1 John 2:15 kjv

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.

1 John 2:15 nkjv

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.

1 John 2:15 niv

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.

1 John 2:15 esv

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.

1 John 2:15 nlt

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you.

1 John 2 verses

1 John 2 15 Meaning

This verse serves as a direct and unambiguous prohibition for believers: Do not harbor deep, devoted affection for the fallen human system that operates apart from God, nor for the specific values, pursuits, and enticements within that system. It asserts a fundamental spiritual incompatibility: if one’s primary affection and loyalty are directed towards this anti-God world, then genuine love for the Father is fundamentally absent from their heart. It underscores a mutual exclusivity of allegiance.

1 John 2 15 Context

1 John 2:15 is situated within John’s exhortations to believers on how to live out their faith authentically. Following passages encouraging his “little children” to obey God’s commandments and walk in the light, John pivots to issue a strong warning against the spiritual dangers of the world. Verse 15 introduces a pivotal theme further explained in verse 16 (the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life) and buttressed by the transient nature of the world in verse 17. The immediate context of 1 John 2:12-14 speaks to the spiritual maturity of believers ("fathers," "young men," "little children") based on their knowledge of Christ and victory over the evil one. This warning is thus addressed to those who are growing in faith, urging them to maintain their distinct spiritual allegiance. Historically, John’s audience was grappling with early forms of Gnostic thought and prevalent pagan lifestyles, both of which blurred the lines between Christian devotion and worldly accommodation. This verse serves as a crucial ethical boundary, reinforcing the necessary separation of true believers from the prevailing godless ethos of the surrounding culture.

1 John 2 15 Word analysis

• "Do not love" (μὴ ἀγαπᾶτε - mē agapate):

  • Mē indicates a strong prohibition.
  • Agapate is from agapao (ἀγαπάω), signifying a deep, self-giving, intentional, and principled love, rather than phileo (φιλέω) which denotes fond affection or friendship.
  • The present tense imperative indicates a continuous prohibition: "Stop loving" or "Do not be habitually loving" the world.
  • It commands against embracing, cherishing, valuing, or finding one's ultimate satisfaction in the world's system.

• "the world" (τὸν κόσμον - ton kosmon):

  • Kosmos (κόσμος) in John’s writings is multifaceted. Here, it does not refer to the physical creation, which God made and loves (Jn 3:16).
  • Instead, it signifies the human system and society that has organized itself apart from God, dominated by sin, and characterized by ungodly values, aims, and institutions. It represents humanity in rebellion against God, a moral order opposed to Him.

• "or the things in the world" (οὐδὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ - oude ta en tō kosmō):

  • Oude strengthens the negative conjunction: "nor indeed."
  • Ta en tō kosmō (τὰ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ) specifies the manifestations and expressions of "the world" system.
  • This phrase clarifies that the prohibition extends not just to the system itself, but to its constituent elements—the desires, values, and pursuits that define and drive that system, explicitly detailed in the subsequent verse (2:16) as the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

• "If anyone" (ἐάν τις - ean tis):

  • Introduces a conditional statement that applies universally to anyone professing faith or being part of the Christian community.

• "loves the world" (ἀγαπᾷ τὸν κόσμον - agapa ton kosmon):

  • Reiteration of the main verb and object from the first clause, underscoring the spiritual danger and forming the basis for the stark consequence. It speaks of the directing of one's deepest affections and ultimate allegiance.

• "the love of the Father" (ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Πατρὸς - hē agapē tou Patros):

  • This is a genitive construction that can be understood in two primary ways:
    • Objective genitive: "the love for the Father" (i.e., humanity's love directed towards God). This interpretation implies that true love for God cannot coexist with love for the world.
    • Subjective genitive: "the love from the Father" (i.e., God's love poured into a person's heart). This implies that if a person loves the world, God's divine love is not resident or effectively operating within them.
  • Given the strong contrast presented and John's broader theology (cf. 1 Jn 4:7-8), it is most accurately understood as "love for the Father" – genuine, reciprocal devotion to God. It means the kind of love (God-derived and God-directed) that a child should have for their Heavenly Father.

• "is not in him" (οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ - ouk estin en autō):

  • Ouk estin is a strong negation: "is not," absolutely.
  • En autō means "in him."
  • This phrase states a definitive spiritual reality: these two loves are mutually exclusive and fundamentally incompatible. One cannot authentically love God while simultaneously cherishing the values, desires, and systems of the world that stand in opposition to God. It speaks to a fundamental issue of ultimate loyalty and allegiance.

• "Do not love the world or the things in the world.": This is a sweeping command for Christian nonconformity. It's a call to disinvest emotional and spiritual energy from the godless human order and its temptations, ensuring ultimate allegiance remains solely with God. This spiritual detachment is crucial for true communion with God.

• "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.": This establishes a radical spiritual dichotomy. The two "loves" are presented as opposing forces competing for the heart's supreme devotion. Where one dominates, the other is, by definition, absent as a guiding principle. This condition speaks to the core identity and regenerated nature of the believer: true faith produces love for God and separation from worldly devotion.

1 John 2 15 Bonus section

The injunction against loving the world does not equate to a call for physical withdrawal from society or a monastic lifestyle. Believers are in the world but not of it (Jn 17:15-16). The separation called for is spiritual, moral, and ideological, requiring a renewed mind (Rom 12:2) that discerns and rejects the patterns and values of the world system. This internal spiritual warfare is an ongoing reality for the believer (Gal 5:17), where the Spirit contends against the desires of the flesh, which are often aligned with the "things in the world." Ultimately, the motivation not to love the world is tied to its transient nature; as verse 17 explains, the world and its desires are passing away, whereas God's will endures forever, offering a lasting reality worth loving.

1 John 2 15 Commentary

1 John 2:15 issues a stark and unequivocal command that forms a cornerstone of Christian discipleship. It calls believers to reject affectionate devotion to the "world" – not God’s beautiful creation or the people in it (whom we are to love), but the corrupt, fallen system of humanity that stands in active opposition to God and His kingdom. This "world" is characterized by ungodly values, aspirations, and moral standards, as elucidated by verse 16’s “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”

The prohibition against agapao love for the world implies a rejection of ultimate commitment, allegiance, and pursuit of its transient treasures. It is about a primary affection: where is our deepest devotion? The verse forcefully states that a true love for the Father—the kind of love and loyalty that reflects our sonship—cannot coexist with such deep-seated affection for the world. These two loves are intrinsically incompatible; they pull the heart in opposite directions. To love the world is to prioritize what God condemns, revealing a heart that has not fully surrendered to divine Lordship or grasped the Father's radical love. It is a fundamental choice of allegiance, impacting one’s lifestyle, values, and ultimate destiny (as implied by 1 Jn 2:17 where the world passes away).

Practical examples include: prioritizing wealth and status over integrity and God’s call; deriving identity and validation solely from social media acceptance; succumbing to consumerism's endless demands for more; pursuing selfish pleasures rather than sacrificial service; adopting prevailing secular worldviews over biblical truth; or seeking happiness in temporal things while neglecting eternal realities.