Enemies of the Faith: Part 1—The World
It’s been said that one of the devil’s greatest tactics is convincing the world that he doesn’t exist. Sadly, our world is filled with people who are blindly living in the midst of that deception. As followers of Christ, it’s vitally important for us, and our believing children, to recognize that we have spiritual enemies—enemies who want nothing more than to steal our joy in the Lord, stunt our growth in Christ, and squander our testimony of faith. The unique thing about these enemies is that they’re not just “out there.” But rather, they exist both outside and inside our very being.
Who are these enemies? They are the world, the flesh, and the devil (Eph. 2:2–3). In this three-part series, we’re going to discover that if we, as believers, want to overcome the assaults that come at us from the world, the flesh, and the devil, then we must have a supreme confidence in the Word of God and a steadfast trust in the goodness of God. Furthermore, it is our God-given responsibility to instill this confidence in the hearts of our children as well.
With that in mind, our focus begins on spiritual enemy number one: the world. The Apostle John directly addresses the danger presented to us by the world in the second chapter of his first epistle, saying:
“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. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15–17).
A Warning About the Enemy
Some moments just stick in your mind. For me, one of those experiences took place during a time of prayer requests. A man from the congregation offered up a very simple, yet profound, request. It was one of those prayers that just grips your heart when you hear it, both because it is so genuine, and because it resonates so closely with your own desire. The man said, “Please pray that I would love the world less and love Christ more.”
Love the world less and love Christ more. Not only did that request resound within me when I first heard it, but it’s also my prayer for you, as you read this, today. The Apostle John gets right to the heart of the issue, as he provides a straightforward exhortation in verse 15, saying:
“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.”
The concept of love is a repeated theme throughout John’s first epistle. In a multitude of ways, John explains that the gospel sets genuine believers on a trajectory that is diametrically opposed to their former way of life, transforming their very affections. But we notice here that John isn’t telling his audience who or what they should love. He’s telling them what they shouldn’t. And the entity that true followers of Christ should not love is the world.
So, what is the world? Is it the planet we live on? Is it the people who live on it? In this case, it’s the sinful system that dominates the way unbelievers live and operate. The Bible paints a picture of this fallen world as a domain of darkness ruled by evil. Paul calls them “cosmic powers” and “spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). Satan is the chief ruler of this evil domain. So regardless of what area of life we look to, we can find examples of a world that is utterly dominated by darkness. Whether it’s politics, or entertainment, like movies, music, or social media, education, or even religion, the common denominator is a hatred for God, and the things of God, in every sphere.
But for those of us who are believers in Jesus Christ, the Bible says that we have been rescued. Paul says it like this in Colossians 1:13-14: “(God) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin, and Satan is no longer our master. Christ is now our King, and we now live in the domain of righteousness. And it’s from this context that John writes to the church. Because there are only two options: either you belong to Satan, or you belong to Christ. You’re either a member of the world’s system, or you’re a member of Christ’s Kingdom. There is no in between.
And the affections that characterize your life will reflect which kingdom you belong to. John wants his readers to know that a life devoted to the world is a life void of God’s love. A life that demonstrates a love for worldliness is a life that proves to be unconverted. And a life absent of God’s priorities, in this life, will be a life absent of God’s presence for all of eternity.
The question, then, is this: Do you love the world? In other words, are the things that dominate your mind and heart, on a daily basis, the things of God, or the things of this world? Thankfully, to help us answer this question, John goes on to describe the things that characterize the sinful world.
The Nature of the Enemy
“For all that is in the world-the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life” (v. 16a)
A Subtle Enemy
The first aspect of this enemy known as the world is that it is subtle. Notice with me that John summarizes the sinful world system into three main categories:
The desires of the flesh: impulses that are oriented toward self-gratification.
The desires of the eyes: cravings of attraction and coveting what is seen.
The pride of life: self-exalting arrogance that seeks vain glory.
It’s important to recognize the relationship to these categories for both believers and unbelievers. For unbelievers, these categories are the very aspects that describe their enslavement to the world. But for genuine believers, these categories are aspects that are only attractive to the sinful flesh. Because we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, not only have we been set free from our bondage to sin, but we are also empowered to wage a war of righteousness against the enemy.
An Evil Enemy
John finishes verse 16 by making it clear that this list of sinful characteristics:
“…is not from the Father but is from the world.”
In other words, these desires of lust and pride that dominate the world do not come from God. They are evil in origin, are a product of the Fall, and come from Satan, himself. Contrary to those who claim to be children of God, while practicing sinful lifestyles, the Apostle makes it abundantly clear that these desires have nothing to do with God and must be avoided, and repented of, at all costs.
A Temporary Enemy
In the final verse of our text, John provides his audience with both hope and encouragement for this spiritual battle, saying:
“And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”
This is, yet, another key, fundamental difference between the domain of darkness and the Kingdom of Christ. The world and its desires are temporary. They’re finite, and they’re passing away. But the Kingdom of Christ is eternal. It’s infinite, and it will last forever. And the reason genuine believers can have hope in this reality is because Jesus Christ has already conquered the spiritual forces of evil through his death, burial, and resurrection. Therefore, with our redemption purchased by Jesus, accepted by the Father, and sealed by the Spirit, we can have supreme confidence that the enemy of the world will soon be destroyed.
Overcoming the Enemy
As we await that glorious day, when we will finally be freed from the spiritual battle against the world, I want to leave you with the secret to defeating this enemy of the faith. We find it in the final chapter of John’s first epistle, as he says:
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believers that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4–5)
As simplistic as it may sound, the secret to defeating the spiritual enemy known as the world, is faith. It is a genuine, supernatural faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ; believing in who he is, as the perfect, sinless, righteous Son of God, and believing in what he’s done. Jesus has paid the penalty for the sins of those who trust him, and has satisfied the wrath of God we deserve, on the cross.
In other words, because of our faith in Christ, his victory is now our victory. And yet, this victory must be lived out on a daily basis. This enemy known as the world is an enemy that we will battle with every day of our lives, until we leave this earth, and our faith becomes sight. Therefore, in every instance of temptation, victory will be won when we refuse to sin and choose to trust in Jesus. By God’s grace, may we all love the world less and love Christ more.