Obedience: The True Test of Our Love

September 21, 2025|Obedience|1 John 2:15-17

Will Davis

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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 desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

This morning we will be continuing our series through the book of 1 John.  As many of you know at the end of next month we will have our annual Fall Fest, but Oct 31st is also Reformation Day. 

Oct 31st in 1517 a monk named Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Church.  This act would be the spark that would ignite the Reformations of the 1500s. 

So, why did Luther wish to reform the church? 

If you do any digging into church history during the 1400s you will see a church that has left the authority of scripture behind and rested on the authority of men alone.  The Gospel had been distorted to the point of no return, sure they taught that salvation was an act of grace of God on the day your parents had you baptized into the church as a baby, but it is not sinning or doing good works that keeps your salvation.  This is where purgatory comes from because if you don’t do enough good works to pay off your sin debt then you have to wait in purgatory to become free of the stain of sin so you can be in the presence of God. 

One of those good works is confession of your sins to a priest, but you couldn’t just say empty words, you really had to mean it, to really be sorry for your sins.  Well for the average person this is not an issue but for someone as neurotic as Luther it was a major issue.  Luther would confess his sins then feel as if he was really not sorry enough in his confession.  This would lead him to go back and confess that his confession was not sincere enough. 

At this point you might be asking why didn’t Luther just read the scriptures himself and know that it is all a work of God, that God is the author and finisher of our faith. 

Well he didn’t read the scriptures until he was a master level student. 

It was while reading Romans 1:17 which says For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith, it was these words the righteous shall live by faith that completely turned Luther’s world upside down. 

God’s children were not to live by good works, by buying indulgences, or buying indulgences for dead loved ones.  God’s children are to live by faith in the one who has ransomed them from death to life, Jesus Christ. 

We can no more earn our salvation than keep it. 

It was with understanding that Luther understood that he could never be good enough or confess enough to earn merit in the eyes of God, that only by and through faith was there any assurance of his salvation. 

So, you may be wondering what does all this about Luther have to do with our passage this morning. 

Well let's get back to the context of this letter, what is John’s main reason for writing this letter?  John gives us his thesis statement towards the end of the letter; look at chapter 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

John makes it clear that he is writing to believers in the church so that they may know that they have eternal life, in other words assurance of salvation. 

John wants those that heard it read aloud, Martin Luther, and us here today that through Christ we not only have salvation, but an assurance of that salvation.  

Like we read two weeks ago John wants us to know that we belong to God by the condition of our hearts.  In these 3 verses what John is calling us to examine is our love born from our flesh and the things of the world or is our love born from our faith in God, a love that is not natural to us.  A love that causes us to be obedient to God, not as a good work but because of the love for the Father and for the things of the Father.  In this way our obedience becomes the true test of our love. 

Is our love our obedience devoted to the things of this world or is our love our obedience devoted to the Father?

So, with the assurance of our salvation as the backdrop of this passage, the three points for this morning are: do not love the world, the dangers of the world, and the reality of obedience.

I. Do Not Love the World

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.

In verse 15 John gives what seems like a straight forward command, do not love the world or the things in the world, but what does John mean by the world? 

The word in Greek is simply kosmos: which just means the world. 

This word is used 187 times in the Greek and is the same word used in passages like Acts 17:24 “The God who made the world (or kosmos) and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,”  and Romans 1:20 “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world (kosmos), in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” 

And when we look at this world which God has created it should cause us to give Him glory right? 

So is John telling us that we should hate, which is the opposite of love, God’s creation. 

The same creation in Gen 1:31 which God called very good? 

Even this creation, this world is a form of grace that God has extended towards mankind. 

We know from scripture that the heavens and the earth declare the glory of God. 

So as believers we can love God’s creation and understand that we are even called to be good stewards of what God has given us.  This is why a Christian cannot hold to an evolutionary belief.  We must not give glory that is due God to nothing becoming everything, we must not give glory to random nothingness turning the emptiness of chaos into the order that we can observe around us.  God is a God of order and only by Him could everything come into being with its perfect order and place.  God’s creation speaks to His grandeur and majesty, that we still with all our modern technology only understand a tiny fraction of all its wonders. 

Well what about the human world are we to hate the human world?  Is that what John is calling us not to love? 

I don’t think so, God loves the human world so much He gave His only son that we might be redeemed through Him.  Even here in chapter 2 verse 1 we see that we have an advocate, Jesus, who is the propitiation for not just our sins, but the sins of the whole world or kosmos.   The late John McAurther says it like this “So if we can love the physical world in the sense that we see its beauty and give God glory for it, and if we are called to love the human world as God Himself does, and went to the degree that He actually sent His Son into the world, John 1:10, “He was in the world, the world was made by Him, the world knew Him not.” He came into the world He loved. We are to follow that pattern. He came because He loved, and we are to love that world of humanity as well.”

So, then what world does John want us not to love, what kosmos is he calling us to hate. 

We can look to scripture and clearly see that we are called to love both creation and the human world, so what is this world that we should have no part of? 

It is the system of spiritual evil that operates in this world, a system that is opposed to the will of God.  That is the kosmos or world that John is referring to.  It is a system of chaos, of disorder, of evil, of rebellion against God.  It’s a system that is inherently sinful and evil to its core. It’s a system that is built upon hating what is good.  A system of human wisdom, human thought, human ideologies, this false teaching of gnostics that god was within themselves and all they needed is access to this secret knowledge to have eternal life. 

It is a system of chaos, of disorder, of evil, of rebellion against God.

Having a love for the world and the things in the world shows is a great indicator to know that the love of the Father is not in you.  To chase after the world to have a love for the world is to be following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is not at work in the sons of disobedience, Eph 2:2 says.  John is making it clear to anyone that would call themself a believer that you can not say you have the love of the Father if you love what He hates. The author of Psalm 119:104 says it this way, “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.”  and again in verse 113 “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law.”  In other words you can not come face to face with the thrice holy God, study His word and yet still love evil.  This is very similar to what John said in verse 9 “Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.”  

This is that same stark contrast of light and dark, but now expressed in terms of love; love for the world or love of the Father.  You can not claim both, just like you can not claim to be in the light while hating your brother, you can not claim to have the love of the Father if you love the evil of this world.  James says the same thing in James 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” 

James takes even farther than John in that you just don’t have the love of the Father, but you make yourself an enemy of God.  This is the warning John is so desperate for us to understand, our claims mean nothing without the fruit to support them.   We may be able to fool everyone around us to include ourselves, but we can not fool or trick God.  He is not interested in our false works, in our human piety, in our desires to be seen doing good see Matt chapter 6. 

So, what does this love of the world verse having the love of the Father look like? 

Well some time back I preached on the sheep and goats in Matt 25.  The sheep, those that had the love of the Father in them didn’t even know that they were doing good..Matt 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

This is a love that is foreign to us, one that is created in us by God because His love dwells within us.  Now look at those that still love the world, what is their answer to the same question?    44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’This love of the world causes the heart to look inward to your own cares, thoughts, and your own desires above all else.  This love of the world does not lead to life, only death. It is hopeless and has no power and like John said in verse 8 this darkness is already passing away because the true light of the world has already come and He purchased His bride with His own blood. 

Though John in verse 15 calls us to reject a love for the world that rivals our love for God, verse 16 reveals why—because the desires of the world are not from the Father but are part of a system opposed to Him; yet even as we confront these dangers, we do so with the assurance that our salvation secured for us by our Advocate, not in the passing things of the world.This brings us to our next point: The Dangers of the Word.

II. The Dangers of the World

16 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. 

So what is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life? It is simply the categories in which the world sets out to tempt you. This is what the world does. Those that belong to Christ will not continually love the world because it opposes God, and it is designed to tempt you. It is designed to tempt you toward pornography, immorality, lies, deception, racial hatred, class division. It just wants to incite you. It opposes God; it generates sin. It is as impossible for the love of the world to coexist with love for God, as impossible as it is for light to coexist with darkness.

So what are we to do with this knowledge of what temptations are in the world?  John told us in verse 15 Do not love the world or the things in the world.  This is the command, stop loving the world, there is nothing for you there; all of its treasures, all of its pleasures, all of its power, all of its wisdom, its education, and its philosophy.  All of it is meant to seduce you into the love of the world, to reclaim you as an enemy of God.

And if you love the world, the love of the Father is not in you.  All the world does and offers is sin.  Let's get real for a second. All entertainment now is meant to appeal to the desires of your flesh and eyes so that you can live out your sin through characters on a screen or page.  In the same way politics appeals to our pride of life.  The idea that I can do what God can’t, or I see this political figure as the one to “save america” or “build america back better”.  Church, there is only one hope for this country and it is not found on the right or left side of the aisle. That hope is only found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Hope is found at the foot of the cross and the empty tomb.  Church lets be honest with ourselves, one day too many compromises will be made by politicians and you and I will either stand on the truth and love of God or for the love of the world and all that is in it.  We must not allow these temptations of the world to become what we love, what we obey, what we desire; why: because it is not from the Father!  

Let’s take a closer look at what John means by “the desires of the flesh.” In its simplest form, “flesh” refers to our fallen, sinful nature one that is constantly at odds with God. Paul unpacks this idea more fully in Galatians 5:19–21, where he describes what the works of the flesh look like:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Does anything on that list surprise you? It really shouldn’t. Just turn on the news. You’ll see enmity, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, rivalries, and division all playing out in real time, often in the same segment. We live in a world so consumed by the flesh that even political violence is being celebrated.

But church, this should neither shock us nor make us proud. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:11, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”

That’s the key difference between a life without Christ and a life in Him. Without Christ, there’s no hope only separation from God and exclusion from His kingdom. But with Christ, we’re given a new identity and an eternal inheritance undefiled and unfading.

And so, Paul urges us to live not according to the flesh, but by the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

This is the contrast John is drawing between the world and the people of God. Anything that feeds your sinful desires doesn’t come from the Father; it comes from the world, from the kingdom of darkness. And you cannot love the world when that is what it produces.

Have you ever noticed that our enemy hasn’t had to change his tactics? From the very beginning, his strategies have remained the same. The same dangers John warns us about in verse 16 the desires of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life were present all the way back in the garden.

In Genesis 3, we see Satan using these very temptations to pull Adam and Eve away from God's perfect will. Verse 6 tells us that Eve saw that the tree was good for food, what looked good and life-giving on the surface ended in spiritual death. And that’s how the world works: it presents what looks appealing, even harmless, but underneath, it leads to destruction.

This is the lust of the eyes in action. “I see it, I have to have it.” And if there's ever been a generation that embodies this, it’s ours. Today, you don’t just see something and want it, you can have it delivered to your doorstep in 24 hours. We are being conditioned to crave, consume, and chase what our eyes desire, without discernment. We are constantly tempted.

And the pattern is not new:Lot’s wife looked back, longing for what she left behind and was turned into a pillar of salt.Achan saw the riches of Jericho, coveted them and was stoned for his disobedience.Samson saw a woman he wanted lost his strength, his sight, and eventually his life.David saw Bathsheba, what followed was a tragic fall into sin, deceit, and loss.

The common thread? The eyes saw, the heart desired, and the result was devastation.

That’s why Psalm 119:37 pleads, “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, and give me life in Your ways.” 

I pray that in today's world this prayer would be ever present in our hearts.

What captures your eyes can easily capture your heart and what captures your heart your life will be conformed to.

The world is carefully designed to lure us in through our flesh, through our eyes, through our pride. But no matter how attractive it seems, what it offers is ultimately empty. Church, we must be watchful.

What captures your eyes can easily capture your heart and what captures your heart your life will be conformed to.

Finally, John warns us about the pride of life, a boastful, self-centered attitude that touches every area of our lives. In our modern culture, this kind of pride has been amplified to an extreme. Social media feeds it daily, encouraging us to live on display, to seek approval, and to measure our worth by likes, followers, and curated images. 

Our culture tells us: “You can be whatever you want,” “Live your truth,” “Do whatever makes you happy.” But this mindset stands in direct opposition to the message of Scripture. God’s Word tells us that He has uniquely gifted each of us according to His purpose, that He alone is the source of truth, and that our lives are meant to bring glory and honor to Christ not to ourselves.

To live this way means living sacrificially, just as Christ did for us.

It means setting aside our own comfort and desires so that the joy of the Lord might be made known to others. True joy is found not in self-exaltation, but in Christ-centered humility.

Pride, however, leaves no room for others. It isolates. It erodes relationships. And at its core, the pride of life says, “I don’t need God or if He does exist, I could do a better job.”

It’s the voice that says: “I should’ve been born in a different body.” 

“I should’ve had more talent, more success, more wealth.” “I deserve better. I know best.”It’s an endless cycle of “I, I, I” making yourself the main character of your story, rather than submitting to the Author of life.

But Christ calls us to something far better: a life of humility, surrender, and joyful obedience, where the goal is not self-promotion but Christ exaltation. The pride of life may promise happiness, but it only delivers emptiness. In contrast, the life laid down for Jesus produces eternal joy.

This brings us to our last point this morning: The Reality of Obedience

III. The Reality of Obedience

17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

So why don’t we love the world? John gives us four reasons.

First, because of what it is, a system, ruled by Satan, in direct rebellion against God.

Second, because of who we are, we belong to God’s family, not the world.

Third, because of what it does it tempts us through the lust of the flesh, the eyes, and pride, pulling us away from God.

And finally, because of where it’s going.John makes it clear that not just all that is in the world is passing away but all of the world.  Nothing will be left of it, the world is passing away.  The only thing that will endure is God and those that abide in His will. 

Now you might be asking: “Why did I title this last section ‘The Reality of Obedience’? I thought obedience was a work—and we know that works don’t save us. So what is this reality of obedience?”

Obedience is the fruit, not the root, of salvation. It is the outward evidence of an inward transformation.

Let me be absolutely clear: salvation comes by faith alone. We are saved only by trusting in the fully sufficient, once-for-all atoning work of Christ on the cross. But here’s the reality: true faith always produces obedience. Obedience is the fruit, not the root, of salvation. It is the outward evidence of an inward transformation.  In other words, obedience doesn’t earn salvation, it confirms it. It testifies that we truly belong to God, that we have been adopted as sons and daughters into His family.

Jesus speaks directly to this idea of a works based salvation in Matthew 7:22:

“On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’”

This is a warning. These people pointed to their works, not their relationship with Christ. Their confidence was in what they had done, not in what Christ had done. This is exactly what John calls the pride of life, a self-centered, performance-driven approach to salvation.

The prophet Isaiah tells us plainly: Isaiah 64:6 “All our righteous deeds are like filthy rags” 

That means even our best works if they’re done apart from Christ are temporary, tainted, and ultimately useless. Like the blood of bulls and goats under the old covenant, they can never take away sin. Only faith in the finished work of Jesus saves.

Now, remember the sheep in Matthew 25.Jesus commends them for feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, and clothing the naked. But what’s their response? “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you?” They didn’t even realize what they were doing was “good work.” Why? Because it was the Spirit of God working through them, not a pride-driven attempt to earn favor. Their obedience flowed naturally from a heart transformed by grace.

And Jesus says those works were eternal, because He had counted them as unto Him. These are the kinds of works that will not pass away.

They had been made new. They had received a new Spirit, a Spirit that leads to joyful, willing obedience.  This obedience wasn’t law-keeping out of duty.  It was total surrender to the lordship of Christ. It was a life abiding in the will of the Father.  And that kind of life will endure forever.

Listen again to Jesus’ words in John 15:4-5:

“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Every verse about abiding in God confirms this truth:

1 John 4:15 — “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”

John 15:9 — “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”

1 John 2:6 — “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”

John 14:23 — “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word… and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

1 John 3:24 — “Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him.”

John 8:31 — “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”

Psalm 91:1 — “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

John’s call to us is clear: get your eyes off the world off of its fleeting desires, its empty pleasures, and its prideful self-promotion. It’s all passing away. The light of Christ has come into the world, and it is driving out the darkness. So fix your eyes not on temporary gain but on the eternal King who never fades. Secure your hope in Christ. Abide in the love of the Father that lasts forever. There is no hope in the world. It is broken, defeated, and dying. All it has left is the ability to seduce, deceive, and destroy. So don’t look to what is dying to save you.  Look to the One whose work is eternally finished, whose blood speaks a better word, and whose love endures forever. The reality of obedience is this: It isn’t the way we earn our place in God’s family. It’s the evidence that we already belong. Our faith is proven in our love.  Our love is shown in our obedience.  And those who abide in the will of the Father will not pass away.

As we come to a close this morning, I want to leave you with this deep and comforting truth: your salvation is secure not because of your performance, but because of your position in Christ. And that position is made evident through your faithful obedience to Him.

If you have trusted in Jesus Christ if you have confessed Him as Lord, believed in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and surrendered your life to His rule then you are saved. Full stop.

That salvation is a gift of grace through faith. But don’t miss this: that same saving faith will transform your life. It will reshape your desires. It will produce a heart that longs to obey not out of fear, not to earn favor, but out of love.Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”Obedience is not a burden for the believer; it’s a joy. It’s a sign of life. It is the evidence that you belong to God, that His Spirit is at work in you, and that your hope is not set on this world but on the eternal kingdom that cannot be shaken.

So let me ask you, as John asked the early church: Do you love the world, or do you love the Father?Because if your heart is grieved by sin…If your desire is to walk in the light…If you hunger for righteousness…If you find joy in obeying Christ…Even when it’s hard then take heart, church. These are not the marks of the world. These are the fruits of the Spirit. And they testify that you have passed from death into life.You are not saved by your obedience but if you are truly saved, your life will be marked by obedience. That is the reality of a transformed heart.So hold fast to the promises of God. Rest in the finished work of Jesus. Abide in His love. And walk in His will, knowing that: 1 John 2:17 “Whoever does the will of God abides forever.” 

This is our confidence.

This is our hope.

And this is our assurance that through Christ, we will not pass away.