«　WEEK 6　DAY 1　»

　　1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him; because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vainglory of life, is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever.

　　The world is the enemy of God, and its lust opposes the will of God; therefore, the world and its lust will pass away. God and His will are eternal; therefore, those who do His will also abide forever. Whatever we have of the world and its lust will pass away. Whatever we have of God and His will abides forever. Just as passing away is the punishment for loving the world and following its lust, abiding forever is the reward for loving God and doing His will. (CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 2,” p. 455)

　　In 1 John 2:15 the world refers to the anti-God world system formed by Satan. Every thing, every one, and every matter have been systematized by the evil one, the adversary of God, and made a part of his world system. In such a situation, where shall we go? The answer is that we need to go to the Triune God. Only the Triune God has not been systematized by Satan. Along with going to the Triune God, we also need to go to the Word of God. Therefore, since every thing, every one, and every matter have been systematized by Satan, we need to flee to the Triune God and His Word. God’s Word is our refuge, our protection.

　　The contents of Satan’s system are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of this present life. We may use owning a car as an illustration of the difference between something used by Satan to form his system and the actual contents of this system. How can a car be utilized by the enemy of God to form his evil system? The car itself is not a problem and is not the content of Satan’s system. The problem is with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and, in particular, with the vainglory of the present life. If it were not for man’s vainglory, a car would not become a problem. However, many people like to buy an expensive car in order to make a display. In their case, the car they drive is used for vainglory. In this country a car is a necessity. The problem, therefore, is not with the car itself; the problem is with the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. When you consider a certain kind of car, you may desire to have it. Some may think about a certain car day and night. The car is not wrong—the persons are wrong. The problem is not with the car they need; the problem is with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life.

　　As further illustrations, we may also refer to our need for clothing and housing. A dwelling place is a necessity, and clothing also is a necessity. Once again, the problem is not with the house or the clothes; these are not the actual contents of the world system. The problem is with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the vainglory of life, for these are the contents of Satan’s evil system.

　　According to the Bible, the world is against the Father (v. 15), the devil is against the Son (3:8), and the flesh is against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). On the one hand, we have the Divine Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. On the other hand, we have an evil trinity—the world, Satan, and the flesh. If we enjoy the Divine Trinity, we shall have nothing to do with the evil trinity.

　　As the world is against God the Father, so the things in the world (1 John 2:15), which are its lust, are against the will of God. On the positive side, we have the Father and His will. To practice the will of God is to do the will of God habitually and continually. (Life-study of 1 John, pp. 171, 175-176)

　　Further Reading: Life-study of 1 John, msg. 20; CWWL, 1932-1949, vol. 3, “Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, Volume 2,” ch. 26