“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 ESV)
This word “love” is “agapē,” which means to prefer, to prefer what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, just, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commandments under the New Covenant. For the believer in Christ, it means to prefer to live through Christ, embracing God’s will, choosing his choices, and obeying them in his power. This refers to a selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love that believers in Christ are to have for God and for one another. And it can also mean to “take pleasure in, long for,” which is how we are to love God.
So if we “agapē” love the world, it would mean that we prefer the world over God, and we take pleasure in, and we long for, and we live for the pleasures of the world, and for the passions of the flesh, in place of God. So it is replacing our love for God with the love for what is in this world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life. And this would describe the character of those who give lip service to the Lord, but who are the self-indulgent and lovers of intoxication to sin, who prefer their sinful addictions over and above love for God or for anyone else.
So, what does this say if that is the case in our lives? If we prefer, if we long for, and if we take pleasure in the passions of the flesh, in place of God, the love of the Father is not in us. And it does not matter what we profess with our lips. If sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, and not godliness, and not moral purity, and not walks of obedience to our Lord, we do not have a relationship with God, we do not know him, we are not in fellowship with him, we do not have forgiveness and salvation from sin, and we will not have eternal life in him (1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10).
“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.” (1 John 2:18-19 ESV)
If anyone is antichrist, they are against Christ, i.e. they are opposed to who he is and all that he stands for and all that he taught when he lived on the earth. So they can be those who give lip service to the Lord, and who profess that he is their Savior and Lord, but who do not bow to him as Lord (Owner-Master) of their lives, who do not submit to his will and purpose for our lives, and who do not obey his commands, in practice. And to “go out from us” has to do with departing from the true faith and the true gospel, while they still may be gathering with “the church” on a weekly basis.
But an “antichrist” doesn’t have to just be a human being. It can also be a false gospel message which has largely replaced the true gospel message in our day and time, which is deceiving many people. It is outside of the true faith and yet it is what is largely being put out in the front as though it is the true gospel. And it is what is largely being used to invite the people of the world into a relationship with Jesus Christ. But it is dead. And those who buy into it will also remain dead in their sins and will not have the hope of salvation from sin nor eternal life with God. For it replaces the true gospel.
So what is this false “harlot” gospel which is out in front being presented as the truth, and which is replacing the true gospel of Christ? It is that we can profess faith in Jesus Christ with our lips and acknowledge Jesus’ bodily death and resurrection, and thus we can be saved from our sins, forgiven of all sins (past, present, and future), and have heaven guaranteed us when we die, and it not be taken away from us, but regardless of how we live. But if we read the Scriptures in their context, and not teach them out of context, we will learn that is not the true gospel message coming from our Lord.
But what happens when people believe this false gospel, which is replacing the true gospel? They do not die with Christ to sin, and so they are not raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So, there is no heart change that takes place in their lives. Thus, they remain in their sins without the hope of salvation from addiction to sin and without the hope of eternal life with God. So their hearts remain hard, determined to go their own way, without conviction of sin and a desire to serve the Lord with their lives.
So, we who serve the Lord Jesus with our lives need to be standing against this false gospel message, which is permeating the American church, and perhaps the church in other nations, too. We need to be exposing the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are and bringing people into the light of the truth of the gospel. For this false gospel message is not of God and it will lead many people to believe a lie which will land them in hell on the promise of heaven as their eternal reward. And this is true love, to expose the enemy’s lies, and to tell the people the truth of the gospel.
So, what is the true gospel that we are to be sharing? It is that if we are to come after Christ we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in walks of obedience to his commands. For if we hold on to living in sin and for self, we will lose our lives for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self), and we follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, in practice, then we have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God, but provided that we stay the course and we do not revert back to living in sin and for self.
[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2]
For Our Nation
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.
Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.
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