forever. What John does mean here is your love for God. He must mean that because he isn’t talking about God’s love for the world at all in this passage. He is talking to believers (like you and me) who were susceptible to falling in-love with the world, when they should be falling in love with God. If Christians could not love the world, then John wouldn’t have written this letter. He was writing to people just like us—they loved their brothers and sisters—they loved fellowship with one another, and fellowship with God. But they, just like anyone else, can easily fall into the death trap of loving the world that promises us nothing.
Love for God is incompatible with love for God. James writes an interesting statement about that truth: “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4). James says that if you love the world, you put yourself over here in the category of the God-haters who are His enemies. Loving God and loving the world is like fire and water—they don’t mix. Either you’ve allowed the world to water down you love for God, or you love for God is so fiery hot that it has evaporated the love for the world. Don’t you be deceived into thinking that you can fully love God and love the world at the same time, because that is not true according to v. 15: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Love for the world will push out love for God, or love for God will push out love for the world.
If your love for God has grown cold, then you have allowed other temporary things to creep in and choke your love for God. You have been allowing yourself to eat the crums at the floor of the world instead of feasting at the table of our God who gives spiritual satisfaction to all who seek Him.
Bro. Brandon
From "The Biblical Command Not to Love" by Brandon Bramlett. Listen/read the full sermon here.
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