ScriptureWay
  • Home
  • Site Overview
  • Author
  • Resources
    • Bible Verses About the Cross
    • Bible Verses About Eternal Life
    • Bible Verses - "I AM"s of Christ
    • Bible Verses About Sound Speech
    • Bible Verses for Times of Crisis
    • BIble Verses About Trusting in God
    • Bible Verses about Paradise
    • Bible Verses about Music
    • Test Page
    • Daily Bible Devotionals
    • Bible Study Tools
    • Whitneytunes Music Videos
    • Whitneytunes Worship Music
  • About The Way

Bible Teachings

Do Not Love the World

7/7/2019

1 Comment

 
Revised 21December2022
by Mr. Whitney V. Myers
Download a printable PDF of this post.
Do Not Love the World - 1 John 2:15 - 123RF Photo - Used under license
Do Not Love the World - 1 John 2:15 - 123RF Photo - Used under license
"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."  (1 John 2:15)

This lesson is the fourth in the series on "Christians and the World" (Ref. 1, Ref. 2, Ref. 3).  This lesson explains what John meant in his instruction that Christians should not love the world.

     Consider.  When John wrote to believers in Christ, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world," what did he mean? 

1. As believers in Christ we should prefer the things of God, not the things of the world

     The Apostle John, writing to believers in Christ, uses the English word "love" three times in 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."  In the first two occurrences of "love" in 1 John 2:15, the Greek word is agapaó and means to prefer (Ref. 4).  In the third occurrence of "love" in 1 John 2:15, the Greek word is agapé, which means divine love, what God prefers (Ref. 5). 

With these definitions inserted, 1 John 2:15 means, "Do not prefer the world or the things in the world. If anyone prefers the world, the divine love of the Father is not in him."  Remember that Jesus taught us about keeping our thoughts and actions focused on God. "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things [the things God knows you need] will be added to you" (Matthew 6:33).

2. As believers in Christ we should avoid the lusts of the world and the worldly culture that seduces us from loving God

     The New Testament refers to the "world" (Greek word kosmos) in five main ways (Ref. 1, Ref. 6):
  • The world which God created through Christ (John 1:10)
  • All the inhabitants of the world (John 3:16) (note, "God so loved the world ...")
  • People who do not know Christ (John 1:10 and John 14:16-17)
  • People who are hostile to Christ and to Christ's followers (John 15:18 and John 17:14)
  • The affairs of the world which seduce us from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ (1 John 2:15-16)

Even though God loved and still loves the inhabitants of the world (John 3:16), John instructs us not to love worldly culture that is alienated from God or the lusts and pride of the world.  John goes further to say, "For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world" (1 John 2:16).  Note that Satan used the same three sins to temp Eve.  "The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise" (Genesis 3:6, italics added).

It is good, not wrong, to enjoy God's creation, to have godly affection for people (John 13:35), and to work for a living so we have the material things that we need for daily life.  Instead of loving and lusting after the things of the world, we should always love and prefer God.  He will provide what we need (Matthew 6:33). 

     Apply.  Ask God to give you strength to love him and to overcome the lusts and pride of the world.

Related Lessons
"Biblical Definition of the World" (John 1:10)
"The Holy Spirit Whom the World Cannot Receive" (John 14:16-17)
"The World Hates Jesus and His Disciples" (John 7:7, John 15:18-19)
"God's Offer of Salvation and Eternal Life" (John 3:16-17)

References
1.  https://www.ScriptureWay.com/home/biblical-definition-of-the-world
2. https://www.ScriptureWay.com/home/the-most-important-offer-you-will-ever-receive
3.  https://www.scriptureway.com/home/the-world-hates-jesus-and-his-disciples
4.  https://biblehub.com/greek/25.htm
5.  https://biblehub.com/greek/26.htm
6.  https://biblehub.com/greek/2889.htm

1 Comment

Biblical Definition of "The World"

5/19/2019

4 Comments

 
by Whitney V. Myers
Download a printable PDF of this post.
The World Did Not Know Him - John 1:10 - Photo 123RF.com - Used under license
The World Did Not Know Him - John 1:10 - Photo 123RF.com - Used under license
"He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him."  (John 1:10)

This lesson is the first in the series on "Christians and the World."  This lesson explains the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words for "the world" in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

     Consider.   What does the expression, "the world," mean to you?  Do you think of just the physical earth which God created?  Or, do you think about the people of the world?  Does the world described in the Bible include people who know Christ as well as those who do not know Christ?

"The World" - Old Testament Definition

     In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word used most often for "the world" is tebel (pronounced as tay-bale').  "The world" (tebel) is the earth as moist and therefore inhabited (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Ref. 1).  So, the word for "the world" in the Old Testament refers to the earth and by implication to the inhabitants of the earth (Ref. 1).  The first mention of "the world" (tebel) in the Old Testament occurs in 1 Samuel 2:8.  Tebel occurs 36 times in the Old Testament (Ref. 1).

The Old Testament describes "the world" in these four main ways:
  • God established the world by his wisdom  (Jeremiah 10:12, Jeremiah 51:15)

  • God firmly established the world, and the world will not totter, or deviate from its course (1 Chronicles 16:30, Psalm 93:1,
    Psalm 96:10).  In these verses, the writer says the world will not be moved.  The Hebrew word for moved is mot which means totter, shake, slip (Ref. 2).

  • The whole world belongs to God.  He made it, and he remains its sole Owner and Master (Psalm 24:1, Psalm 50:12, Psalm 89:11, Ref. 3, Ref. 4).  David wrote, "The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it" (Psalm 24:1).  God's claim on the earth includes not only its animals, vegetables, and minerals, but also its people.  "All belong to God, and He has a right to claim them for His service" (Ref. 3).
 
  • God will judge the world with righteousness (Psalm 9:8, Psalm 96:13, Psalm 98:9).  The Hebrew word for judge in these verses is shaphat.  Shaphat means not only to pronounce sentence but also to govern (Ref. 5).  For those who are in Christ, the fact that Christ will come and judge, or govern, the world is cause for joy and praise to God.  We sing about Christ's coming to rule the world when we sing Isaac Watt's hymn, "Joy to the World."  Isaac Watts had Psalm 98:4-9 in mind when he wrote, "He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness, and wonders of his love" (Ref. 6).

"The World" - New Testament Definition

     In the New Testament, the Greek word used most often for "the world" is kosmos.  Kosmos means an "ordered system" (like the universe, creation) (Ref. 7).  Kosmos also refers to the inhabitants of the world and to worldly affairs.  Kosmos occurs 186 times in the New Testament (Ref. 7).  "The world" (kosmos) occurs more often in the Gospel of John than in any other New Testament book (more than 70 occurrences in John).

The New Testament writers use "the world" (kosmos) in three main ways:
  • The world which God created through Christ
    -- "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him ..." (John 1:10)

  • The inhabitants of the world -- "The world" (kosmos) includes:
    -- All the people of the world -- "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16) 
    -- People who do not know Christ -- "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him" (John 1:10).  Also refer to John 14:16-17.
    -- People who are hostile to Christ and to Christ's followers -- "If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18).  Also refer to John 17:14.  I plan to address in future lessons the world's hostility to Christ and God's role for Christians in the world. 

  • The affairs of the world which seduce us from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ -- "Do not love the world nor 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 and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world" (1 John 2:15-16)

  • -- "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

The Hebrew and Greek words for "the world" in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible include not only the physical world which God created but also the people of the world.  Even though God loves all the people of the world, some people know and love Christ, and others do not know Christ.  Some people are hostile to Christ and to those who follow Christ.  I plan to discuss God's love for the world in the next lesson in this series.

     Apply.  John, Jesus' disciple, wrote about Jesus, "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him" (John 1:10).  If you do not know Jesus Christ, put your faith and trust in him.  Ask him to forgive your sins, and he will cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  Ask Jesus to come into your life.  You and he will begin a new relationship, and you will know him better each day.  If you already do know Jesus, ask him to show you what steps you can take to help other people know him as their Savior and Lord. 

Related Lessons
"The Holy Spirit Whom the World Cannot Receive" (John 14:16-17)
"Do Not Love the World" (1 John 2:15)
"The World Hates Jesus and His Disciples" (John 7:7, John 15:18-19)
"God's Offer of Salvation and Eternal Life" (John 3:16-17)

References
1.  https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8398.htm
2.  https://biblehub.com/hebrew/4131.htm
3.  https://biblehub.com/commentaries/barnes/psalms/24.htm
4.  https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/psalms/24.htm
5.  https://biblehub.com/hebrew/8199.htm
6.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_to_the_World
7.  https://biblehub.com/greek/2889.htm

4 Comments

    Daily Bible Verse

    (Click the link above)

    Author

    Mr. Whitney V. Myers.  Christian.  For more information, please visit the Author Page.

    Posting Schedule

    I plan to provide new postings about once a month.

    Planned Topics

    (subject to change)
    1Feb23 - "Walking in Integrity" (Proverbs 20:7)

    Recent Posts

    (most recent three months)
    9Jan23 - "The Light Shines in the Darkness" (John 1:5)
    21Dec22 - "Do Not Love the World" (1 John 2:15)
    (published revised 2nd edition)
    8Nov22 - "He Restores My Soul" (Psalm 23:3)
    11Oct22 - "Adoption as Sons" (Ephesians 1:4-5, Galatians 3:26, Romans 8:15)

    Popular Posts

    (top 10)
    7Oct18 -
    "What is Eternal Life?" (John 17:3)
    25Aug19 - "Characteristics of a Child of God - Part 1" (Matthew 7:16)
    3June18 - "What Does 'The Way' Mean in the New Testament?" (Matthew 7:13-14)
    9Feb20 - "Come Now, Let Us Reason Together (Isaiah 1:18)"
    1Jul18 - "There is a Balm in Gilead" (Jeremiah 8:22)
    21Oct18 - "When Jesus Said 'Truly, Truly,' What Did He Mean?" (John 6:47)
    11Aug22 - "What is Living Water in the Bible?" (John 4:10)
    20May18 - "The Way of the Lord (Old Testament)"
    6Nov21 - "The Meaning of God's Favor" (Psalm 30:5) (Deuteronomy 5:33)
    22Apr18 - "The Remedy for a Troubled Heart (John 14:1)"

    Categories

    All
    About The Life
    About The Truth
    About The Way
    Adoption
    Advent
    Affliction
    Amen
    Angels
    Anxiety/Worry
    Athletes
    Atonement
    Attributes Of God
    Believe In Jesus - Section 1
    Believe In Jesus - Section 2
    Believe In Jesus - Section 3
    Believe In Jesus - Section 4
    Blessing
    Blood
    Bread
    Burdens
    Children Of God
    Church
    "Comes" Of God's Word
    Comfort
    Comforter/Helper
    Compassion
    Confession
    Cornerstone
    Courage
    Crisis Management
    Cross
    Defense
    Early Church
    Encouragement
    Endurance
    Eternal Life - Section 1
    Eternal Life - Section 2
    Faith - Section 1
    Faith - Section 2
    Favor
    Fear
    "Fear Nots"
    Focus On God
    Follow Jesus
    Forgiveness
    Foundation
    Friend
    Fruit
    Future Life
    Goals
    God's Care
    God's Guidance
    God's Invitations
    God's Promises
    God's Will
    Gospel
    Grace
    Hate
    Healing
    Hearing
    Heart
    Heaven
    Help
    Holy Spirit - Section 1
    Holy Spirit - Section 2
    Hope
    Hunger
    Hymn Stories - Section 1
    Hymn Stories - Section 2
    "I AM"s Of Christ - Section 1
    "I AM"s Of Christ - Section 2
    Inheritance
    Joy
    Knowing Jesus
    Knowledge
    Labor
    Life
    Life After Death
    Light And Darkness
    Listening
    Living Water
    Love
    Maturity
    Mercy
    Narrow Gate
    New Life
    Paradise/Heaven
    Peace
    Persecution
    Pharisees & Scribes
    Physician
    Power
    Prayer
    Pray To Receive Christ
    Pride
    Protection
    Ransom
    Redemption
    Refuge
    Repentance
    Rest
    Resurrection
    Righteousness
    Right Hand
    Salvation - Section 1
    Salvation - Section 2
    Savior
    Scarlet
    Second Coming
    Security
    Sheep
    Shepherd
    Silence
    Sin & Sinners
    Son Of God
    Soul And Spirit
    Sound Speech
    Spiritual Growth
    Storms
    Strength
    Struggles
    Sympathy
    Testimonies
    The Way
    The World
    Thirst
    Tree Of Life
    Trouble
    Truly Truly
    Trusting In God
    Truth
    Virgin Birth
    Water
    Way To Heaven
    Who Is Jesus? - Section 1
    Who Is Jesus? - Section 2
    Why Jesus Came
    Wisdom
    Witness

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018

The ScriptureWay site provides Bible Teachings that point to Jesus.   The Bible teaches that believing in Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. 

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." -- Jesus speaking in John 14:6
​

Picture

    Follow by email

Please enter your email address to receive an email notification of new posts. After you enter your email address, please then click on this "please enter" box. Within a few seconds you should see a message confirming that your information has been submitted.

Copyright 2018-2023 Whitney V. Myers

Listed in Feedspot's Top 100 Bible Study Blogs and Websites
  • Home
  • Site Overview
  • Author
  • Resources
    • Bible Verses About the Cross
    • Bible Verses About Eternal Life
    • Bible Verses - "I AM"s of Christ
    • Bible Verses About Sound Speech
    • Bible Verses for Times of Crisis
    • BIble Verses About Trusting in God
    • Bible Verses about Paradise
    • Bible Verses about Music
    • Test Page
    • Daily Bible Devotionals
    • Bible Study Tools
    • Whitneytunes Music Videos
    • Whitneytunes Worship Music
  • About The Way