Do Not Prefer the World

1 John 2:15-17 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)

 

“15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world. 17The world is passing away, along with its desires; but whoever does the will of God remains forever.”

 

Love Means to Prefer

 

The word “love” in the Greek is “agapaó,” and it means “to prefer.” It is most often used in the Scriptures with regard to preferring what God prefers, to choosing his choices, and to obeying them in his power. It has to do with preferring all that is holy, righteous, godly, morally pure, upright, faithful, honest, and obedient to God and to his commands. But in this current context here it is speaking of loving (preferring) the world, which would be to prefer what is sinful, wicked, immoral, dishonest, and unfaithful.

 

Sadly, it appears as though the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ here in the USA are in the category of preferring the world over and above God. For so many are believing a cheapened form of the gospel of Christ which states that we don’t have to repent of (die to) sin or obey God, and we can still be saved and on our way to heaven. Or they may teach that we should obey God and put sin to death, but they don’t require that for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God, although God indeed does!

 

Preferring The World

 

So, if we prefer the desires (lusts) of the flesh, the desires (lusts) of the eyes, and the pride (empty boasting, arrogance, wandering, roaming) of life in this sinful world, this is in place of preferring what God prefers. This is not of God but of human sinful flesh. So this has to do with preferring to sin deliberately and habitually rather than to obey God and to live holy lives. It is preferring sexual immorality to moral purity, and lies to honesty, and adultery to faithfulness to both God/Jesus and to marriage partners, etc.

 

What does this say about if we prefer what is of the world over and in place of what is of God? It says that the love of the Father is not in us. And this is taught all throughout the New Testament, not in these same exact words, but with the same message. For we are taught that if our faith in Christ is genuine biblical faith that it will result in us repenting of (dying to) sin and obeying our Lord. But if disobedience to God and sinful practices are what remain, and what we do in practice, we don’t have eternal life with God.

 

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:10,15,21; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 10:19-39; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

 

The World is Passing Away

 

So we must pay close attention to what this teaches us because our salvation is dependent on us knowing and believing the truth and not the lies. A true believer in Jesus Christ should be dedicated to the Lord and to his service with a hunger for God and his truth, and with a sincere desire to do his will. So, if you profess faith in Jesus Christ, convinced that heaven is now your eternal destiny and that all your sins are forgiven, but then you continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands, you do not have salvation from sin and eternity with God.

 

For by God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ, which is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but as slaves to righteousness in walks of obedience to God’s commands. We are no longer to permit sin to reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, it results in death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it results in sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God (see Romans 6:1-23).

 

Do Not Prefer the World

An Original Work / July 18, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

 

As the Deer

 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

 

As the deer panteth for the water

So my soul longeth after You

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You

 

You alone are my strength, my shield

To You alone may my spirit yield

You alone are my heart's desire

And I long to worship You