LOVE NOT THE WORLD (part 5)

Posted on by BETH

UntitledThink back on the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:21-22 and pay particular attention to what causes some to be offended.

  • Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. 22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful (Matt. 13:21-22).

What are all these desires of the world?  They are things that take our time and effort.  If our lives are focused on the things of the world, how much time do we have left for the Lord?  How can we be good ground?

  • They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection (Luke 8:13-14)?.

Note that in Luke he adds two more things and describes the problem quite nicely.  In verse 14, some brethren are choked.  The weeds take all their time.  Notice what is choking them—the cares, riches, pleasures of this life.  These things are not evil in themselves.  Jesus used money but he did not love it (Matt. 17:27; 1 Tim. 6:10).  He was not given to pleasures the world enjoys.  Those things are all temporary.  No matter what we do with them they are only temporary.  Only what we do for the Lord is eternal.

Can anyone who loves this cosmos be pleasing to God?  Can you love the cosmos and the good things of the world as long as you do not love the evil?  If that is possible, then of what value is the command in 1 John 2:15-17?  Let’s see what else Jesus has to say in the Sermon on the Mount.  “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24).  Why did the translators put in the word mammon instead of material things?  What is mammon?  The English translators used the Aramaic word mammon to stay out of trouble with the one who commissioned the translation.  What would King James have done to them if they had translated that word properly?  How does this apply to us?  We must love one and hate the other.  How do we hate these material things?  Do we take a hammer and go around beating them?  How do we hate the world and the things of the world?  Why can we not serve God and mammon at the same time?  Is there a difference between not serving mammon and not loving the world?

  • No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. 14 And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. 15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God (Luke 16:13-15).

Literally the word mammon in both passages means material.  Why did the Pharisees not like this sermon?  They coveted the material things.  What should we not love? How can we hate or despise material?  What did Jesus think of material things?

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).  What did Jesus think of man’s judgment?  What did he think of the shame?  Where did the shame come from?  The word “despise” is Strong’s Greek # 2706 and is the same word that is used in Matt. 6:24—hold to one and despise the other.  Jesus’ despised the shame, but we must understand where the shame came from.  Whose judgment was it?  Man judged the cross as a shame.  What did Jesus think of their judgment?  He held on to God’s judgment and despised man’s.  What if we hold on to people’s judgment that material things are important?  Do we value those material things?

“And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:15).  Jesus died that we would not live for ourselves.  If we live to ourselves, what do we love?  We love the world and the things in it—mammon.  But if we live for Jesus, will we love the material things; will we value them?

LOVE NOT THE WORLD (Part 4)

Posted on by BETH

UntitledAccording to 1 John 2:15, what happens if I love the world?  The love of the Father is not in me!  One man was proud to announce that he loved the world and things of the world, and another immediately finished quoting the scripture to him saying, “Then the love of the Father is not in you.”  The first man declared “That scripture does not mean that!”

If God does not say what he means, how can you know what He means?  1 John 2:16 tells why we should not love the world.  He names the things of the world.  “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”  He names the things of the world.  Desires of flesh and eyes are not of the Father.  This includes words that march, dance and sing as they become Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton or Frost!  Do you know anyone who does not love at least some of the things around them?

  • And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others (Eph. 2:1-3).

Foods may taste good, but we should not love them.  What should be our motivation when we eat?  We need to eat for strength and not for drunkenness (Ecc. 10:17).  “Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Eph. 2:3).  How does Satan appeal?  He appeals to us through the desires (lust is the same Greek word) of the flesh and mind.  What do the nations of the world do?  They love and enjoy this world—this cosmos or universe.  What are they according to the last part of this verse? They are children of wrath.

LOVE NOT THE WORLD (part 3)

Posted on by BETH

UntitledDo you know any scripture that contradicts this command which says we can love the material things of the world but are not to love “worldliness” or the “evil” things which are in the world?  At first glance Colossians 2:20-22 appears to give permission to love the material things in the world, but let’s see if it does.

  • Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, 21 (Touch not; taste not; handle not; 22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men (Col. 2:20-22)?

In Colossians 2:20-22, what are we dead to?  We obviously are dead to the old man (Rom. 6:6) and the things of the old man which would include the rudiments of the world that the Gentiles seek after (Matt. 6:32).  Yes, we are to leave the rudiments and principles of this world.  So what are the rules the world has?  What do we touch?  We touch material things.  What do we taste?  We taste the material things.  What do we handle?  Again it is material things.  What will happen to all material in Colossians 2:22?  Is this not the same command as in 1 John 2:15, because all these things will perish (1 John 2:17).  Who gives commandments regarding these material things?  God commands Christians not to love these things, but men make new laws which say do not eat it or touch it.  God does not command us not to eat or touch it; he says not to love it.  What should we do?  How can we not love these material things?  We must focus on and love eternal things.  If we love the world and then die, our chief love is gone.  What if we love purity, holiness and goodness?  We can carry that with us and not suffer any loss at all.  What does he want us to love?  Will it be the physical man or the spiritual man, which is renewed day by day?

  • While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:18).

What is Paul not looking toward?  Did he go around with his eyes covered?  What does he mean?  Those earthly things were not valuable to him.  He was not concerned with the outward things.  Did he love them?  They are neither eternal nor important to him.  Is there any command that tells us to love the material of the world?  Jesus did nothing without specific authority from his Father (John 5:19, 30) and we should follow his example.  How much did Jesus have when he died?  We know that Jesus was satisfied with food and clothing (1 Tim. 6:7-8).

LOVE NOT THE WORLD (part 2)

Posted on by BETH

UntitledWhy is 1 John 2:15-17 unacceptable to most people?  Almost everyone I know changes the words in this passage to say: do not love the evil in the world.  Is that what it says?  Is this talking about the people?  Who is in the world?  We have neighbors, friends, enemies and brethren.  We are commanded to love our neighbor.  We also are commanded to love our brethren, enemies and friends.  Who else is there in the world?  Is this a contradiction in the Bible?  Is He talking about souls or things?

Loving the “people” of the world is loving ones’ neighbor, which is commanded and good.

  • “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Though the world hates us, we must love them (even our enemies).

  • “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:18-19).
  • “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matt. 5:44-45).

We were born into this material world, not into worldliness. 

  • “But godliness with contentment is great gain.  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Tim. 6:6-7).

The word “world” is used in the sense of the physical world much the same as Romans 1:25 uses the word creation.

  • “Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (creation) more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen” (Rom. 1:25).
  • NT:3844=para, which is a primary preposition; properly, near; i.e. (with genitive case) from beside (literally or figuratively), (with dative case) at (or in) the vicinity of (objectively or subjectively), (with accusative case) to the proximity with (local [especially beyond or opposed to] or causal [on account of]:

The verse (if translated exactly according to the Greek words God inspired) would literally read, “Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creation (what God created) along side of (or as well as) God.”

The cares of this physical world are what choke the word.

  • “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matt. 13:22).

The word world in the Greek language is kosmos—literally orderly arrangement—the same word we use in English for the universe.  What is he saying?  What does he mean when he says, “Do not love the kosmos?”  What about the things around us in the world?  Do not love “the things that are in the world.”  He has to be talking about the world itself and the material things in it.

Do you know any scripture that contradicts this command which says we can love the material things of the world but are not to love “worldliness” or the “evil” things which are in the world?  At first glance Colossians 2:20-22 appears to give permission to love the material things in the world, but let’s see if it does.

LOVE NOT THE WORLD (part 1)

Posted on by BETH

Love Not The World When I was a girl, I had an old, stone-faced English teacher who made me fall in love with words.  In her mouth they marched, danced and sang as they became Beowulf, Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton or Frost.  I saw multitudes of Technicolor scenes unfold before me while she addressed the class in a barely audible voice.  There were others like the home economics teacher who encouraged me to love homemaking and to create beautiful apparel from fabric and thread and the science teacher who helped me to see the wonders of the nature all around me.  College music teachers bragged up my ability as a singer while lofty Epicurean types inspired me to become more and more aware of my five senses.  In the first three years of college, I took 21 hours each semester.  My appetite for learning was insatiable.  As I sought to embrace life and live it to the full, all these and more appealed to my intellect and to my foolish pride.

Years later I met someone who helped me to love God and His word, and my mind and heart began a metamorphosis.  The transition has not been easy, since the lure of life in the world still calls from every direction.  Yet the true “life” (John 17:3) had so much greater call that it has made all the difference.  Because of God’s word, choices are already made.  Like the Philippians, we are bought and redeemed, but we are still working out our own salvation from day to day (Phil. 2:12).

Having known brethren who grew up in the church, who would not humble themselves to serve the one who created them, I have wondered if they too found the things of the world more appealing than the things of eternity.  Their reasoning could be quite simple.  Maybe not with words, but with their lives they were saying, “To me, the world is in Technicolor, while religion is in black and white.”

Having actually heard such a statement from one I love still sends chills down my spine and breaks my heart.  So why is the world in Technicolor?  Obviously comparing Technicolor to black and white provides the contrast some need to express their feelings about how flat and valueless religion is to them.  They mean that the world and the things of the world appeal to them like glittering jewels calling on every hand.  Do they understand they cannot serve two masters?  Apparently they do, and we also should understand that principle (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13) but make the better choice.  Either we live to satisfy our fleshly desires that bring pleasure on earth, or we live to sow to and bear the fruit of the spirit while building treasure in heaven.  Some know enough not to try to serve two masters, but they often choose the wrong one.

  • Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever (1 John 2:15-17).

Why is this commandment unacceptable to most people?  Almost everyone I know changes the words in this passage to say: do not love the evil in the world.  Is that what it says?  Is this talking about the people?  Who is in the world?  We have neighbors, friends, enemies and brethren.  We are commanded to love our neighbor.  We also are commanded to love our brethren, enemies and friends.  Who else is there in the world?  Is this a contradiction in the Bible?  Is He talking about souls or things?

(to be continued)