Loving the World, God Loves It But We Should Not?
How should we consider loving the world? The Bible clearly says:
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them.
God further says:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So, He loves the world and we should not?
This takes a more careful thought.
God loves and hates the world. Let’s look closer at I John 2.
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
The world then has a few different meanings we need to consider.
Interestingly, God led John the Apostle to write both the Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John with apparently contradictory thoughts. We need to consider a little more carefully.
God died for people to free them of Sin. God wanted to save us out of the world. See what the angel tell Joseph about Mary.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
God hates the sin in us. He hates the sin in the world like he names in 1 John above.
He loves people and is saving us from our sin and taking us away from this sinful world. So, yes, God so loves the world.
Loving the World Means He Hates Sin More
God knows our condition is mortal. Only death will completely rid us of sin.
Then God will make us new and welcome us into heavenly dwellings once he has made us completely free of sin.
So, if we love our sin, God will have no part with us. God is holy and will never say good enough unless he kills al the invading sin. If we are not on his side to hate this sin, then the deal can not be made. God will never compromise with sin in any way. We ought not to either.
It is shocking to consider that God could not consider sin paid for unless someone died to make it right. No sinner’s sacrifice would do. Only the infinitely holy God, himself, could pay the price. How much does God hate sin and love us?
