“LOVE NOT THE WORLD”

M. C. Easton

1 John 2: 15–18 (to “last hour”); Romans 12: 1, 2

I have been thinking of the scenes of heavenly joy to which we are all looking forward, and into which we shall be brought when we ‘have with Christ our part’, as we sang in our hymn (Hymn 225). What a time of joy and delight it will be when we are translated into that scene of glory, where Christ already is. In the meantime we are still here in this world, but although in the world, we are not of it. We go through this world as pilgrims and strangers, and it is unthinkable that anyone who is a believer in the Lord Jesus should love this world in which we find ourselves.

John found it necessary to exhort the young men in this section; he is speaking to the young men particularly, but the word is for us all—“Love not the world”. As was referred to in prayer, it is the world by which our Lord Jesus was rejected, cast out and crucified—‘For us the cross He bore’ we sang in our hymn. How solemn it is if any one of us should have any desire towards this world! It is called “Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11: 8), and we have to take our stand with the Lord in that respect. He was crucified here, and we in the same way should be among those who are not wanted in this world; we should not be marked in any way by features that mark this world. We have to go through it, as I said, as pilgrims and strangers, but also we go through the world as a peculiar people, that is, people that are set apart. Just as the nation of Israel of old was set apart for Jehovah, so believers in the Lord Jesus should be going through this world as apart from it; not marked in any way by its features.

It is solemn that John should have to say this in his epistle—“Love not the world”. It was evidently necessary then, and perhaps it is necessary for some of us to think soberly as to our links and connections in this world. We have to go through it; we have to provide what is righteous as going through it; but we go through it as not being part of it; we touch it as lightly as we possibly can.

We might not be marked by the feature of loving the world, but it goes on to say, “nor the things in the world”; that touches us each one. There are things in the world which are attractive; things which are not evil in themselves, but they are not to be the occupation of the believer in the Lord Jesus. Our outlook is to be a heavenly one; we are looking for the return of the Lord Jesus, as we sang in our hymn, when we shall be like Him in every respect, except, of course, that He is ever unique as the glorious Son of God.

There are things in this world, as I said, which are attractive in themselves, but for the believer in the Lord Jesus to take them on is a solemn matter. They may be suitable for those in the world, but not being of the world, we should be very careful in what we do. We should be careful too in our speech, our expressions; worldly expressions may come in which are unsuitable for the saints as gathered together. We can search our own hearts as to features that should not be marking those who are going through this world as not of it.

John says, “If any one love the world, the love of the Father is not in him”, and then he goes on to speak of “the lust of the flesh”. We still have the flesh in us, each one of us; we are waiting until we receive glorified bodies; but features that mark the world should not mark the beloved brethren. It says, “And the world is passing”; we know it cannot remain as it is; we see evil increasing on every hand—“the world is passing ... but he that does the will of God abides for eternity”. We want to be linked, beloved brethren, with things that are going through into eternity, and we want to be marked by features proper to those who are going through this scene as a separate people, set apart for God’s pleasure and delight.

In reading from Romans 12 I was thinking particularly of verse 2, “be not conformed to this world”. If we look at the footnote it suggests that it is a state, conformity to this world. We do not want to be just like others because, as was said, we are to be a separate people for God’s pleasure. We have been secured at great cost through the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we want to be faithful to Him as we go through this scene, and not conformed to this world; but we do need to be transformed. We often speak of this as we are together on Lord’s day morning, the transforming power of the Spirit. The Spirit taking up His abode in us transforms us; He transforms us at the Supper so that we come into the enjoyment of the various blessings that are the privilege of the believer in the Lord Jesus. We sometimes sing,

‘Peace, sonship, joy, the Holy Spirit given’ (Hymn 123). It goes on to say, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. We have to control our minds, beloved brethren, we have to come into accord with what is set out in principle in the Scriptures, and we need to be in that way transformed. Think of the wonderful privilege of sonship that is ours—what a transformation in those who were once afar off but have now become nigh through the precious blood of our Lord Jesus! So the word is one of exhortation that we be not conformed to this world, because we do not belong to it. May God bless the word.