1 John 2:11-17 NKJV
11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 I write to you, little children,
Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
13 I write to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
Because you have overcome the wicked one.
I write to you, little children,
Because you have known the Father.
14 I have written to you, fathers,
Because you have known Him who is from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men,
Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you,
And you have overcome the wicked one.
15 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. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
While much in the world has changed with the passage of time, much remains now than it was then. As Holy Scripture proclaims: “There’s nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc. 1:9) As it did then, much threatens now to deceive and destroy. Therefore, much of John’s response to his circumstances back then speaks just as well now as it did then. The blessings, the challenges, the exhortation, all are as timely now as ever.
While St. John frames his message in terms that are natural enough, there is at the same time no real difference in what he offers as assurances to all who abide. In no way does he differentiate between the blessings of some verses those of others. Not some but all are strong in the power of Christ’s victory over evil, which makes us “more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).
In our day Christians still need to beware of the temptation to accommodate their faith to current cultural viewpoints and practices. We must not be taken in by the temptation to adjust biblical teaching ti fit the value systems of the pest world; to rationalize a materialistic lifestyle; to adjust moral standards subtly so they are not radically out of step with the times; to revamp our statement of theology so it will be more widely accepted; to employ methods of biblical critics in order to make conservative scholarship respected in the scholarly circles.
The temptations are many, and the urge to cave in is immense — all for the sake of comfort for the self. But Scripture calls it ‘worldliness.’ Any attitude that or action that makes the individual—and not God—the center and measure of the universe smacks of worldliness. Through faith in Christ’s fully atoning merits for you for the forgiveness of your sins, God brings you to do His will — namely, live and love sacrificially for the sake of your neighbor.
Let us pray: Thanks be to You, O Lord, for bringing us to forego the way of selfish worldliness and live sacrificially because of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus for us. Amen.