Love in the Family of God

1 John 2, verses 3-17.

1 John 2:3–17

The love of God is perfected.

By this we may know that we are in Him.

Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.

The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in Him and in you,

because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.

Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.

Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.

But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness and does not know where he is going,

because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His namesake.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.

I am writing to you, children, because you know the Father.

I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,

and you have overcome the evil one.

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.

For all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life

is not from the Father, but is from the world.

And the world is passing away along with its desires.

But whoever does the will of God abides forever.

I was reading an article published in the Nature Medicine Journal yesterday

entitled The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2.

I understood about 10% of it.

But the article suggests that mutations in the receptor-binding domain

in the protein spikes of the virus is what made this virus a deadly pathogen to humans.

And that just boggled my mind, just thinking about how a microscopic mutation

in a tiny virus is responsible for this global health emergency.

I think that should make us feel so very small.

It reveals how little control we have over our lives and over this universe.

But as the late theologian R.C. Sproul used to say,

if there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose,

totally free of God's sovereignty,

then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.

He's saying if there is even a single molecule in the world

that is free, outside of God's sovereignty,

then God cannot be sovereign.

And there isn't a single molecule in the universe that's running around loose

because God is the creator of it all.

And that's an awe-inspiring to think about in light of these realities,

that God created it all, right?

And what if I told you that I could introduce you to this God?

What if I told you that you can have fellowship with God,

a relationship with this God?

And what if I told you that you can become a part of this God's family?

And that's the kind of thing that should get us off our seats.

And that's the grand reality that this passage is speaking of.

And this passage exposes kind of the false claims of having fellowship with God.

And then it tells us what is the true test of whether or not we have genuine fellowship with God.

So it tells us three things.

In verses 3 to 6, it says whoever keeps God's word has genuine fellowship with God.

Verses 7 to 14, it tells us that whoever loves his brother has genuine fellowship with God.

And in verses 15 to 17, it says that whoever does God's will has genuine fellowship with God.

So those are the three main points of this passage.

Whoever keeps God's word, whoever loves his brother, whoever does God's will.

And the overarching message of this passage is that those who have received the Father's love through the gospel

love their brothers and sisters in Christ.

So the first sign of our love for God, of our fellowship with God, is that people keep God's word.

It says in verse 3,

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.

So even though Jesus was mentioned in the immediately preceding verse,

he was mentioned as the advocate who enables us to have fellowship with God the Father.

But the main theme of chapter 1 has been fellowship with God.

And Jesus was mentioned as the one who enables us to have fellowship with God.

So the person that we're getting to know here is probably the referring is God the Father.

By this we know that we have come to know God, if we keep his commandments.

So then our ongoing assurance of salvation, our ongoing assurance that we have knowledge of God,

rests on our ongoing obedience.

Because obedience is the evidence of faith.

And this tells us what kind of knowledge is in view here too.

And we think about that.

It's not a mere abstract or impersonal cognitive knowledge,

but it's a concrete and personal knowledge of God.

It's experiential knowledge.

When I was studying in seminary, I learned that there are plenty of people out there

who write Bible commentaries worth thousands of pages

who don't have a shred of knowledge of God, like this passage is talking about.

They don't actually know God.

They just know about him.

They just study and dissect his word.

Yet don't know God in the personal sense of having relationship with him

as this passage is speaking of, as John is speaking of.

And so do we actually keep God's commandments?

That's the question to ask ourselves.

If we really believe that there is a creator of this whole universe,

a ruler of this universe, a judge of this universe,

would we not do what he commands if we really believe that?

But what does God command?

What does it mean to keep his commands?

Verses 4 to 5 elaborate on that.

It says,

Whoever says, I know him, but does not keep his commandments, is a liar.

And the truth is not in him.

But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected.

So keeping his commandments is parallel in this verse to keeping his word.

And that leads us to ask, what is his word?

And verse 7 tells us what it is.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment,

but an old commandment that you had from the beginning.

The old commandment is the word that you have heard.

So the commandment is the word.

And this word is the word that we have heard.

In other words, it's the word that was mentioned earlier in chapter 1, verse 1.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,

which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life.

So the word that we are to keep is the person and work of Jesus Christ.

It's the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ.

To keep his commandments or to keep his word,

that means to believe in Jesus and live as he did.

To love as he did.

That's what it means to keep God's word, to keep his command.

This is confirmed by verse 6 in our chapter.

Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

That last pronoun he is literally that one in the Greek,

and it's distinguished from the pronoun him.

So it means whoever says he abides in God ought to walk in the same way in which that one or Jesus walked.

So to keep God's word is to believe Jesus and obey Jesus.

This is also confirmed by chapter 3, verse 23.

It says,

And this is his commandment,

that we believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ and love one another,

just as he has commanded us.

So to keep God's word is to believe in Jesus and obey his commands.

And some of obedience to his commands is loving,

loving one another as Jesus did.

And that's why the word commandment in 1 John,

this letter of 1 John is always tied to Jesus' command to love the followers,

the other fellow followers of Jesus Christ.

Go ahead.

I think there's some people still waiting here.

There's any way to add them.

Okay, thanks.

Thanks, John.

And it says,

Only when we believe in Jesus and love one another that we have God's truth in us.

And the love of God is truly perfected in us, it says.

The phrase,

The love of God is also a little bit ambiguous here.

Does it mean the love that we have for God?

Or does it mean the love that God has for us?

It's hard to be certain because the phrase is used,

love of God is used also in chapter 5, verse 3.

And there it refers to our love for God.

But the word perfected,

which can also mean completed,

is used three other times in 1 John.

And every time it is used,

it's referring to God's love being perfected in us,

God's love being completed in us.

And so that's,

that's I think what is more likely to mean here,

is that God's love is perfected in those who keep His word.

It's leading us to faith in and obedience to Jesus Christ,

is the natural course of the love of God.

I think that's what this means.

God's love completes its course in our faith and obedience.

And that's such a beautiful idea.

And it's that all of our faith,

all of our obedience,

everything that we do in life for God,

is just an outworking of the love that God has already shown us.

It's captured differently in chapter 4, verse 19 of the same book.

We love because He first loved us.

It is because of God's love that we believe in Jesus,

because God loved us first.

It's because of God's love that we become like Jesus.

It's because of God's love that we obey Jesus.

It's God's love that starts it all.

And so then,

if our love for God is cold,

that means we have not fully appreciated God's love for us.

If our obedience to God is lackluster,

that means we have not fully appropriated God's love for us.

So then,

I want to urge you,

brothers and sisters,

to labor.

Labor every day

to think about God's love for you

and fill your heart with God's love every day.

That should be what dominates our minds

all the days of our lives.

The love of God,

best captured in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

That God so loved us

that He sent His only Son to die for our sins

that we might believe in Him

and have eternal life.

That has the power to change us

and that should dominate our minds.

That should fill our days,

fill our hearts.

And that's,

when we do that,

it becomes a forceful current in our lives

that leads us to more faith,

more obedience,

to a faithful Christian life.

Now,

this doesn't mean that true Christians

who know God never sin.

In chapter 1,

made it very clear

that Christians do sin.

But Christians always repent of their sins

and believe in Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of their sins.

So in doing that,

true Christians,

every true Christian

always keeps the gospel,

always keeps the word,

always keeps the commandment

that's in view here.

And that's the first criterion,

the first test of our true fellowship with God.

Whoever keeps God's word,

do we keep God's word?

And having spoken of God's love for us,

John appropriately addresses God's people

as beloved in verse 7.

This is John's favorite way

of referring to the church.

He loves the church

because he knows that the church

is loved by God.

And he writes to them,

beloved,

those loved by God,

those loved by me,

I am writing you no new commandment,

but an old commandment

that you had from the beginning.

The old commandment

is the word that you have heard.

At the same time,

it is a new commandment

that I am writing to you,

which is true in him and in you,

because the darkness is passing away

and the true light is already shining.

But how can a command

be both old and new?

It means that this ancient command

to love one another

is new in the sense

that it is continually reappropriated

and applied in our lives

as followers of Jesus.

Throughout his life,

death, and resurrection,

through his life and death,

and the resurrection,

Jesus ushered in a new age

and he was the light of the world

so that those who believe in him

also become light of the world.

And just as when you use a torch

to light another torch at,

do they do that at the Olympic

or do they just pass the torch?

I think they just pass the torch.

If you use one torch

to light another torch,

it doesn't become new light.

Right?

It's the same light,

yet it doesn't lose any of it.

It just multiplies.

It's reappropriated.

It's reapplied.

In the same way,

the light of Christ

lights the light of God

in our lives

and that shines continually

and it is new.

It is a new commandment

that we are to obey.

The true light is already shining,

speaking of the light of Christ,

and therefore the darkness

is passing away.

And the darkness

that is passing away

is parallel to the world

that is passing away

along with desires

in verse 17.

So the darkness here

refers to the sinful world

that is passing away.

And this comment by John

paves the way

for the second test

of authentic faith,

of genuine fellowship with God,

and that is

whoever loves his brother

has true fellowship with God.

By this I mean

loving our Christian

brothers and sisters.

Because we have God

as our Heavenly Father,

we have each other

as brothers and sisters.

And it says in verses 9 to 11,

Whoever says he is in the light

and hates his brother

is still in darkness.

Whoever loves his brother

abides in the light,

and in him there is no cause

for stumbling.

But whoever hates his brother

is in the darkness

and walks in the darkness

and does not know

where he is going

because the darkness

has blinded his eyes.

Remember the context

in which 1 John was written

that I mentioned

to you guys last week?

There were some people

who claimed to have

this newfound knowledge of God,

but they actually denied Christ

and then they separated themselves

from the church.

They separated,

left the church

that John is addressing here.

And so whenever John says,

Whoever says such and such

and says something bad,

that means he's referring

to the kinds of things

that these separatists

were saying,

people who denied Christ

and separated from the church.

And as he said

in the last chapter,

fellowship with God

is always,

without exception,

expressed in fellowship

with God's people.

No one can claim

to love God

while hating the people

who are dearest to God.

No one can claim

to be united with God

while separating themselves

from the people of God.

And John just said

in verse 8

that the darkness

is passing away

and the true light

is already shining.

The separatists undoubtedly

were claiming

that they have the true light,

but John disputes

their claim on the grounds

that they are failing

to love their Christian

brothers and sisters.

Whoever says

he is in the light

and hates his brother

is still in darkness.

Whoever loves his brother

abides in the light

and in him

there is no cause

for stumbling.

But whoever hates his brother

is in the darkness

and walks in the darkness

and does not know

where he is going

because the darkness

has blinded his eyes.

For those who remain

in the light of God

by remaining in community

with one another,

it says there is no cause

for stumbling.

Cause for stumbling

is something that trips

people up into sin,

trips believers into sin,

something that causes

them to sin.

And of course,

as I said before,

this doesn't mean that

believers who love

one another never sin.

John said in no uncertain terms

in verses 8 to 9

of chapter 1,

if we say we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves

and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins,

he is faithful and just

to forgive us our sins

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.

I think that's what

he is referring to here,

that there is no stumbling

and no darkness

for those who walk in love

with one another.

Because faithful members

of a gospel-preaching

local church

that love one another

are not going to remain

in darkness

and continue

in unrepentant sin.

Groping about in the dark

because they've been blinded

by their own sins.

You can think of it this way,

like an isolated walk

that you find on a trail

is going to be jagged,

it's going to have

sharp, rough edges.

But rocks that you find

on the riverbed,

the pebbles you find

on the beach,

on Shingles Beach,

they're smooth, right?

And they're rounded.

And what's the reason for that?

It's because of abrasion, right?

That the rocks that are in rivers

and in the ocean

experience abrasion.

The currents and the waves,

they move the rocks,

they collide with each other,

causing the chips to break off

and making them smooth, right?

They also face resistance

from the sand.

In the same way,

we use sandpaper

to smooth out rough surfaces.

The sand in the riverbed

and in the ocean

serves to smooth out

these rocks

to make them

these well-rounded pebbles.

And in much the same way,

it's by staying

in community

precisely when things

get difficult.

It's by rubbing up

against each other,

sharpening each other

as iron sharpens iron.

That's when we become

more aware of our sins.

And in that context,

when we admonish

one another in love,

speak the truth

in love to one another,

when we confess

our sins to one another,

that's when we become

smoother pebbles.

That's when we walk

in the light.

We don't walk

in the darkness.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

puts it this way

in his book,

Life Together.

Sin wants to be

alone with people.

It takes them away

from the community.

The more lonely

people become,

the more destructive

the power of sin

over them.

Sin wants to remain

unknown.

It shuns the light.

In the darkness

of what is left unsaid,

sin poisons

the whole being

of a person.

In confession,

the light of the gospel

breaks into the darkness

and closed isolation

of the heart.

Sin must be brought

into the light.

Since the confession

of sin is made

in the presence

of another Christian,

the last stronghold

of self-justification

is abandoned.

The sinner surrenders,

giving up all evil,

giving the sinner's

heart to God

and finding the forgiveness

of all one's sin

in the community

of Jesus Christ

and other Christians.

Sin that has been

spoken and confessed

has lost

all of its power.

It has been revealed

and judged

as sin.

Confession in the presence

of another believer

is the most profound

kind of humiliation.

It hurts,

makes one feel small.

It deals a terrible blow

to one's pride.

It is none other

than Jesus Christ

who openly suffered

the shameful death

of a sinner

in our place,

who was not ashamed

to be crucified for us

as an evildoer.

And it is nothing else

but our community

with Jesus Christ

that leads us

to the disgraceful dying

that comes in confession

so that we may truly

share in this cross.

The cross of Jesus Christ

shatters all pride.

This is why

those who do not

have fellowship

with brothers and sisters

in Christ

are blinded

and they grope about

in darkness of sin.

This is why

those who abide

in the light

of the Christian community

have no cause

for stumbling.

We get to walk

in the light,

in the transparency,

the brightness

of the light.

And having spoken

of this irreplaceability

of Christian community,

John addresses

his audience

personally

and directly

in verses 12 to 14.

And he does this

to remind them

of the privileges

of being in the family

of God,

being part of the family

of God.

And he addresses

first the little children

and then fathers

and then young men

in verses 12 to 13.

And then he repeats

his address

to all three

of those groups

with slight variations

in that same order.

And so it's tempting

to interpret

these categories

of people

as referring

to Christians

of varying maturity.

For example,

children being

baby Christians,

young men being,

I guess,

adolescent Christians,

and fathers being

mature Christians.

But I don't think

that's what John

is referring to here

for several reasons.

First,

the diminutive form

of the word child

translated little children

in verse 12

is one of John's

favorite affectionate ways

of addressing the church.

And whenever he uses it,

he uses it to refer

to all believers,

not a small subset

of believers.

He does this

in the Gospel of John

as well.

John 13,

33,

1 John 2,

1 John 2:1

verse 1,

12,

28,

chapter 3,

verse 7,

verse 18,

and so on.

And then secondly,

the content

of the address

does not suggest

that there are

varying degrees

of spiritual maturity

in view.

And then third,

if John was trying

to convey

differing degrees

of maturity,

it would have made

sense for him

to use either

an ascending

or descending order

going from child

to young man

to fathers

or vice versa,

the opposite direction.

But he mixes it up,

he goes children

and then fathers

and then young men.

And then lastly,

I think this is

the most compelling evidence

is that,

well,

actually the first reason

I gave the most compelling evidence,

I think it's the second

most compelling evidence,

is that when referring

to varying levels

of maturity

in the church,

scripture usually

only has two categories,

the mature

and the immature,

the children

and the adults.

So for example,

Hebrews chapter 5,

Hebrews 5:12–14

verses 12 to 14,

it says,

for though by this time

you ought to be teachers,

you need someone

to teach you again

the basic principles

of the oracles of God.

You need milk,

not solid food,

for everyone who lives

on milk is unskilled

in the word of righteousness

since he is a child.

But solid food

is for the mature,

for those who have

their powers of discernment

trained by constant practice

to distinguish good

from evil.

So for all of these reasons,

I don't think John's

using these categories

at different levels

of maturity.

I think when John

addresses children,

he is addressing

all believers

and then I think

he is addressing

two demographic subsets

under that.

first,

older members

of the congregation

and then secondly,

the younger members

of the congregation.

And men are being used

here representatively,

so it refers

to the whole church.

And this is consistent

with how different

demographic subsets

in the church

are usually addressed

in other parts

of scripture.

Titus 2 addresses

older men

and then older women,

younger women

and then younger men.

1 Timothy chapter 5,

1 Timothy 5:1–2

verses 1 to 2 says,

Do not rebuke

an older man

but encourage him

as you would a father,

younger men as brothers,

older women as mothers,

and younger women

as sisters in all purity.

So then the exhortation

to children

is a general exhortation

to all people,

all of God's people.

And then the exhortation

to fathers and young men

are addressing

kind of narrower subgroups,

the older people

and the younger people.

And then that's why

John says

in verses 12 to 13,

I am writing to you

little children

because your sins

are forgiven

for His namesake.

I am writing to you fathers

because you know Him

who is from the beginning.

I am writing to you

young men

because you have

overcome the evil one.

So John's here

reminding them

about the privileges

that they share

by virtue of being

members of the family of God.

And he's reminding them

that we have all of us

as children of God

have been forgiven

of our sins

for His namesake.

John speaks elsewhere

in this letter

about the need

to believe

in the name of Jesus

and that's likely

what he means here

that God the Father

forgives us our sins

because of Jesus' namesake

on account of what

Jesus has accomplished

in His life,

death,

and resurrection

for us.

That's the basis

by which God

forgives us

our sins.

It's what John

talked about

at the beginning

of this chapter

that we have

an advocate

with the Father

Jesus Christ

the righteous

who is the propitiation

for our sins.

So that means

God doesn't forgive us

because we have earned it

by outbalancing

our sins

with good deeds.

God doesn't forgive us

because we deserve it

on account of us

for the sake

of our name

but rather

He forgives us

for Christ's namesake

because of what

Jesus has done

in dying on the cross

as the atoning sacrifice

for our sin.

And this is something

that we have

as God's people

once for all.

A more literal translation

would be

your sins

have been forgiven

for Jesus' sake,

for His namesake.

And then

after addressing us

generally

He tells the older

members of the church

I am writing

to you fathers

because you know Him

who is from the beginning.

Older members

of the church

are prone

to take pride

in the fact

in that

they have knowledge

in that they have

experience

in their age.

Well tell me

let me tell you

what you young people

should know.

Let me tell you

what the days were like

back in the day

or let me tell you

what things were like

when I was your age.

You should listen to me

because I've lived

longer than you

and know more than you

and have experienced

more than you.

That's the kind of things

that older members

are prone to take pride in

but John reminds them here

that their greatest

spiritual asset

and privilege

is not their age

but that they know

the ageless one.

You know Him

who is from the beginning.

The Word of God

who was in the beginning

with God

and was God

the Word of Life

which was from the beginning

you know fathers

you know mothers.

And then John

addresses the younger

members of the church.

I am writing to you

young men

because you have

overcome the evil one.

Younger people

I think

in their

youthful exuberance

are likely to take pride

in their strength

their vigor

their optimism

they are excited

about the prospect

of overcoming

the problems

and barriers

that remain

in this day and age.

They want to change

the world.

They want to resist

and overcome

the status quo.

But John

reminds them

that their greatest

spiritual asset

and their greatest

privilege

is not their

triumphant strength

or outlook

but the fact

that they have

already

overcome

the evil one

in Jesus Christ.

God defeated

the evil one

Satan

through the life

death

resurrection

ascension

of Jesus

and we get

to partake

in that victory

and no matter

how successful

or accomplished

we get

we can never

one up

that accomplishment.

He's wanting

to establish

in a sure

greater reality

than what we

might be prone

to aspire to.

And then

very interestingly

John repeats

his threefold

exhortation

in very similar

terms in verses

13 to 14.

I write to you

children

because you know

the Father.

I write to you

fathers

because you

know him

who is from

the beginning.

I write to you

young men

because you

are strong

and the word

of God

abides in you

and you have

overcome

the evil one.

So why does

John repeat

it like this?

There are

slight variations

so we know

it's not a

copy editing

mistake

but they are

nearly identical

and it's

curious why

he repeats

them like this

and if you

look more

carefully

you'll also

notice a

pattern

in the first

three exhortations

John said

I am

writing to

you

three times

in the

present tense

in the

second three

exhortations

John says

I write

to you

three times

that's a

translation

of the

aorist tense

in Greek

which communicates

a completed

aspect

something that

has already

been completed

so that

in the

first set

John's

emphasizing

the

ongoing

aspect

of

his

writing

and

then

in the

second

set

he's

emphasizing

the

already

done

aspect

of

his

writing

so to

exaggerate

this

contrast

the

new

American

standard

Bible

another

translation

translates

the first

three

clauses

as I

am

writing

to

you

and

then

the

second

three

clauses

as

I

have

written

to

you

I

think

it's

similar

to

the

way

Paul

repeats

himself

in

Philippians

Philippians 4:4

chapter

4

verse

4

when

he

says

rejoice

in

the

Lord

always

again

I

will

say

rejoice

right

John

wants

our

identity

as

members

of

the

household

of

God

our

privileges

as

members

of

the

family

of

God

to

be

so

deeply

etched

onto

our

souls

that

he's

taking

such

pains

to

repeat

himself

he's

wrapping

in

one

potent

package

both

his

instruction

and

the

repetition

of

that

instruction

and

he's

saying

I

am

writing

to

you

little

children

that

your

sins

are

forgiven

for

his

namesake

I

am

writing

to

you

fathers

that

you

know

him

who

is

from

the

beginning

I

am

writing

to

you

young

men

because

you

have

overcome

the

evil

one

you

see

I

have

already

written

this

to

you

children

that

you

know

the

father

that

your

greatest

privilege

is not

your

worldly

status

but

your

heavenly

status

as

children

of

God

the

father

I've

already

written

this

to

you

I've

already

written

to

you

fathers

and

mothers

that

your

greatest

privilege

is not

your

worldly

knowledge

or

experience

but

that

you

know

Jesus

who

is

from

the

beginning

I've

written

this

already

to

you

young

men

and

women

that

you

are

strong

not

because

of

your

health

or

youthfulness

but

because

the

word

of

God

dwells

in

you

and

this

and

not

any

other

worldly

accomplishments

is

your

greatest

triumph

that

you

have

overcome

the

evil

one

in

Jesus

Christ

that's

what

he's

trying

to

convey

to

us

brothers

and

sisters

that's

the

greatest

triumph

of

our

generation

is

not

going

to

be

overcoming

COVID

19

our

greatest

triumph

as

God's

people

is

that

we

have

already

overcome

the

evil

one

in

Jesus

Christ

we

should

be

even

more

glad

that

we

have

been

spared

from

the

fatal

pathogen

of

sin

than

that

we

have

been

spared

so

far

from

COVID

19

our

greatest

privilege

in

life

is

not

our

worldly

status

our

educational

attainment

our

corporate

promotion

our

greatest

privilege

is that

we

are

children

of

God

our

father

that's

the

reality

the

strong

powerful

truth

that can

that can

keep us

rooted

and grounded

amidst all

of this

chaos

and are

you living

with this

reality

etched

onto your

minds

and onto

your

hearts

right now

that you

are

children

of

God

and if

we live

with an

awareness

of what

a

staggering

privilege

it is

to be

a part

of the

family

of

God

then we

will

love

our

brothers

and

sisters

we

will

love

one

another

that's

the

second

test

of our

authentic

faith

of

genuine

fellowship

with

God

and the

third

test

is given

in

verses

15

to

17

and

it's

the

converse

of what

John

has

just

been

talking

about

it's

the

flip

side

and

that's

to

not

love

the

world

he

says

in

verse

15

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

John

said

earlier

in

verse

2

that

Jesus

died

for

the

sins

of

the

whole

world

meaning

that

salvation

through

Jesus

Christ

is

available

to

all

the

world

not

just

to

a

select

few

and

of

course

the

famous

verse

that

we

are

all

familiar

with

likely

is

John

3

16

says

for

God

so

loved

the

world

that

he

gave

his

only

son

that

whoever

believes

in him

should

not

perish

but

have

eternal

life

so

obviously

John's

using

the

word

world

in

a

different

sense

than

is

used

in

those

contexts

by

the

world

John

doesn't

mean

the

unbelievers

are

unbelieving

neighbors

to whom

we should

love

and share

the

gospel

of

Jesus

Christ

with

he's

referring

rather

to

the

sinful

world

to

worldliness

things

that

are

contrary

to

the

will

of

God

that

things

that

we

ought

to

flee

from

and

if

we

have

the

love

that

which

is

from

the

father

within

us

and

we

love

the

father

in

return

then

it

says

we

will

not

love

the

world

because

the

things

of

this

world

are

not

from

the

father

so

John

defines

worldliness

with

three

phrases

first

the

desires

of

the

flesh

second

the

desires

of

the

eyes

and

third

pride

of

life

the

desires

of

the

flesh

is

quite

general

it

refers

to

the

inordinate

unruly

cravings

of

our

sinful

flesh

in

Galatians

Galatians 5:19–21

chapter

5

verses

19

to

21

Paul

lists

some

of

these

and

calls

this

the

works

of

the

flesh

he

says

sexual

immorality

impurity

sensuality

idolatry

sorcery

enmity

strife

jealousy

fits

of

anger

rivalries

dissensions

divisions

envy

drunkenness

orgies

and things

like

these

and he

says

I

warn

you

as I

warned

you

before

that

those

who

do

such

things

will

not

inherit

sex

as God

designed

it

in the

context

of a

lawful

marriage

is

good

but

sexual

immorality

fornication

bestiality

homosexuality

adultery

they are

sinful

and worldly

enjoying

food

as God

designed

it

in proper

proportion

is good

but

gluttony

is sinful

and worldly

enjoying

adult

beverages

in moderation

can be

good

but

drunkenness

is sinful

and worldly

friendly

competition

can be

a healthy

way

to spur

one another

up

spur

on one

another

but

rivalries

dissensions

divisions

and envy

are sinful

and worldly

the desires

of the flesh

are always

seeking to

transgress

its God

given

boundaries

and to

indulge

them

is worldly

that's what

John is

writing

the desires

of the eyes

is a bit

more specific

refers to

sins

that are

activated

by the

covetous

eye

looking at

other people

with envy

desiring

the esteem

and affection

that rightly

belong to

them

for yourself