1 John 2:15-17

A taxonomy of worldliness.

We walk through this world of rocks and trees, of streets and shops, of friends and enemies. It seems so real, yet only the Word of God and the souls of people will last forever.

That physical world is filled with people estranged from God following after a worldview that rejects truth and embraces selfishness. This too seems unavoidable and incontrovertible, but it’s really a husk that will flake off so that you won’t be able to find it. It is ephemeral and passing away to nothing.

In contrast, living within the love of God and doing His will causes one to abide permanently. This is the way and substance of eternal life. Loving God and living in obedience to Him is the created function of our soul. It should flow as naturally as breathing and with the same absence of conscious thought.

I don’t mean that we should never think about our love for God or never consciously opt for walking in God’s way. But such choices shouldn’t face any friction. Our consecration to the Father should make it a long-ago settled question. The joy of such a life should bubble over in its vivacity.

But we have not reached our destination as yet and eternal life, though present, has not thoroughly finished its renovating work upon our souls.

It is for this reason that John offers us the guidance in our passage. There is a categorical separation between having the identity of world-lover and that of God-lover.

If God’s love is in you, then loving this world system that rejects God is foreign territory for you. John warns us to avoid such temptations whenever we meet them along life’s path.

There are two blessings here: further help to recognise the difference between saved and lost, and warnings for our pilgrimage to keep off the dangerous paths.

The world system distorts a person by subjecting him to compulsive urges for selfishness, and John gives us a taxonomy for those impulses: The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of the things that make up life.

So much of the temptation to sin that we experience is felt as a consuming desire for pleasurable sensations. The answer is thanksgiving to God who has given us pleasure with its proper sphere and manner of enjoyment. Gratitude is a power tool in the matter of sin. (I Timothy 4:3-5)

We can also be coaxed into pleasures of looking at beautiful things. Beauty is God’s creation. Consider the heavens which are expressing the glory of God. Beauty in creation should lead us to worship of the Creator. Job made that covenant with his eyes and so should we. (Psalm 19; Job 31:1)

Finally we experience the pride of owning. Having more stuff or having reached some high status of power or fame may seem satisfying, but the things of this world rust and deteriorate to nothing. The second law of thermodynamics takes everything. Remember the theme of Ecclesiastes: Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

The world advocates a culture, a set of expectations about what success is, and about how we should act, and what our goals should be. That way of life is contrary to the will of God and destructive to our very being. It is so amazingly foolish since it fritters away to nothingness: The world with its lusts consumes itself to nothing, but living by the will of God establishes us permanently.

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