by “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
– 1 John 2:15
… But what about things like loving and taking care of one-another or taking care of our planet?? Can’t I have the love of God in me and still love the world?
On the surface, this verse can look like John is saying that we simply shouldn’t care about the world or anything in it but what he’s really saying is that the world and everything that it has to offer is finite… That no matter what it is, it will eventually grow old and decay, including the “pride of life” itself, but that the love of God is eternal and is where the true treasure of all life resides.
Agapē Love
The Greek word being used for “love” here is “agapē”. If you know the word “agapē” then you know it’s used to express the highest form of love that we can ever have or experience… A love that’s extremely pure and strong, and from God. Not just based on emotions and feelings but on a much deeper, spiritual level, where love can be experienced as a verb, through things like selfless commitment and sacrifice. A lot like saying, “If I agapē something, then I give myself to it completely and unconditionally, from the best place in my heart”… much like a healthy marriage.
If we are ‘married’ to the world then the love of God cannot be in us, because there is sin in the world and God can not be in union with sin. But if we love (or agapē) God first and receive His eternal love as our eternal treasure, then by understanding His agapē love, we can also care for the world and all the things in it as He does (which is immensely). One of the most well known verses in the Bible is John 3:16, which says: “For God so LOVED the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”. The same Greek word “agapē” is used here for “love” in “For God so LOVED the world…”.
God’s Way
So if we love God first, His agapē love can overflow through us into into the world. With this level of love, how could we not care for and love one-another or want to take care of our planet?
God’s love and will is good, and if a heart is for Him then it can make an even bigger difference in the world by loving the world in God’s way… A love far greater than ourselves.
