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Our Relationship With The World 1 John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” What does it mean to “love not the world”? The words “love” and “world” here are the exact same words “loved” and “world” as we read in John 3:16. As Christians we are to love the world just as God so loved it. He gave “His only begotten Son” to redeem fallen man and we should give Jesus Christ in word as a witness of His love. In 1 John the context of the text is a warning. The Bible is warning us not to allow the world to become an idol. The last verse of 1 John proves this truth. 1 John 5:21 “Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” As Christians we are in this world to be a witness of Jesus Christ. That is as far as our relationship with this world is to go. We are to love all people and seek to witness to all people in this world. Outside of the people of this world, we are to love not this world. Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”