A study in 1 John (1 John 2:15-17)

           Stop loving this world (part one)


The Story is told of Handley Page, a pioneer in aviation, who once landed in an isolated area during his travels. Unknow to him, a rat got aboard the plane there. On the next leg of the flight, Page heard the sickening sound of gnawing. Suspecting it was a rodent, his heart began to pound as he visualized the serious damage that could be done to the fragile mechanisms that controlled his plane and the difficulty of repairs because of the lack of skilled labor and materials in the area. What could he do? He remembered hearing that a rat cannot survive at high altitudes, so he pulled back on the stick. The airplane climbed higher and higher until Page found it difficult to breathe. He listened intently and finally sighed with relief. The gnawing had stopped. When he arrived at his destination, he found the rat lying dead behind the cockpit.
     Oftentimes we, God's children, are plagued by sin that gnaws at our life simply because we are living at too low a spiritual level. To see sin defeated in our lives requires that we move up - away from the world - to a higher level where the things of this world cannot survive".
     Over the next several weeks I'd like to examine a passage of Scripture that encourages believers to, "move up to a higher level". In your Bible's turn to First John chapter 2, look with me at verses 15-17. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and it's desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever" (NIV).
     In verse 15 the Apostle issues a urgent command to his readers, "Do not love the world...." . You see the phrase, "Do not love"? According to New Testament Greek, this phrase is identified as a negative imperative. In other words, John is issuing an urgent command to his readers to STOP loving something. The word stop means to cease or discontinue something. The word for love here is the Greek word Agape (pron: aah-gah-pay) and means to cherish, to highly esteem, to put first, to greatly value, to be committed to. Therefore John's command to his readers is for them to cease, to discontinue, cherishing, highly esteeming, greatly valuing and being committed to something. That something John identifies as, "the World and the things in the world". When John speaks of the world here in this verse let me clarify that he's not referring to this celestial ball we call planet earth, nor is he referring to the world of people on the planet. Rather, he is speaking about an ordered system. Bible Teacher Kenneth Wuest describes this system in the following way, "...Satan is it's head, his fallen angels and demons are his emmissaries, and the unsaved of the human race are his subjects, together with those purposes, pursuits, pleasures, practices and places where God is not wanted". In other words, the world that John refers to here is an anti-God, anti-Christ system that is absolutely at odds and hostile to God. This is what Paul meant when he said that, "Satan is the god of this world"(2 Cor 4:4). Satan is the architect and builder of this anti-God, anti-Christ system.
     Therefore John issues an urgent command to his readers to cease, to discontinue cherishing, highly esteeming and putting first this anti-God, anti-Christ system. With this understanding in mind, let me now rewrite verses 15-17. Notice the impact of what John is telling his readers. "Cease and desist cherishing, prioritizing and committing to this anti-God, anti-Christ system and all the stuff in this system. If anyone highly esteems, prioritizes or commits to this system, they reveal that they are not believers at all. For everything in this anti-God, anti-Christ system - the cravings of sinful man and the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from God the Father, but from Satan. This anti-God, anti-Christ system and it's lusts will pass away, but the person who does God the Father's will last forever".
     Now here is where it gets interesting. Who is John the Apostle issuing this urgent command to? Who are the recipients of John's command? Let me help you by telling you that he is not addressing unbelievers. First John is not an evangelistic letter. John is not calling unbelievers to repentance. So, if he's not addressing unbelievers, that then means he must be who? That's right, he's addressing Christians, followers of Christ, Born again ones, the Redeemed, the Elect. Check out chapter two, verse twelve: "I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name". The phrase, "dear children" refers to all believers. Wiersbe writes, "All Christians have been born into God's family through faith in Jesus Christ, and theeir sins have been forgiven". The Apostle John lovingly, yet urgently reminds us, believers that we have no business cherishing, highly esteeming, prioritizing, greatly valuing and committing to this evil, Satan inspired, anti-God, anti-Christ system. Yet the sad reality is that if we're honest, many professing Christians do indeed love this system and the things of this system. I'll speak more about this system in my next note.
     Turn to Revelation, chapter 2. The same Apostle John who wrote First John, is the same one who wrote the book of Revelation. According to Revelation chapter two, verse one, John addresses the church at Ephesus, the same audience I believe he addresses in First John. In verses two and three, he commends some of the Ephesian believers, but in verse four he condemns some as well. John say's, "...I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love...". I've heard various arguments about whom this first love is, some have said that this first love is the people of God, fellow Christians. I'm not convinced at all that fellow Christians are in view. I believe that the identity of the forsaken first love is clear. Some professing believers in the Ephesian church had turned their backs on their true first love, namely Christ, they had stopped highly esteeming Christ, they had stopped greatly valuing Christ, they had stopped cherishing Christ, they had stopped putting Christ first, they had forsaken their committment to Christ in order to cherish, prioritize and esteem and be committed to another love, namely the fallen world system and John is calling them to Repentance (Rev 2:5).
     In closing, here is a point that clearly jumps out at me. If you claim to be a Christian, it matters not whether you be a preacher or a parishoner, If you continue to cherish, esteem, prioritze, greatly value and committed to this Satan inspired, anti-God, anti-Christ system and the stuff it pushes, you demonstrate that you are not a Christian at all. Jesus said it well, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other....." (Matt 6:24).

For His Glory

Todd

The Purpose of Theology

O.K. I'm driving to work, it takes me approximately 35 minutes one way, 30 minutes if I catch all the lights just right. One of the things I like to do on the drive is either listen to a downloaded sermon on my Ipod or talk on the phone, Jesus did say, "redeem the time" right? Well this time I'm listening to my favorite preacher, John MacArthur - who else- He is expounding 1 John 2:2. This is that great text which talks about Jesus being both our Advocate (i.e., defense attorney) and Propitiation (i.e., satisfaction). This was such excellent Bible teaching, unlike much of today's pulpiterring which is about motivation and entertainment, John's teaching resulted in my being convicted and encouraged at the same time which is what great preaching should do. Throughout this hour long sermon, I was reminded of the great doctrines of Christ's Advocacy and Propitiation. People!! When was the last time you heard a sermon on the PROPITIATION of Christ. Can you even say, Propitiation. My point is, we as God's people in this 21st century have been severely deprived when it comes to our Theology. You know what? When the average Christian hears the word, Theology, it's like hearing the word Castor Oil, we have an immediate gag reflex. Folks, I'm impressed to write to let us know that Theology is not a bad thing., it's not the enemy, it's our very life blood. God's gave us Theology (i.e., truth about God) not to make us smarter, not to give us careers (e.g. professional theologians), not to make us best selling authors. RATHER, God gave us Theology to make us Holier. The Apostle Paul makes it clear, God gave us Theology to:
1. Teach us
2. Reprove us
3. Correct us
4. Train us in righteousness
5. Equip us for every good work
Without  sound  Biblical Theology, we are like a body without a skeletal system, a plane without wings, a train without tracks. We must return to the old paths. I remember a time when I could sit in church and expect to hear a good sermon on something like the sufficiency of Scripture or the infallibity/inerrancy of Scripture. I also remember great sermons on the substitutionary atonement of Christ or how about the Rapture of the Church. Check this out, I remember being a part of an early morning Bible study led by the pastor at the church building on the significance and meaning of the Old Testament Tabernacle. Today you're lucky if the preacher mentions Jesus.

Thanks Dr. John for reminding me of the vast importance of theology.

For His Glory,
Todd