The message tonight is, "The Love That God Hates." Maybe you didn't know that God does hate a certain kind of love, but He does. And some of you, of course, have figured out what I was talking about when I told you this morning that I was going to speak about the love that God hates. And, of course, you'll know in a minute anyway, but I'll tell you now. The love that God hates is the love of the world. "Love not the world," John tells us. And we'll be studying about that tonight as those of you who have been here know we've been doing a series, and this is the fourth in a series on the book of I John. Actually it's a series following the idea which was the name of the first message in the series, "The Life That Is Real." But tonight we want to speak about the love that God hates.

First John chapter 2, beginning with verse 12, we'll read through verse 17 to get us started. First John chapter 2, beginning with verse 12 and reading through verse 17. We want you folks to be much in prayer that God will use His Word tonight to be a blessing to all of us as we study it together. We pray for our people who are away because of sickness. We have quite a few. And those also who are away on their annual leave. We pray for them as well.

Beginning with verse 12 now of I John chapter 2. "I write unto you, little children because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake. I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you little children, because ye have known the Father. I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning."

Let's read again beginning with verse 14. "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. 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."

Now that "Love not the world," or love of the world is what we're talking about tonight, the love that God hates. "For all that is in the world," verse 16, "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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

Now as we think about this, I'm reminded of a little story that I read talking about the love that God hates, I'm reminded of a little story that I read about a guy who went on a tour of a hospital with a bunch of his little schoolmates. And they noticed as they were going through the hospital that they always saw nurses washing their hands and drying them, and washing their hands and drying them, washing their hands and drying them. And so finally, one of the little fellows asked a question. And he said, "Why are nurses always washing their hands?" And, of course, the answer after they thought for a minute to try to give him a proper answer was this: that nurses love health and hate germs. And so we can apply that to this thought of the love that God hates tonight. Because He does, normally we think of God as being love, normally we think about God loving love, but there is a certain kind of love that He hates. And that is the love of the world.

Romans 12:9 tells us a little more about love when it says, "Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good." Now this is the good kind of love. John's first epistle here, the whole first epistle of John teaches us to exercise love. But it teaches us to exercise not just any kind of love, but what? The right kind of love because there is a love that God hates. And as we've already said two or three times. We want to think for a little while tonight about the fact that there is a wrong kind of love. There is a wrong kind of love, a love that God hates. This is the love for what the Bible refers to as "the world." It very often refers to this in the Bible, "the world."

Now there are a lot of good reasons why a Christian should not love the world but I've written down four main reasons tonight that I want to talk about for a little while. Four reasons why Christians should not love the world. In the first place, we should not love the world because of what the world is. Now think about that for a minute. We should not love the world because of what the world is. Now, of course, when we start thinking about the world we have to define our terms a little bit. We might use as a definition here, the world in the New Testament has at least three meanings. The word world or the world has at least three meanings in the New Testament.

In the first place, one that is very commonly known to all of us, of course, is the physical world or the earth. You'll find a reference on that in Acts chapter 17, verse 24 where it tells us that one of the meanings—or makes it very clear that one of the meanings of the word world in the New Testament is the earth or the physical world in which we live or on which we live, I should say.

Another meaning of the world as used in the New Testament, the word world, is it often refers to the human world or to mankind. Of course, you have many good examples of that in the New Testament. One of the best, well known ones, one of the best known ones would be John 3:16. "For God so loved," what? "The world." Referring to what? The physical earth? No. It's referring to mankind in general, isn't it? "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Now he comes across this command here it tells us in the book of John that I just read to you where it says, "Love not the world." That was in verse 15, in the middle of the verses that I just read to you. But this does not refer, of course, to this earth on which we stand. Nor does it refer to mankind when it says, "Love not the world." Christians should appreciate the beauty and usefulness of nature and the earth that God has created. We should also love mankind and show God's love to mankind through ourselves. And so we can't say that it's talking about the physical earth on which we stand, nor is it speaking about mankind when it says, "Love not the world." But now the third definition of the word world or the world in the New Testament, this is the one that we must not love. The world that we must not love is the invisible, spiritual system which is opposed to God and Christ and its head is Satan. And it exists all around us. We don't see it sometimes, we don't realize it's there, but it's there all the time. And it's influencing us and influencing others all the time.

You say, "Well, I just can't quite understand how we can consider the meaning of the word where it says, ‘Love not the world,' to mean an invisible, spiritual system which Satan has built around us to oppose God and Christ and the Lord's work." Okay. When you listen to the television, don't we very often hear them say the words, "And now for the world's sports"? Now what are they talking about? They're talking about the whole system of sports, the rules by which they're played, the system by which it's operating, the players, the whole works altogether, aren't they, when they say the world of sports.

Okay, another thing when you hear them on the newscast on the radio or television. You very often hear them say the world's finance. Now what's that if it's not a financial system, the whole system of world finance that they're talking about, isn't it? And you could go on like that, we use the word that way even today, don't we? To mean a system instead of just this physical earth on which we stand or mankind in general.

We even hear them say the world's politics. And all kinds of other words like that, don't we? So the world in this sense is Satan's system for opposing the work of Christ on earth. And this is the world that we must not love, the Satanic system which is in existence upon the earth or upon the physical world, as we would say in another sense of the word world.

The world, the evil world system or the world which we'll be referring to tonight is this Satanic system. It's the opposite of what is godly and holy and spiritual. So now when I refer to the world tonight, I'll be referring to that, that which is the opposite of godly and holy and spiritual, that is this Satanic system which basically controls the world until God says it's enough and then God will take over again. And that'll be the end of this world's system which Satan uses to oppose God.

First John 2:16, let's read that again. "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the ride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." Now I just told you just before we read that verse that it's the opposite of what is godly and holy and spiritual. And God, of course, said it two thousand years before I did when He wrote it here in the book of I John.

Satan heads the system of evil spirits and people working with him influencing the affairs of this world. Did you ever stop to think and to wonder, "Now why or how did such and such a thing happen?" Well, now that there's evil I can tell you how it happened. It happened by the workings of this world, of the world rather, the Scripture calls it here. The world that we're not to love. This evil system by which Satan influences the earth and tries to hinder and oppose the Lord's work.

Satan is called the prince of this world. I believe I read that verse to you this morning in John, the gospel of John chapter 12, verse 31. Satan is referred to as the prince of the world, meaning the leader of this unholy system which he has established here. As the Holy Spirit uses people to accomplish God's will on earth, in the same manner Satan uses people and demons to fulfill his evil purposes. Unsaved people belong to this world, that is, to this world system of Satan. It's Satan's world, and they do not understand those of us who trust in the Lord. Even your best friend, well he can't or won't really be your best friend if you're a Christian and he's not. There's no way that he can continue as your best friend. But one that was your best friend after you get saved, you'll find that he just doesn't understand you anymore. He just doesn't think the same way you do anymore. He just doesn't understand anything about you. And he can't possibly continue as your best friend unless he gets saved too. Then it might be possible; but unless he gets saved too, there's no way that he can continue as your best friend.

Over in the gospel of John again in chapter 15, in verse 19 it says, it tells us a little bit more about this that I was talking about, "If ye were of the world," now what's he talking about there? He's talking about this evil world system, the system of the devil to try to control or influence his control of the world, "if ye were of the world," he's talking to Christians here, "the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hated you."

Now what's he saying here? He's talking about this that we've just been discussing, isn't he? The Lord has chosen us, it says—he uses this word the world in two or three different places here in this verse that I just read to you. If you were of the world, now he's referring to this evil world system, Satan's system. Then he says again, "The world," meaning the same thing, same evil, satanic system that controls the world or tries to control the world, that the world would love his own. "But because you are not of this evil system, the world," he says again, "but I have chosen you out of," what? "Out of this evil system." "I've taken you out of it," doesn't mean that he's taken us off the physical earth on which we stand but he's taken us out of this evil system by which Satan tries to control and dominate and influence the course of affairs of the world. And does a pretty good job of it sometimes, as you well know. Because of the fact that we've been chosen out of the world, then the world hates us. So there's five or six different times in that one verse where he uses this word world in this sense, referring to the evil system of Satan.

In other words, another thing that he told us in this verse I just read you in John chapter 15, verse 19, we find that the world is not the natural habitat for believers. "Oh," you say, "I was born here." Yes, you were. "I grew up here." Yes, you did. But when we get saved it's no longer our natural habitat, is it?

We can use as an illustration of this that a Christian in the world is like a scuba diver under water. Now a scuba diver, I'm not an expert on it but I know enough about it to know that when they go under water these scuba divers, they've got to have their tanks on, haven't they? And they've got to have their mouth piece and all their controls and everything. And their faceplate. All these pieces of equipment that they've got to have. Now why do they have to have these pieces of equipment? Because they are not going to be in their natural habitat. If they were just going to stay out on the land and breathe the air, we wouldn't need these tanks of oxygen or air, they wouldn't need the faceplate, they wouldn't need the mouth piece and the controls and all the things that go with it, would they? But since they are not going to be in their natural habitat, they need some special equipment to survive when they go down in the water. And that's the same way for the Christian. A Christian, since—after he's once saved, the world is no longer his natural habitat, that is, this present evil world system. And he needs special equipment to survive this. And we'll talk a little bit about that a little bit later.

In fact, I guess the best time to talk about it is right now. We must have the Spirit, in talking about special equipment. We must have prayer. We must have Christian fellowship and we must have the Word of God in order to make it here on the world or here in the world, I should say. Here on earth. Another reason that Christians must not love the world is because of what the world does to us. Now I've already been talking for a little while about one of the reasons, the first big reasons why we should not love the world is because of what the world is. And that all boiled down to one basic thing, didn't it? And that is that the world as it's referred to here is Satan's system for controlling and dominating and influencing the world or the earth, influencing affairs on the earth.

Now the second big reason why we must not love the world is because of what the world does to us. First John 2:15, the last part of the verse, let's read that again. "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." Now that's what the world does to us, isn't it? That's basically a summary of what the world does to us.

Worldliness or love of the world is more a matter of attitude than it is a matter of activity. You know, that's something that is difficult for us to understand. Sometimes we take up a Pharisaical attitude about things and we just specialize in seeing to it that we don't do these public, evil things that other people do. Therefore we think we're just pretty good fellows, you know, because of that. But really when you get right down to it, this business of love of the world is not just a matter of limiting our activities from engaging in the public, evil things that other people do. But it's more than that, it's much more than that. The principle thing in not loving the world is our attitude, isn't it? It's not our activity, it's our attitude. You can do away with these evil activities, stay away from them, leave them out of your life and still have a very poor attitude and be worldly in your attitude.

Loving the world's system interferes with our love for God. That's what he's telling us right here in verse 15, "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." If we love this world's system, we can't love the Father properly, can we?

The love of the world interferes with doing God's will. We can't do God's will properly if we love the world. And anything, even if it's good in itself, which interferes with our enjoyment of God's love or our desire to do God's will is worldliness. That is, it is love of the world which we are strictly commanded not to do, not to partake of, not to be a part of, not to love the world.

I read a story one time about a ministerial student in one of our Bible colleges in the United States. He was an outstanding student. He was in his senior year. During a previous summer he had become engaged to a fine Christian girl. Their wedding date was set just after he graduated from the college. The Lord had blessed him. He had already been called to pastor a church and was going to take up full-time pastoring as soon as he came out of the college. And yet, during the last few months of his time in the Bible college, his grades began to fall off, his attitude became poor and finally the dean had to call him in and talk to him. It wasn't that he was doing evil things, it wasn't that he was making a public shame of himself or the school but it was just slipping from his former standards.

And when the dean talked to him the young fellow told him, and it fits right in to what we were talking about just now. He said, "You know, the Lord has really blessed me, I've been one of the top students the first three years here. The Lord's given me a call to this church where I'll be a pastor full time when I come out. I have a fine, young Christian girl that I'm getting ready to marry when I finish school." But he said, "You know, I've gotten to the point recently that this is a real problem: I just don't even want the Lord to come back anymore because things are just going so good here on earth for me." Now that's part of what we're talking about, loving the world's system. Although that sounds like stretching a little bit to say that. And yet, it was just about to destroy this young man in the college. He got sorted out in his attitude. It wasn't that he was living a worldly life or anything. It wasn't that he was robbing anybody or committing adultery or doing evil things. It wasn't his activity that was wrong; it was his attitude that was wrong. And that's a lot of this business of not loving the world with our attitude.

John points out that the world system uses three devices to trap Christians. He does. The world system uses or when we say he does, referring to the world's system to whom are we referring? To Satan, of course. He uses three main devices to trap Christians. And they're listed here for us in the Scriptures. We'll be talking about them. The lust of the flesh, now the flesh we could say that's the basic nature of man, not referring to this meat that's on our bones, of course, but referring to the basic human nature of man; the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Now these are the three main devices that Satan or the world uses to trap Christians.

First John 2:16 tells us about that "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." We find again over in Genesis chapter 3, verse 6 a good reference dealing with this same idea. You might think, "Well, this lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes and the pride of life is something that came along a little bit later." But it's not. It started right off with the first people on the earth, Genesis 3:6. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food," now what's that? That's an appeal to the flesh, isn't it? The fleshly desire for good food. And I have it, I'm sure you do too. We all have it, don't we? Fleshly desire for good food. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food," that's the lust of the flesh, "and that it was pleasant to the eyes," now what is that? That's the lust of the eyes, isn't it? No doubt about it, it's very clear here, "And a tree to be desired to make one wise," now what is that? That's a perfect illustration of the pride of life, isn't it? Because of these three things, these very same three things that are tempting us today, the main devices Satan has used from the beginning, "She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Now that's the beginning of all this, wasn't it? And it's still going on today.

And, you know, Satan is still using those same three devices almost every time we're tempted if we just stop and think about it, it'll be one or two or maybe all three together of those three devices, won't it? Just stop and think about the times that you've been tempted or the times even when you've succumbed to temptation. And you'll see if you really think it out that it fit one or two or three sometimes of these three devices that Satan is using, it's the same ones that he used on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Another illustration we could take of this would be Lot. You remember perhaps the story of Lot. The first thing that he did, he didn't just go out there and say, "Well, now Abraham, I don't have anything more to do with you or with God or with God's worship or God's service or anything." He didn't do that, did he? What did he do? He looked toward Sodom first, didn't he? The lust of the eyes. Then a little bit after that we find out that he pitched his tent toward Sodom, moved over that way a little closer. And then the next thing you know he's right in the middle of the wicked city, Sodom. Actually in Sodom. And then we find that he's caught up in the judgment of God, not the fire from heaven, the destruction of the city. Not that type of judgment that we're talking about right now. But in an earlier judgment he was abducted or captured by the evil kings who swarmed down on the area there and took Lot away as a captive, didn't they? And then the Lord got him out of that and then what happened? Did he straighten up, straighten up his attitude? No, he didn't. Right back in Sodom again, wasn't he? Even though he'd been judged once and caught in this trap and carried away by the king, you'll find that story over in Genesis chapter 13 and then it goes on for several chapters there if you really read all of it. But when we look at these true stories that Scripture gives us, it's no wonder that God warns us not to love the world, is it? No wonder.

Now we've said that we should not love the world because of what it is, we should not love because of what the world does to us, now we want to think for just a minute about that we should not love the world because of what a Christian is. We should not love the world because of what we are.

And the first point remember was we should not love the world because of what it is. Now the third point is we should not love the world because of what we are. In the first place, we're born into the family of God, aren't we? If we're really a Christian. This often discourages friendship with the world. Because we know that the world is a system which was set up to oppose God and the Lord Jesus Christ and their work on earth. And that it was set up by their archenemy Satan. So because we are born into the family of God, because of what we are, we should not love the world, should we?

To be friendly with the world, in other words, is treachery to God. That's pretty strong language, isn't it? But it is true. And John 4:4 tells us, "Friendship with the world is enmity with God." In other words, when we become friendly with the world we are dealing in treachery toward God.

Now we're born as little children into the family of God but we must grow spiritually to overcome the world. Now the young men, which we read to you earlier about are conquerors of the world, of this evil system. But why are they conquerors? It tells us there in I John 2:14. They are overcomers by the power of God's word. First John 2:14 says, "I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." Now how did they have the strength to overcome the wicked one? One of the principle ways that's taught in the Bible for building up strength to overcome the world is what? The Word. Study the Word. Have the Word in your heart. And by the power of God's Word you can overcome the world.

The fathers that is mentioned there in I John 2:14 are mature Christians who know the joy and wonders of fellowship with and service for God. They reject the substitute pleasures which this world offers. They reject it. There are many illustrations of real and substitute pleasures that we could mention but I've jotted down a few. Hunger. There's not a thing wrong with hunger and there's nothing much more pleasant than to be very hungry and then to go in and find your wife has prepared a good meal, a wholesome meal, a tasty meal and sit down and eat, is there? There's nothing sinful about that at all. It's perfectly okay. But gluttony is sinful, isn't it? Gluttony is a terrible sin. In fact, gluttony in the Bible is considered one of the worst sins, did you know that? It lists it right along with drunkenness and some of the other terrible evils that we consider much worse than gluttony. And yet, as I said, there's really nothing wrong with being hungry and eating a good meal. That's good. There's nothing wrong with that. It's pleasant and good. But gluttony is evil and wicked.

Now another illustration of real and substitute pleasures. There's hardly anything more pleasant than when you've been out on a hot day in the sun and you've finished whatever you're working on and come into the house into the shade and you're very thirsty and you get a nice cool drink or a nice cup of hot tea and you drink it. Now that's pleasant, isn't it? That's nice. There's nothing wrong with it. It's okay. That's a real pleasure. But on the opposite side, the substitute pleasure that we could list along with that is that drunkenness is a terrible sin, isn't it? Drunkenness is a sin.

Sleep is the gift of God. And that's a pleasant thing too after you've done an honest day's work and you go and get a good night's sleep. That's a very pleasant and real pleasure. But laziness is sinful, isn't it? Just to go in and sleep and sleep and sleep and loaf and loaf is shameful, isn't it? It's wrong.

Sex is a precious gift from God when used rightly. But when used wrongly it becomes immorality, doesn't it? A substitute pleasure. And we could go on with a long list but those are a few that I jotted down.

We might think back for just a minute on the first three main points before we go on to the last one. It has come in three divisions, of course, as I said. A Christian stays away from the world because it is a satanic system that hates and opposes Christ. That is, staying away from the world because of what it is. Secondly, a Christian should not love the world because it tries to attract us to live on sinful substitutes. That is, we shouldn't love the world because of what it does to us. And thirdly, a Christian should not love the world because of what he, the Christian is. He is a son of God. Therefore loving the world is treason or treachery to God.

Now the Christian should also shun worldliness and this is the last main point because of where the world is going. That's a good reason for not loving the world, because of where the world is going. The world is passing away. It tells us that in I John chapter 2, verse 17, where it says, "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." So that by itself is sufficient reason for us not to love the world, isn't it? Because of where the world is going.

The only lasting or first thing is what is part of the will of God. We just read that to you in I John 2:17. The verse I just read to you. Christians are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. Hebrews 11:13. The world is passing away. So we're strangers and pilgrims, we're just visitors. We're not citizens here. Our citizenship is in a better place, in another place.

It tells us again Hebrews chapter 13, verse 14, "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come." The world is passing away but we're going to a permanent place. John 2:17, we just read to you a minute ago, contrasts two ways of living. All the way through this verse it emphasizes the contrast between two ways of living. There is the life lived for eternity and the life lived for time. Or we could say that the worldly believer lives for what he can see, the lust of the eyes. But the spiritual believer lives for the unseen realities of God.

There's a good verse relative to this over in II Corinthians chapter 4, beginning with verse 17. It tells us about this living for the unseen realities. Second Corinthians chapter 4, verse 17, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen," in other words he's not looking on the world, not loving the world, "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." Now that's what he's talking about all the way through this book of I John. He's talking about the loving not the world but loving the Father and serving the Father instead of serving the world.

The worldly person lives for the vain glory that he gets from men. You've seen people like that, haven't you? People that felt like every time they did a little something for the Lord's work that the whole crowd ought to stand up and cheer. And it's not that way at all, is it? That's not the right attitude at all. That's men who are living for the vain glory that appeals to men. Worldliness, loving the world, loving the acclaim of men.

But the Christian who does the will of God lives only for God's approval. And he abideth forever it tells us in I John 2:17. He abideth forever. He lives only for the approval of God.

The spiritual Christian, one who loves not the world, can be filled with the knowledge of His will. It tells us that in the first chapter, the ninth verse of Colossians. His will, that is, God's will should completely control in our life. Now we have a tendency to ask the wrong question when we start thinking about worldliness. You know when you ask a wrong question, you know what kind of answer you get, don't you? You always get the wrong answer too, don't you? You can't get the right answer if you ask the wrong question. And we usually ask the wrong question when we talk about worldliness. The key question is not "Is it right or wrong?" That's not the key question at all. But the key question should always be this, "Is this the will of God for me?" That's the answer that counts, isn't it? It's not a question of whether it's right or wrong. Sometimes something is right in itself, not evil or wrong in itself; but it's still not right for you if it's not the Lord's will in your life. So the question we could ask is not whether something is right or wrong but our question, the key question always should be, "Is this the will of God for me?"

Ephesians 5:17 tells us about that where it says, "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." We can know and understand the will of the Lord if we'll just be patient, if we just grow spiritually and study and work at the job, we can know and do the Lord's will and we can refuse to love the world.

The spiritual Christian, it tells us in Colossians chapter 4, verse 12, should be complete in all of the will of God. Now the Scripture wouldn't tell us all these things that we should be and could be and ought to be unless it's possible for us to be these things, would it? It is possible for us to be complete in all of the will of God.

Knowing God's will begins with full surrender. There's no other way that you can even begin to know God's will until you're willing to surrender to Him. Because God won't reveal His will to one who won't surrender to Him. Romans 12, verse 1 and 2. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to," what? "To this world." That's what we're talking about tonight, isn't it? "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

We find as we think about the will of God or knowing and doing the will of God, not only does it require or begin with full surrender to God but God also reveals His will to us through His Word. Psalms 119:105 says, "They word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Again, God sometimes shows us His will through circumstances. He opens and closes doors. That happens sometimes. Usually if we'll just be patient and pray about it and think about it and try to know the Lord's will and surrender to His will before He even reveals it to us, He'll reveal it to us in three or four different fashions so that we can't possibly misunderstand Him. He also leads us in His will through prayer and the working of His Spirit in our hearts.

Now to summarize the whole matter we might say it this way: the Christian is in the world but he is not of the world. Going on with that thought, we are sent into the world to bear witness of the Lord but that doesn't make us part of the world. We are like the scuba diver under water. The world must not get the Christian. You know that scuba diver goes down, as long as he's in the water but not of the water, he's okay. But when he gets that water down inside of him, he's in big trouble, isn't he? And that's the same way as our illustration of a Christian.

John says to us here repeatedly in his writing, "Love not the world," because love for the world is the love that God hates. It's the love that a Christian must shun at all costs. We must not love the world.