Do not love the world, neither the things in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The exertion to prevent loving the world (v. 15a)
This is an exhortation of John to separate from the world. John used the present active imperative agapate as the main verbs for this section. The use of this present imperative with mh; implied that before the command was given by John, the recipients of this epistle have continued loving and being part of the world. When they believed in Christ, apparently they were lack of knowledge of how they should conduct themselves according to the ways of God. It pictured the state of their hearts which still attached to the worldly desires. Therefore John gave this command that the recipients should stop loving the world. They should stop what they have been doing pertaining loving the world. Whatever facets of love that practiced must be stopped for it is on contrary to the practice and desire of the believers. Hiebert rightly commented on this use of prohibition, “The form marks a standing prohibition and may imply that the readers were prone to do so but must stop this evil practice. But the prohibition may simply prohibit a practice without implying that it is actually being done. It is a danger against which they must constantly be on guard.”
The imperative verb agapate functions as the main verb where all clauses in verses 15-17 subordinate to this verb. Because of agapate was in the present imperative, the command not to love has the force of continues or repeated action. In other words, the command is something needs to be uttered repeatedly as to remind the recipients the important of the command. And because of the continuous impact of the command it is applicable even to this present time. The apostle John still continues exhorting the Christians to avoid loving the world.
John used the term ‘world’ in this epistle as he used in his gospel (John 3:13) but differ in its meaning. John mentioned it 6 times in these 3 verses. The word ‘kosmos’ here refers to “human society, temporarily controlled by the power of evil, organized in opposition to God.” This is to say, whatever thing that is on contrary to the will of God is opposition to God. John further emphasized with the followed phrase ‘mede ta to kosmo’ ‘neither the things in the world.’ He commanded the believers to stop loving the world and things associate with. The definite article Neuter Plural ‘ta’ depicts the collective idea referring to worldly things. Calvin rightly commented, “He said before that the only rule for living religiously, is to love God; but as, when we are occupied with the vain love of the world, we turn away all our thoughts and affections another way, this vanity must first be torn away from us, in order that the love of God may reign within us.” Lenski commented, ""Nor the things of the world” points to the individual deceptive treasures, pleasure, honors of the world, its wealth, its power, its wisdom, etc. we are not forbidden to admire, appreciate, use aright the nature things of this earth as much as relatives, friends, fatherland, the beauties and grandeur of nature, home, occupation, and the thousands of useful, attractive, valuable things which God has put around us. But whatever in its connection, tendency, and influence is hostile to God, to Christ and to his kingdom, however alluring or attractive it may otherwise appear, is “a thing of the world” to which we must be hostile since we belong to God, to Christ and to his kingdom."
Having stated the kind of command as the main verb of the whole pericope, the apostle developed the assumption of probability of something was confirmed to what he had forbid doing the worldly things. In the conditional statement, he used the subjunctive mood to convey the thought of probability in which implied there would be some people who would show deliberately as loving the world. The phrase ‘if any man loves the world’ is truly a subordinate clause to ‘love not the world’ in which the statement implies that having commanded to stop loving the worldly things, and yet if any man still loves the worldly things, he declares himself as not having relationship with God. It was the intention of the apostle that if anyone was in that condition should understand that he did not have any relationship with God. People who claim to be Christians will be tested just based on this truth. He might ask himself whether his heart inclines to the fact that he is loving the world or on contrary to it.
There was an exertion to prevent whosoever loving the world. The Lord Jesus Christ deliberately stated, “if ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). The same person who wrote the Gospel of John exerted the same command in his epistle that the true sign of those who love God is by showing their commitment in keeping the commandments of the Lord. Apart from this truth was disobedient to the Lord. Furthermore, Jesus also said the same as the above, “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me” (John 10:27). True believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has a heart to hear the voice of God – His commandments and to follow what He had commanded. For that reason, the apostle continues to say, ‘the love of the Father is not in him.’ This is the most applicable test till this present age.
The thrust of this passage is to command the believers to pursue holiness and to separate from the world because the world is passing away but the will of God remains for eternity.
The prerequisite of loving the Father against loving the world (v. 15b)
As John developed his arguments of forbidding believers to love the world, he further explained that if anyone still persists to love the world and its lust, John said, ‘the love of the Father is not in him.’ This is a very clear and strong assertion. The genitive ‘the love of the Father” is used only here in the New Testament. The use of genitive here could be understood three ways. Firstly it could be ablative or source which means ‘love that comes from the Father.’ Secondly, it could be subjective genitive which means ‘Father’s love for the person involved.’ Thirdly, it could be objective genitive which means ‘the person’s love for the Father.’ The last could be more appropriate to the context. In other word it is the opposite of the love for the world. As George rightly commented, "Hence, John’s point is this: love for God and love for the world are by their very nature antagonistic to each other and cannot coexist. That is to say, commitment in any deep sense to worldly things inevitably militates against commitments to God. Thus, John’s imperative is clear: right behavior must follow right belief; because only by the former can the latter be confirmed."
Christians were often addressed by the apostles as beloved which conveyed the idea of being loved by God. The constant and consistent love of God continued shown to believers even before they were Christians. For God had shown His love toward sinners while they were yet sinners (cf. 1 Jn. 4:19). And God continues to express His love daily toward those whom He has chosen to be His followers. On the other hand, it is the desire of God He would be loved as He had manifested His love to believers. What an ungrateful life it was when a person had received so much love from the Master of love and yet shown nothing as a token of appreciation and gratefulness. It is a contradictive fact. A person whom God loved and saved definitely would show the desire and love toward Him through the way he worshipped Him and followed His commandment. But if anyone does not love God as he ought to, it declares the reality that that person does not belong to God the Father and is never beloved by God. As Calvin rightly said, “He proves by an argument from what is contrary, how necessary it is to cast away the love of the world, if we wish to please God; and this he afterwards confirms by an argument drawn from what is inconsistent; for what belongs to the world is wholly at variance with God.”
This is the danger of loving the world. For that reason, the apostle commanded believers to separate from the world and its lust. Those who do not separate from the world will be confirmed to the world. Separation from the world is the command to holiness for Christian living.
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