1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If you love the world, love for the Father is not in you. 16 For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful people, the lust of their eyes and their boasting about what they have and do—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
Pay attention to the word World in this text. The greek word for World is Kosmos.
The primary biblical interpretation of the word is…
Kosmos- an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government
Jesus came preaching a new Kosmos, His Kingdom. Much of the time when this verse is commented on there are only the two worlds emphasized, the Kingdom of God and “The World” (add southern twang when saying “the world”). I don’t totally disagree with that interpretation. But, it can limit the people’s idea of evangelism and how we are suppose to love. After all didn’t God send His only son to die for the sins of the the world (John 3:16; The world in this verse is Kosmos!).
So in the these two verses mentioned, John 3:16 and 1 John 2:15-17, Kosmos is used two seemingly different ways. One is telling us to flee from “the world” and in the other “the world” was what God so loved. But from the greek word used in both these verses “the world” or “Kosmos” is an arrangement, an order, a way in which things are set up.
With that being said I think there are many Kosmos that tempt us to accept them daily. Each of us are from different cultures with different categories of humanity. Some of us are from Christian homes, some other countries, some of us grew up in a culture of drugs. With this understood we must resist the daily temptation to slip into a kosmos (a reality) that is not the Kingdom of God.
I like fashion, at most any given point and time I can loose track of God’s Kingdom and God’s presence and settle for being fashionable. Some people like religion, they can loose site of God’s Kingdom and presence and settle for the Kosmos of religion. Some like preaching… Some like spiritual experiences… Some like sports…. Some like being fit… Some like being alone… Some like eating…
My point is that we must daily seek God’s face to maintain connection to His Kingdom and keep from drifting into an order of living that is not His. We must resist the temptation to settle for anything less that a life where Jesus is King.
So may you open your eyes to the reality of the many opposing Kosmos and may the Kingdom of God be your reality.
Collision of Kingdoms 