“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”
—1 John 2:15-17
Every human being is naturally born a “worldling” (Romans 8:7). We come into this world dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-3) and on the broad road that leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13). And like a baby joined to his mother, the umbilical cord of the world must be cut, and it can only be cut by Christ. He is the only One who gained the victory over the world. By His perfect law-abiding life and sin-atoning death, Christ delivered those whom the Father gave Him, from before the foundation of the world (John 6:37; Eph. 1:4), from the realm of death and darkness. He cuts the cord of this world and joins His elect people to Himself as branches into the vine (John 15). The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:30-31, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God; and righteousness and sanctification and redemption; that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the LORD.”
Christ translates elect sinners from the sphere of death, darkness, and sin into the sphere of life, light, and righteousness (Col. 1:13). He gives them new direction, standard, desires, loves, affections, and enables them by His Spirit and Word to overcome this evil world, and this only happens through faith in Christ. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith” (1 John 5:4). This overcoming of the world, this living by true faith that John speaks of begins with a “heartfelt sorrow for sin and a heartfelt joy in God through Christ” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 89-90). When we have a heartfelt sorrow for sin it causes us to hate sin and turn from it “always more and more.” This happens when we have a heartfelt joy in God through Christ. You cannot have a heartfelt joy in God and love the world, which is the realm of sin. If we truly have a hatred for sin, we will continue to turn from it day by day and take delight in living according to the will of God in all good works. This will be manifest in the way we live, but it begins in the heart.
Heartfelt joy in God involves rejecting three paths by which the world tries to capture our soul. “For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:16). First, he mentions the lust of the flesh. By this John means every desire and affection of man that is contrary to the will of God. Sexual immorality, fornication, pornography, adultery, lust, covetousness, homosexuality, just to name a few. As the redeemed, we must deny these ungodly, sinful appetites, and do not promote the lust of the flesh by your speech, gestures, or the way we dress. What are your appetites? Is the lust of the flesh controlling your life? Is sex, drugs, alcohol, money, or the lust for power ruling your life? If so, then you love the world rather than God. What do your desires and appetites reveal about who you are and what you love? Do you love God or the world? Run to Jesus, He is mighty to save.
Tuesday Encouragement: April 7, 2026
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
