Sunday, January 6, 2019

lusty...

1 John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

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9 comments:

Margery Billd said...

Like my smart cousin said years ago, "nothing is perfect."

January 7, 2019 at 12:41 AM
Sam Finn said...

"But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:" (Matthew 6:20)

January 7, 2019 at 8:27 AM
Paul Sprawl said...

I wonder about the translation of this passage from the Greek. How do we live without loving the world? What does that mean? All that is in the world was created, so how can it be not of the Father? And on the topic of ascetic living, am I the only one noticing how much pleasure Thomas Merton exhibits in his writings of life as a monk? Reducing the amount of stuff in his daily life seemed to enhance Merton's enjoyment and sensitivity to the material world.

January 8, 2019 at 9:57 AM
John Wells said...

This scripture is about those who put earthly pleasures above God. To be in the world but not of the world requires us to be free of worldly influence. This does not mean that we do not participate in government or typical social processes. It means that we do not act as the unsaved world does. We are not slaves to our sinful natures but act in accordance with righteousness. Upon accepting Christ, one begins to act according to the new nature that has been given through The Holy Spirit rather than the sinful nature of the world.

January 8, 2019 at 10:29 AM
Paul Sprawl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
January 8, 2019 at 7:53 PM
Paul Sprawl said...

It doesn't suggest that earthly pleasures are ok as long as God is the top priority (whatever that might mean). It bluntly asserts something stronger. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world." It is unequivocal in denouncing love for the world and things that are in the world, which includes sunrises and canyons and new friends and everything else. To suggest that the intention is to prioritize the spiritual above the material seems quite a stretch.

January 8, 2019 at 8:17 PM
Paul Sprawl said...

Your interpretation of it is the common one among Biblical teachers, but the text reads differently, I think.

January 8, 2019 at 8:22 PM
Homer Ellinger said...

If you have eyes to see and ears to hear I think the meaning is obvious. If not perhaps you don't know the Lord as much as you know the world and the things therein. Nobody is perfect and we all sin, but God loves us anyway. Love him in return more than "possessions" and "things"

January 9, 2019 at 8:06 PM
Paul Sprawl said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
January 13, 2019 at 10:08 AM

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