Pastor Billy Myron continues the study of 1 John chapter 2, completing the examination of verses 15 through 17. The message centers on the essential place of agape love in the Christian life and the command not to love the world or the things in the world.
Love is not merely important; it is essential. In 1 Corinthians 13, spiritual gifts, all knowledge, mountain-moving faith, and even the most extreme acts of sacrifice profit nothing without love. Faith, hope, and love remain, yet the greatest of these is love. Agape is self-sacrificial love that deliberately places the good of another ahead of self, distinct from mere fondness or brotherly affection.
Believers are not left to discover this love on their own. They are God-taught to love one another, as Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:9. The church at Ephesus, though thoroughly instructed and rich in works, left its first love and was warned that its candlestick would be removed unless it repented, a judgment that ultimately came to pass (Revelation 2).
1 John 2:15 states plainly: “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” The world and the love of the Father are mutually exclusive. Demas forsook Paul because he loved this present age (2 Timothy 4:10). Friendship with the world is hostility toward God (James 4:4). The world system is driven by its own wisdom, which God has made foolish (1 Corinthians 1). Believers are therefore warned against being carried away by philosophy and empty deceit according to the tradition of men and the elementary principles of the world rather than according to Christ (Colossians 2:8). Having died with Christ from those elements, Christians are not to live as though still subject to the world’s ordinances but are to set their minds on things above, where Christ is seated (Colossians 2:20–3:3).
Jesus gave a new commandment: love one another as He has loved us (John 13:34). Those who love Him keep His commandments and abide in His love. Knowledge alone puffs up; love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1). The body of Christ grows and is built up as the members speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15–16). Faith itself operates through love (Galatians 5:6).
Agape love must therefore be directed toward God and the brethren. Directing it toward the world system places a believer’s priorities and behavior in conflict with the Father’s agenda. The world and the Father do not share the same purpose.
