For God So Loved the World (Book of Sin 9)

16 “For God so loved the world,[i] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:16 ESV)

John 3:16 is probably the most well known of all Scripture. This verse serves as the foundation for much evangelism among Christians, and rightly so. Because God so loved the world, because he so loved those in the world who do not know him or his son, Jesus, therefore we should tell the world (those in the world) about Jesus and the eternal life they can have if they would just believe in him and walk in his ways. Why then does John tell us to “love not the world” in his first epistle?

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. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[c]—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

“God so loved the world” in John 3:16 and yet John tells us “do not love the world” in 1 John 2:15. Is this one of the “contradictions” of the Bible which so many people believe exist? If we were to look only at the bare words this certainly does seem to be a contradiction. To understand the truth we have to think back to other ideas John brings to our attention in both books, the ideas of darkness and light. Remember that God first reveals the earth, or the world, as “darkness covering the deep” in Genesis 1:2. But there he also shows his Spirit hovering “over the face of the waters.” In a parable mankind himself is this “deep water” which darkness covers. Man begins his journey to the light of God in darkness. But God does not leave us alone in that darkness. He loves us. Therefore his Spirit hovers over us, drawing us to his light. Peter says of such people who are drawn to Gods light,

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) He also said to Jews who did not believe in him, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.” (John 8:23-24) Later he said to his disciples,“If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.” (John 15:19)

So long as we remain in darkness we remain both “in the world” and “of the world,” which means that we remain “part of” the world. But God “so loved the world,” i.e., God “so loved us who live in darkness and are still part of the world” that he gave his only begotten son for us. It was when I was part of the world, i.e., when I was part and parcel of the world itself, that I began to hear the voice of God calling me out of the world. I began to hear the Holy Spirit telling me that I, yes I!, was a sinner, a gross sinner, and that I needed to repent of my sins and begin to obey him. The Holy Spirit’s act of revealing my sin to me was in fact Jesus calling me “out of the world.” This event was God “choosing me out of the world.”

Therefore when John says, “Do not love the world or the things in the world” he speaks of not loving the darkness of the world. If we love the dark things of the world, then the love of the Father does not dwell in us. We are simply not Christians in that case. So, John gives us three things to consider in order to determine whether or not we or those we fellowship with are truly saved, truly born again. He says,  all that is in the world—1) the desires of the flesh and 2) the desires of the eyes and 3) pride of life[c]—is not from the Father but is from the world. Today all of us still live in the flesh and thus all of us still share in these three sins to some extent. But have we learned to mourn over the sinful nature still dwelling within us? Do we honestly desire the truth of God’s way of existence? Have we learned to pray as Solomon and desire to walk in God’s “good way?”

26 “When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict[b] them, 27 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, when you teach them the good way[c] in which they should walk, and grant rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance. (2 Chronicles 6:26-27)

I have not heard any worldly leaders acknowledge God, turn away from their sins, and pray for California’s drought, have you? Let us then pray and repent of our wicked ways as God himself told Solomon.

13 When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chron 7:13-14)

I have heard people quote the verse above, but they often leave out the part in bold. Even God’s people do not want to turn from their wicked ways these days. So long as we walk habitually in sin we live in darkness, we are both in the world and of the world. The Bible commands us to be “in the world, but not of the world.” Brethren, we call ourselves Christians so let us take God’s Word seriously. Let us repent and turn from our wicked ways! God so loved us that he called us out of the world, out of darkness, and into his marvelous light of truth! Will we then continue to walk in darkness? Or, will we love not the world now that we have been chosen out of it?

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