"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. 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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever" (1 John 2:15-1715Love 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. 16For 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. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15‑17)).
Two Words for World
THERE are in New Testament Scripture two principle words translated "world" kosmos, the word used here and throughout John's writings; and aion, found chiefly in Matthew and Paul's epistles. The root meanings of the two words are entirely different: kosmos means order, beauty; hence we have the word "cosmetic," that which beautifies; aion means age, or dispensation—aeion, existing always, the course of existence. It is applied chiefly to mark time and condition, while kosmos gives us the material world primarily. "Be not conformed to this age" (Rom. 12:22And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)),-to the course of things in which we live. It is the "age" of this world (Eph. 2:22Wherein 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: (Ephesians 2:2)), where we have the two worlds significantly joined together; and Satan is alike the prince of this world, kosmos, (John 14:30;16:1130Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30)
11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. (John 16:11)), and the god of this age, aion (2 Cor. 4:44In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. (2 Corinthians 4:4)).
The World As the Creation of God
The earth as it came forth from the hands of God was indeed a kosmos, a thing of beauty, upon which he could look in blessing, and pronounce it "very good." Like the material part of man, the flesh, it was a fitted place for his habitation, as that was a suited vehicle for his spirit. But like the flesh fallen, when sin had entered in, which acquired a new and almost technical meaning—the evil nature,—so it, too, has in very many places a moral meaning, as seen in the passage we are considering. The world as it came from God's hands, is one thing; that into which sin has entered, has become, alas, quite another.
And yet the world about us is still, though with scars which witness of sin, a thing of beauty. "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea"... (Psa. 104:24, 2524O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 25So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. (Psalm 104:24‑25)). It was by a rehearsal of some of His works of creation (Job 38:4141Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat. (Job 38:41)) that God brought Job into the dust before Him; again and again have we the same witness in the Psalms; and when the Son came from the Father's bosom to declare the Father's Name, He culled many a flower of divine truth from the field of nature. Seeds, lilies, sparrows, were in His hands fitting illustrations of a Father's power, wisdom and care.
It is not an encouraging sign—quite the reverse—to see Christians turn from the study of nature. "The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein." It all speaks of God, not merely giving proofs of His existence, His eternal power and Godhead (Rom. 1:2020For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Romans 1:20)), but furnishing also, in countless ways, an exhibition of His character as well. He whose "tender mercies ( seen in the varied and bounteous provision for the needs of the least of His creatures) are over all His works," is a God tender and merciful. He who has painted with tints of loveliness earth and sea and sky, must be Himself infinitely beautiful—"the King in His beauty." The very variety and lavish superabundance of all things in nature but suggest, as in a shadow, the infinite fullness there is in God.
The doctrines of grace, as revealed in Scripture, are shadowed in nature, had we but eyes and hearts to see. Changing seasons, storms and sunshine, all speak of God, and are meant to show us His character, when we have the light of revelation to guide us.
We repeat, then, that a neglect of nature is not an encouraging sign in the child of God; it means, but too often, a neglect of God. We need not wonder, if Christians have neglected the works of God in nature, that Satan should take them up and use them in a way the opposite of what was intended. What wonder that atheism, theories of evolution, agnosticism, should find their root in the natural sciences, when Christians have left Satan to be the guide in the search after truth? All this may show the darkness of mere human wisdom, but it shows also the coldness of heart of the child of God. Under the guidance of the Spirit of God, and in subjection to the Word of God, let the Christian astronomer sweep the heavens with his telescope,—he will learn of the infinite God; let the Christian biologist, under the same guidance, search with his microscope into the most hidden recesses of nature, and he will find the same God. He will be seen in the analyzes of chemistry, in the laws of physics. He fills all things, and His truth is everywhere one; it is a reflection of Him who has revealed Himself in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let Christians wrest the facts of nature from Satan and use them for Christ. Among the thousands who are yearly becoming familiar with the features of nature, are there not some who will show us not merely the "footprints of the Creator," but some of His features too?
Worldliness—the World With God Left Out
We make no apology for what may seem a digression from our subject, for it is not, but has brought us into the very heart of it. Worldliness is the world with God left out. That is what our Scripture teaches: it is what is not of the Father that is of the world. Lust, or desire, describes it-lust of flesh, lust of eyes, and pride, which is but gratified desire-gratified for the moment.
Covetousness, or desiring what we have not, is idolatry (Col. 3:55Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: (Colossians 3:5)). God is displaced. And conversely, where He has His place, there can be no covetousness, no lust. We are satisfied with His fullness. "He has said, will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (Heb. 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)). Where the Father is left out, the empty soul craves; and though it had the whole world, it would be empty still, for God alone can fill the heart.
This then, is the world. It is a Godless world. Worldliness may show itself in various ways. There may be the grosser, more sensual lust of the flesh; the more esthetic lust of the eyes; or the mere boasting in riches and possessions, the "pride of living"—the same word rendered "this world's good" in chapter 3:17. But in whatever way it takes possession of the heart, it is still the same—the Father is absent.
It was in this way that Eve was taken by the beguilements of Satan: "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" ( Gen. 3:66And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Genesis 3:6)). Good for food, answers to the lust of the flesh, the mere animal desires; pleasant to the eyes, gratifies the lust of the eye; and wisdom has been ever the principal food upon which pride has fed. Eve's sin consisted in putting these gratifications in the place of God—in direct disobedience to Him.
Cain's apostasy seems more awful when we see him turn his back upon God and quietly settle down to enjoy the city which he had built, than when he cried out, "My punishment is greater than I can bear." Lot took his first step in the course which ended so shamefully in the mountain cave, when he lifted up his eyes upon the well-watered plain of Sodom, "like the garden of the Lord," but with the Lord left out. Let us never, then, think lightly of that which is the root of all sin—departure from God. The apostle describes the hopeless condition of the Gentile world as "without God in the world" (Eph. 2). And when with tears he would warn against those whose end was destruction, and whose glory was in their shame, he described them as those who "mind earthly things."
Worldliness—Its Menace
The very essence, then, of worldliness is the exclusion of God; it matters not so much from what He is excluded, as the fact of His exclusion. Mere monasticism, no matter how severe, does not shut out worldliness, but shuts it in, rather. You may put a man behind stone walls, and never allow him to see God's fair world; you may deprive him of the luxuries of life, almost of its necessities, and yet have him as thoroughly worldly as ever. If the Father is excluded, there is worldliness. It is not enough to enclose a portion of ground with walls to make it a garden. Unless it be cultivated with good, it will produce more weeds than ever.
We have thus far been looking at the nature of worldliness. Of its desolating effects, we need not say much. "Whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" ( James 4:44Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4:4)). So distinctly does Scripture draw the line! How awful must that be, then, which is, like the carnal mind, "enmity against God!" That the child of God can take up with it, makes it all the more solemn. When the world has a place in the heart, coldness results. The first step to worldly Laodiceanism was Ephesian loss of first love. Is your heart cold, my brother? De; you, like Israel, grow weary of the sweet manna? Then look to it! for, like Israel, the leeks and garlic and melons of Egypt have drawn you from your Lord. "If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another;" when worldliness creeps in, we lose communion with God, and very easily divisions creep in to separate God's people; gospel work ceases, or becomes a mere drudgery of routine; all spiritual activity ceases; the door is left wide open for some open sin, unless the mercy of God prevent. It may be business, it may be pleasure, it may be things right and harmless in themselves; but if they displace God, their work is done. Oh, what desolation worldliness has wrought! What bright, active, devoted Christians it has overcome!
We have spoken of the menace of worldliness. It is no evil far off from us. We are surrounded by it; it presses upon us from every side. It is active, energetic, under the guiding hand of its master, waiting only for an entrance. It is subtle, alluring. It has its attractions for the young Christian; nor is it powerless with the more mature. As the sand encroaches upon the oasis, as the sea presses upon the dykes, so worldliness presses upon us. Let us be on our guard. Well did our Lord know our danger when He prayed, "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil."
The Church is threatened with three evils: false doctrine, divisions, and worldliness; and we may say with safety that worldliness is at the root of most of the power of the other two.
Worldliness—Its Preventive and Cure
Having seen something of the nature and the effects of worldliness, and that it is an evil which threatens us now, we come to look simply at what is at once a preventive and a cure. It is the Father's presence. That which marked the world was His absence; and when He is present, there is faith, and, so, victory over the world.
But how suggestive, how alluring, is this word Father! It reminds us of the Son, through whom we are sons, and through whom we have access to the Father. It tells us of relationship, of nearness, of affections. It does not speak of, though it suggests, a place; but it reminds us of a Person. Mere place could not produce holiness, but sin cannot lift its head in the Father's presence.
How sweet and how simple, then, is the cure for worldliness! Have we allowed it a place in our hearts? and, as a result, has coldness and much else come in? Let us turn to the Father. Let no excuse prevent it. There is nothing that can be a necessity to keep the child from the enjoyment of the Father. No matter how deep the immersion, nor of how long standing, the Father's claims are strongest, and His grace, His restoring grace, all-sufficient.
We are living in times of awful worldliness. As in the day of Cain, man is using the inventions and the luxuries of the age to hide God from his sight. In that Church which should be a testimony for Him who was not of this world, is the home of worldliness. It is something perfectly awful to see how professed godliness is linked with the world. May God awaken His dear people! Oh, the shame, the reproach, the dishonor, that is brought upon His holy name!
What is wanted is not sanctimonious asceticism, that is but a sham; nor legalism, which brings bondage; but a bright devotion to One who loves us, who has our hearts, and in whose presence it is our delight to dwell. "That the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them."
—From "HELP AND FOOD," 1895.
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