Today’s reading is 1 John 2.
In 1 John 2:15, the apostle charges his audience:
Do not love the world or the things in the world (ESV).
But doesn’t God love the world? Indeed, He does.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 (ESV)
Should we love the world or not?
To resolve this puzzle, some suggest John used the word “world” differently in each passage. “World” can refer literally to the created realm, a synonym for earth. However, by metonymy, it can also refer to the inhabitants of that created realm. Further, by metonymy, it can also refer to the prevailing systematic outlook and perspective of a generation of inhabitants in that created realm. We call this the zeitgeist, using that fantastic German meaning “the spirit of the age.”
John possibly uses “world” differently in these passages, telling us God loves the inhabitants of the world while also telling us we must not love the spirit of the age. Maybe this solves the puzzle.
However, may I offer another suggestion? Instead of “world,” John may be using “love” differently in the two passages. I believe the passages themselves demonstrate this distinction more than the other. When John tells us God so loved the world, He is not saying, “God loved the world so much, He offered this incredible sacrifice.” In fact, if you use an ESV translated by Crossway, the translators provide a footnote with a more accurate rendering, “For this is how God loved the world…” That is, “In this way God loved the world, that He gave His only Son…” John specifically defines the kind of love God has for the world, setting the example for the kind of love we are to have for the world. He loved the world sacrificially, seeking what was best for the world, striving to provide and purchase salvation for the world.
The love described in 1 John 2:15, however, is not about sacrifice and salvation, but about desire and longing. In the next verse, John explains, “For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life…” (1 John 2:16, ESV). John, who had previously told us how to love the world, following the example of the Father’s love, now tells us how not to love the world. That is, “Do not love the world in this way, that you long for the world or the things in the world.”
With this in mind, it doesn’t really matter how John uses “world” in either passage. We are to love the created realm, the inhabitants of the created realm, and the spirit of the age in this way, that we sacrifice in order to redeem and save them as much as is possible. However, we are not to love either the created realm, the inhabitants of the created realm, or the spirit of the age in this way, that we long for them, desire them, seek their approval, or conform to them. We are to love the world the way Abraham loved Sodom and Gomorrah, seeking their rescue and salvation if at all possible. We are not, however, to love the world the way Lot’s wife loved Sodom and Gomorrah looking at them with longing.
The question for us is not: who do you love? The question for us is: how do you love?
And the reason is paramount. Because the things of the world are passing away. If we desire the world, longing for the world, we will become of the world. And like Lot’s wife who longed for Sodom and Gomorrah, if we do not let go of the world now, we will find ourselves passing away with the world and its desires. The world will destroy us. But God, He would give us life. Love God. Long for God. Desire God. He never passes away.
Tomorrow’s reading is 1 John 2.
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PATHS:
Discuss Today’s Meditation with Your Family
How does 1 John 2 prompt or improve your hope in God?
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