Preferring 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.”

 

To Prefer

 

This word “love” is “agape,” and it means “to prefer.” Primarily it is used in the Scriptures in the context of a love which comes from God which prefers what God prefers which is all that is holy, godly, righteous, morally pure, upright, honest, faithful and obedient to our Lord and to His commands. But in this instance it is being used in the context of preferring the world and all that the world has to offer us in the way of sinful pleasures via the lustful desires of the flesh, the sinful lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life.

 

A Diluted Gospel

 

Sadly it appears that the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ here in my nation, the USA, are accepting a diluted and altered gospel message which does not insist on repentance (death to sin) and obedience to God’s commands in order to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. Many are teaching that all God requires is a verbal profession of faith in Jesus Christ and then they are promised that all their sins are forgiven and that eternity with God in heaven is what awaits them when they die.

 

Even if some (or many) preachers who insist on the importance of repentance (leaving your lives of sin behind you) and following the Lord in obedience to His commands do not teach them as required by God for us to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. They teach them as something we should do, but if we don’t do, we still have salvation from sin and eternal life with God guaranteed. Therefore, many professing Christians continue to live in deliberate and habitual sin and not in obedience to God.

 

Not of The World

 

So, this is a reminder to us that we are not, as followers of Christ, to prefer the sinful trappings that the world has to offer us. We are not to take pleasure in what is immoral, wicked, hateful, prideful, self-centered, lustful, utterly selfish, sexually immoral, adulterous, idolatrous, dishonest, and all that might consume our minds and our hearts and our time, which would then keep us from loving and obeying and serving our Lord with our lives. Our lives are to be given over to God to serve and obey Him, not the world.

 

We are to live in the world, but we are not to be of the world. We are to associate with the people of the world, but we are not join in with them in their sinful pleasures. God has sent us out into the world, to love the people, to do good to them, and to share the gospel with them. But we are not to blend in with them so they will like us, so they will want to be a part of our “church gatherings,” as many are teaching today. We don’t compromise with the world to “win the world.” We stand on the truth of the Scriptures and we live holy lives pleasing to God to set godly examples of the life of a Christian.

 

The Gospel Message

 

And the gospel message which we are to share with the people of the world is not this watered-down version intended to tickle itching ears and to not offend the ungodly. We are to speak the truth that Jesus and His New Testament apostles taught, but in the correct biblical context. For many people are teaching a false gospel message based off Scriptures taken out of context and made to say what they do not say if taught in the correct biblical context. We must teach that God requires death to sin (repentance) and obedience to His commands in life practice for us to have salvation from sin.

 

For so many people are being taught lies and are being given false promises of salvation and forgiveness of all sins and of eternal life with God based on a verbal profession of faith in Jesus Christ only. And so they are holding on to a false hope while they still love (prefer) the world and the lusts of the flesh and of the eyes and the pride of life, and while they still live for the pleasures of the flesh and not for God. Sadly, they will not have salvation from sin and eternal life with God unless they surrender their lives to God, leave their lives of sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to His commands.

 

[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]

 

Preferring the World

An Original Work / October 6, 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

 

[A Prayer of Devotion to God Alone]