Total Separation from This World (Part 3)

When I got saved, I read those scriptures and many others in the bible that were very challenging to me and my salvation. This article is entitled “Total Separation from This World.” To read that title just as it looks may entice us to feel as though “it doesn’t apply to me; I’m saved and I’ve been delivered from this world.” Well, let’s remember the story of Peter, and then follow me as I take you on my journey of “totally separating myself from this world.”

Let us first look at 1st John chapter 2 verse 15: 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. This is a very blunt verse. First we’re told not to love the world, and if we do, we don’t love God. I had to study this verse out to get the full meaning of what the apostle John was saying. Please bear in mind that John was one of the disciples Christ was speaking to in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 16. So he knew the importance of not loving the world. The magnitude of this scripture is going to take time for me to decipher and explain, but I will try to do my best.

First, let us look at the definition of the word “world.” “World” is defined as the earth and its inhabitants, with their concerns; the sum of human affairs and interests. With that definition in mind, let’s look at the scripture again. Love not the earth, and its inhabitants, or their concerns, or their affairs, or their interests. And if you do, you do not love God! That is a hard saying, but this is a commandment thru John, from God.

To bring this scripture closer to my understanding, I studied and searched and meditated on it even more. I would like us now to take this same verse, and personalize it. When Jesus spoke of gaining the whole world in Matthew chapter 16 and verse 26, He was talking of us gaining our “personal worlds.” We know we can’t have this whole earth, but are we trying to have “our” whole earth. Read with me 1st John chapter 2 verse 15 again: Love not my world, neither the things that are in my world. If I love my world, the love for my father is not in me!

The personalization of this scripture will now allow us to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit when he starts telling us what things in “our individual worlds” are preventing us from having the love of God in us like we should. Let us not take the word “love” to mean “we can have some things… as long as we don’t love them.”

Rather, look at it as “is this taking away my opportunity to have more of the love of the Father in me?” Our goal as saints should be to get as far from the (my) world as humanly possible, and as close to God as humanly possible. Why? Because if we’re too close to the (our) world, then some things will not seem as bad as they really are. And if it doesn’t seem that bad, we won’t be able to stay away from it.

I would like to give my personal testimony of how I’ve worked on not loving this (my) world, with all praises to God for His grace.

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