In 1 John 2:15-16 the Bible says, “Do not love the world nor 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 lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

In the Bible the word “world” can mean two things. Firstly, it can refer to the earth and the things in the earth. Secondly, world can refer to the physical universe (Hebrews 1:2 & John 13:1). Most of the time in Scripture when the word world is mentioned, the Bible is talking about people of every nation and tongue.

The Bible warns the Christian about loving the world and getting too friendly with the world. The Bible says that the child of God is not to love the world. That is the world’s system, which is governed by sin and the god of this world, Satan. The Devil has an agenda to promote sin and wickedness in the nations of the world namely, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All sin is contrary to the nature and will of God. This is why the Christian must not love the sinfulness of the world. Rather the Christian is to reprove the works manifested by sin and to call sinners to repentance in Christ by the bold proclamation of the Gospel message.

The Christian must hate sin. The Christian must hate that which God hates and love that which God loves. God loves righteousness, holiness, and faithfulness to the truth of Scripture. Daily the believer must wage war against the flesh through the power of God’s Spirit and Word. All sin is evil in the sight of God and that is why God demands death for sin. Christ Jesus came to deliver sinners from the penalty, practice and presence of sin.

When a sinner becomes a child of God, he/she leaves the world behind to follow Christ. Isaiah 55:7 says, “Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

The world in which we live in applauds sin and lauds over it. The wicked love to sin, the ungodly love their sin and that is why they will not come to repentance and faith in Christ. God must step in by His sovereign grace to save a sinner from themselves and their rebellion against Him.

Let’s look for a moment at some of the things the world loves to promote. Hollywood movie stars promote the lust of the eye and pride of life. Many fashion companies promote immorality in dress codes. The music industry promotes lust in the content of songs and bad language. Many celebrities cause the young to sin in many ways namely in vanity, sexual immorality, ungodly values and much more. We have only touched on a few ways of how the world’s system and its agenda is contrary to God.

This present world will one day fade to nothing. God tells his children to set their minds on things above not on things of earth (Colossians 3:2). As Christians we are to be thinking with eternity at the forefront of our minds. In Matthew 6:33 God’s Word tells us this, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

At the moment of salvation a sinner is transformed from the earthly kingdom to a heavenly kingdom. From a present hope to a future hope in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.” Paul writing to the Philippians said, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). 2 Corinthians 4:17-18 says, “For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Loving the world like unbelievers do will cause us not just to sin but will hinder our spiritual growth in Christ. Remember the system of the world stems from the corruption of the heart of man as well as the god of this world, the Devil. The unfruitful works of darkness are unclean to God. The ways of man are not useful to God due to the sinfulness at the heart of the agenda. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord” in Isaiah 55:8.

In conclusion, the term world in the Holy Bible refers to the wicked system controlled by Satan that leads men astray from the true and right way to serve God. Be watchful of the desires of your heart. The Devil can and will place idols in the heart of man. God has given His people talents, skills, and crafts for His purpose. We ought to use our godly gifts for the right reasons and for God honouring things, not for the vain things of the world. Deep affection for the world is idolatry. God has commanded His people to love the people in the world and to do good unto them as unto the Lord himself. We are not to love the things of the world as we are not of this world but citizens of a heavenly kingdom.

One example I can think of and would like to end with is how a lot of people view the sport of Soccer. Recently I was visiting an English city when the home team was playing a match. Almost the entire city was given over to the fans. The noise, mess, and lack of respect was shocking. Men and women were worshipping a sport and the players they viewed as mini gods. All this just because 22 men were kicking a ball around a football pitch. Drunkenness, swearing, and general ungodliness were overwhelming. It is shocking that people introduce and encourage children to follow suit. Sadly, sport in the United Kingdom like many other countries is in many ways is an idol and a religion. Fans worship and honour the players. They live for the team they support. Many will even see their family without a meal so they can worship their idol. A Christian should not be so involved in anything of the world that causes this amount of sinfulness.

As believers, we ought to worship and honour only King Jesus. The things of the world are, to put it bluntly vain and empty. A sport match that took place today will not matter in 100 years. People will not be talking about it in years to come. However, people are still talking about Jesus Christ even 2,000 years after he walked this world. Why? Because what Jesus Christ did matters. It matters to people today. It will matter to people tomorrow. And it will matter in 100 years from today. Make sure you are living for Christ. Make sure that the time you spend on earth matters. Do not be one of those who expect others to do what you ought to be doing. Serve Christ with the time He has given you. Give to God what is God’s.