Year 2, Week 51, Day 1 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 51, Day 1

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of 1 John 1-3.

Today’s reading covers three chapters of 1 John. The Book of 1 John is a letter written by John the Apostle (John also wrote a Gospel account, the Book of Revelation, and two other letters). John wrote a letter to believers in which he posited a series of “tests” for believers to discern the genuineness of their relationship with Jesus Christ. John will offer three factors that must be evident in true faith. True faith in Christ has a doctrinal test, an obedience test, and a love test. John will intermittently touch on these three tests through his letter. True faith correlates with believing true things about Jesus, commits to practicing obedience to Jesus, and carries out an imitation of the love of Jesus. 1 John 1 begins with a declaration of John’s eyewitness account of the true Jesus: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us” (1 John 1:1-2). 1 John 2 stresses living a life of obedient righteousness: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (1 John 2:29). 1 John 3 highlights the necessity of loving like Jesus: “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). 

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading is John’s warning about loving the world: “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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). John is clearly issuing a warning about a certain kind of love—a love whose object is “the world or the things in the world.” John’s warning is clear; however, deciphering what John means by “the world or the things of the world” is less clear. John is not speaking of “the world” simply in terms of the physical universe, nor is he talking about "the things of the world” merely in terms of created things. Are things like modern conveniences worldly things that believers should not shun? Are certain things like clothing or music or hobbies all natively worldly and to be avoided? We are clearly not to be worldly, but realizing what worldliness actually consists of is essential to know before we know how to obey the clear directive: “do not love the world or the things of the world.”

A believer’s regard for this physical world and/or created things might be expressions or evidence of worldliness but they are the things themselves are not inherently what worldliness is at its essence. The true essence of worldliness is not the stuff external to a believer, but the inward posture oriented by the desires and passions of the heart. Worldliness is sourced in the strongest loves, deepest allegiances, and greatest quests of the heart. Worldliness consists of an inordinate love, allegiance, and quest that boxes the Lord out of the experience. Worldliness replaces the Creator of all good things with actual physical, created things. In other words, the essence of worldliness is not a relationship to the things of this world, but a love for those things that seeks to remove God from our lives: “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Worldliness is a heart deposition that operate with the conviction that the stuff of this world is better than the good God who gave us stuff to properly and proportionate receive in gratitude before the Lord. John locates the real culprit behind worldliness with things going on on the inside: “the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life.” Worldliness is fostered by sinful fleshly desires that operates without thought of God; worldliness is strengthened by a sinful focus without any acknowledgment of God; and worldliness is motivated by a sinful hubris that thinks it doesn’t need God. Those inward heart postures and depositions distort the believer’s relationship to the world.

So, believers will either love the Lord Jesus Christ first and foremost, and therefore have an appropriate relationship with “the things of this world,” or love for “the things of this world” will push out a love for God.Thus, the choice comes down to either love of the world or love for God, but not both: “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money” (Matthew 6:24). Worldliness, at its essence, is the heart posture that loves and is devoted to created things to such a degree that the heart posture toward God is one of hatred and despisedness. Worldliness is a worship disorder. John combats worldliness by highlighting Jesus: “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete” (1 John 1:3-4). Only as Jesus is seen as more lovely, and more desirable, and more satisfying than another thing else in life, will the heart be moved to remove its “love of the world,” and “the things in the world,” and replace that love with love for the Lord: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25-26).

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe