The Love of the World vs. the Love of the Father

If I dress up maybe no one will notice how fat I've gotten!

If I dress up maybe no one will notice how fat I’ve gotten!

15 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. 16 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. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:15-17 NASB

Why is love for the world so antithetical to the love of the Father? If you love the world it means the opinions and judgments of others are more important to you than the confession of your very humble true self. Loving the world means inflating the value of your false persona while hiding the shame of your true self. It means you try to medicate the pain of your true self’s guilt by inflating the value of your false self. In the end it means you seal yourself off from the compassion and grace of the Father. It means you, the real you, the hiding and scared you, are isolated and alone, in darkness. It means you prefer the positive judgements of your falsely significant self to freedom and cleanness of the disclosure of your true self. It means fear of the judgment of others rules you because you will pretend success and holiness and significance rather than suffer the rejection of other judging people. If you think about it, it literally means that you live under the fear and threat of judgment instead of the compassion and forgiveness of love.

At its root therefore, the love of the world is a belief that the opinions of people are more substantive than the opinions of God. Love of the world is a rejection of the standards of God and of the grace of God. It is the direct result of not believing in the power of the propitiation of Christ. The cross of Christ declares that you are significant despite your deeds, because your deeds warranted His death but still He loved you. The love of the world says, “no! Your deeds define you!” The world says that you are not worthy of love unless you prove it — through morals, through money, through power, through fame. These are all relational currency. The cross says you don’t need currency to maintain relationship, because He paid everything. So the love of the world and the love of the Father are completely antithetical. They are opposite views of love.

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2 Comments

    • I want to prove I’m lovable! Please pray The Lord will help me let go of that and just receive undeserved love instead! Oh, please pray he’ll help me love his version of love

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