What Does It Mean “Not To LOve The World?”
Warnings Against Unfaithfulness What does the world mean!
“In the world, but not of it”–this is a phrase commonly used to characterize the Christian’s relationship to the world. And yet many and varied are the opinions about what constitutes “worldliness.” Many religious groups and denom inations forbid, either explicitly or implicitly, certain behaviors. In some circles smoking is forbidden; some groups look down on drinking al coholic beverages, dancing, rock music or attending movies. And yet in other groups, cultures or countries, other strictures may be in place, while those just listed are not. A Christian from an Eastern European country once told me that in his circles attending public sporting events was frowned upon. Some stricter groups have avoided the use of modern machinery and automobiles.
The common thread in avoiding “worldliness” is the desire to con form one’s life to the will of God and not to the dictates of the world. Obviously this is a laudable goal. And although the present passage does not give us rules and regulations, it does make plain the incompatibility of love for the world and love for God. But the conception of worldliness in this epistle goes far deeper than the idea of outlawing some behaviors that non-Christians tolerate. We are called to an active devotion to God that shapes all that we are and do. Barclay captures the essence of the passage when he entitles it “Rivals for the Human Heart” (1976:55). The world is not simply a passive entity, but a rival for the allegiance of every person.Do Not Love the World (2:15)
But what exactly is the world that the Christian disciple is commanded not to love? John 3:16 asserts that God “loved the world.” Are God’s children to do less? Too often Chris tians live as though they were of the world, but not in it. They have adopted the good things of culture and society, but refuse to involve themselves to create positive change. They take credit for the good, but shift the blame for the bad. John does not mean that Christians are to shun involvement in secular or political affairs, or that they are not to care about and for that which we call “the world.” What, then, does the command do not love the world really mean?
We are helped by noting that in Johannine thought world (kosmos) is used in a variety of ways. First, world can refer, positively, to that which God created (Jn 1:9-10) or a realm where one exists (8:23; 9:5; 10:36; 11:27). Second, it also may refer to the people who inhabit the world (Jn 1:10; 3:16-17; 4:42; 6:51; 7:4; 8:12, 26; 9:5; 12:19, 47). God’s love is directed toward them, but their response to that love is mixed (3:17-21; 9:39). Third, world is used more negatively and characteristically to des ignate those who reject or ignore God (or Jesus), those who live without recognizing the claims of God upon them. We find this negative usage of world often (Jn 1:10; 3:17; 8:23; 9:39; 12:31; 14:17, 19, 22; 15:18-19). That this world is in the power of the evil one (12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and hence opposed to God is particularly emphasized in 1 John (4:4; 5:19). Nevertheless, God still loves the world and sent the Son to destroy the works of the devil (3:8, 16). The following diagram illustrates the neg ative usage of world in this passage:
(A) The world (B) with its values (C) is passing away.
(a) The one who obeys (b) the will of God (c) remains forever.
Those who are “the world” stand over against those who obey. What makes the world “worldly” is its persistent rejection of the claims of God in favor of its own values and desires. In this passage, world and anything in this world designate a complex web of values, decisions and direc tions in life chosen without consideration for knowing and doing the will of God. When the Elder writes do not love the world he in essence calls people to make a choice for God’s way of doing things and not for the world’s ways.
But how does this square with the statement of John 3:16 that God loved the world? In that well-known verse God’s love is demonstrated by the sending of the Son, an act intended to “save the world.” God saves people who are bound by the world and its values by freeing them from their captivity. Quite simply, loving the world does not mean accepting it as it is, but remaking it into what it was created by God to be: people living in the realm of life and light.
The command do not love the world demands that we reject those ways of life which do not lead us to God or to the practice of truth, justice, righteousness and love.
