Do Not Love the World
“1 John 2:15 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.”
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At first glance, this verse seems to condemn you for being worldly because you don’t love God enough, doesn’t it? How many of you have heard sermons about that topic in your life? Probably more than a few. It’s a popular topic. Many seem to think that admonishing people NOT to be worldly produces godliness. Read carefully: Nothing could be further from the truth. 💖
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How Does God Define Worldliness?
Why is it that some Christians are more so-called, “Worldly” than others? Is it really because they don’t love Jesus as much as they should? Oh, I know; maybe they don’t read the Bible or pray enough! Could it be that they don’t attend church regularly? Is that it?
Nope. While those are all good things, they are not even close to the real reason. 🤔
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How does God define “worldliness?” According to the opening verse. “If anyone loves THE WORLD, the love OF The Father is not in him.” What does that mean? Notice that Jesus, writing through John, DOES NOT SAY, “the love FOR“ the Father. He says “The love OF the Father…”
IT MEANS THAT THIS PERSON DOES NOT KNOW HOW MUCH HE OR SHE IS LOVED BY THE FATHER. 😓
The love “OF” the Father is the consciousness on our part of how much WE ARE LOVED by Him. The focus is not on how much we love Him, but on His love FOR us. Why do we love God? Because He FIRST loved US. The “worldly Christian,” (so called), does not have a clear understanding or consciousness of HOW MUCH HE OR SHE IS LOVED BY GOD. He may even believe that God is, if not outright angry at him, He is at least mildly disappointed. 😢
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Helping The “Worldly” Christian.
The more our people hear preaching that reminds them of their righteousness in Christ, that ALL their sins–past, present, future–are put away, (meaning NOT imputed to them), THE LESS WORLDLY THEY BECOME.
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Church, it is sin consciousness that makes a believer ”worldly,” not a lack of love FOR God. Sin consciousness has the effect of cooling one’s love for God because you are lead to believe He is angry at you when He isn’t. It is for that reason they struggle to overcome bad habits and get caught in vicious cycles of destructive behavior patterns. It’s almost impossible to get out from under when you think your right standing is dependent on your performance. Thank God, IT ISN’T!! 😍.
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The Strength Of Sin.
The Scriptures plainly tell us that “The strength of sin is THE LAW.” (See 1 Corinthians 15:56). So why is it that preachers keep dishing out a laundry list of do’s and don’ts in an effort to control outward behavior? Simple: THEY DON’T TRUST GOD. THEY DON’T TRUST GRACE. 😢 I submit to you that this is a preacher who doesn’t understand how much he or she is loved BY God.
What a shame because THE ONLY ANTIDOTE FOR SIN IS GRACE. The result of this lack of understanding leads to preaching false doctrine. It blinds the pastors to the fact that they are hampering their congregations, rendering them unable to live holy lives as a result. If they really understood this truth, I’m sure they would stop.
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I can hear it now: “Oh, you grace people! When you tell someone that all their sins for their entire life are forgiven, you give people a license to sin,” say the law-centric. News flash: PEOPLE DON’T NEED A “LICENSE” TO SIN. They do just fine without one. According to the Bible, IT IS THE LAW THAT PRODUCES LICENTIOUSNESS, not Grace.
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Jesus taught on this principle when He was invited to the home of a Pharisee named, “Simon.” He had the exact same misunderstanding many have today. To read more about it, you may follow the link below:
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I reiterate:Grace produces right living. It is THE ONLY CURE for “worldliness.”
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Why Is Grace So Opposed?
If you don’t quite understand why the devil, with the help of well-meaning preachers, fights so hard against the real gospel, consider this: When you tell a small child to stay out of the cookie jar, what’s the first thing they do as soon as your back is turned? They get into THE COOKIE JAR! 🤭
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When we humans are told what to do, or what not to do, we invariably end up doing what we ought not. That was Paul’s dilemma. We need to hear MORE PREACHING about how much we are loved by God, not that we have to love God more.
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Our arch enemy, the devil, actually LOVES the Law. He knows that all he has to do to get people to do wrong is what he did in the garden: Make people believe that God is somehow withholding something desirable from us by telling us what not to do. You see, he hates God and therefore us who are made in His image. He doesn’t want people to obey the law or get saved, and love God more. That’s why he instigates the teaching of such falsehood, sadly though well-meaning preachers and teachers.
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How can we love if we have not first received His love? It is absolutely critical to understand that our Heavenly Father LOVES us far more than we can ever comprehend. He sacrificed His own Son to save us! How much more proof do you need? How much does our Father love His Son? Understand that! Then, and only then, will you know how much He loves you. Meditate on that, be FILLED with His love, THEN you can love Him back. We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19
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The High Cost Of Freedom.
Our Father paid an incalculable price to redeem you and I that we will never fully grasp, even in eternity. The bigger, clearer picture we have of the Father’s love FOR US, the more and more the world dims and looses it’s attraction WITHOUT OUR EFFORT.
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So, Church: The next time you see a brother or sister in Christ who seems “worldly,” struggling with bad habits or a habitual sin, understand what’s really going on:
HE OR SHE NEEDS TO KNOW of the Love OF the Father.
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Emmaus Road Ministries 
Knowing the love of the father is central to everything in the Christian life I think. He says to each of us you are my Beloved Son or you are my Beloved Daughter just as he said of Jesus, because we are in Christ.
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Thanks for posting
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He sure does! 💖💖💖
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