<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We often hear it said that Christians are to be all about love and acceptance. We are to love anything and everything about anybody with no distinctions, no judging, and no nothing. While it is true that Christians are to be known by their love, it is a love that is defined by Scripture, not the world. In today\u2019s world love is defined as total acceptance of everyone and everything about everything. Biblically speaking, that is not love. We see here in our passage today, that true love for God, includes not loving certain things – the world and all that is in the world. If we are to truly love God, then we cannot love and accept anything and everything; we must discriminate and make judgments.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What is the World?<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Right off the bat we are given a command, \u201cDo not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.\u201d So if we are to love God and obey Him, then we are not to love the world or the things in the world. To some of us it may be obvious, but we ought to define what is meant by the world here. <\/span><\/p>\n There are mainly three different ways that the Bible uses the word, \u201cworld.\u201d One is in reference to creation. This of course is not what is in view here. God\u2019s creation is a good gift to mankind that we are to love and enjoy in its proper place.<\/span><\/p>\n The other way is in a general reference to the world of people. As in John 3:16, \u201cFor God so loved the world\u2026\u201d or as in 1 John 2:2 where Christ is the propitiation for the world, referring to the world of all types of people. We are certainly not here commanded to hate that which God loves.<\/span><\/p>\n The third use of the word is in reference to the realm of darkness. To the world in which Satan rules. To a sinful and debase way of thinking, a worldview and way of life that is in opposition to a biblical worldview and the ways of Christ. It is the way of the ungodly, the way of the wicked, the way of Satan. And it doesn\u2019t always look that way. The world here also implies a temporary way of living. It is a way of living in the here and now, with no concern or care for eternity or for the spiritual. It is materialistic in many ways.<\/span><\/p>\n John then goes on to describe the things in the world, which in a way, works to help define what is meant by the world here.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Desires of the World<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We have here the three categories that John uses to describe the things in the world that we are not to love. The desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life. Nearly every worldly thing that we are tempted with could be put into these categories. These are different avenues in which temptation comes to us, by appealing to different aspects of our flesh.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Desires of the Flesh<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The desires of the flesh describe doing simply what feels good – being controlled by every impulse and instinct to do what feels good, like an animal. It is a lust for comfort, a desire for having all of the luxuries of the world. This would include sexual sins, or an indulgence on food, or substances, and the many other ways that we can be lead by a lust for doing what feels good. How enticing this can be, as it so difficult to put to death the sins that make our flesh feel good. Of course this isn\u2019t saying that it is sinful to simply feel good, but in each case it describing a lust for these things, which is an uncontrollable desire for these things – some of which may be good gifts from God that we abuse, others just plain sinful. It is us being controlled by our desires, rather than us controlling our desires.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Desires of the Eyes<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Next we have the desires of the eyes, referring to the things of the world that look good to our sinful flesh. Oh how many temptations enter through our eyes. What a precious portal they are to our souls. The desires of the eyes only sees that which is physical, which is only half of reality. It leaves faith out of the question. The world is full of sparkly distractions and temptations, but it is all fool\u2019s gold. The true Christian does not look at the world through eyes of flesh, but through eyes of faith, looking past the temporary glimmers and attractions in this world. But that is the trick with the lust of the eyes, it makes the things in the world *look* so good – but that is it – they only look so good, they aren\u2019t actually.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Pride of Life<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The third, is the pride of life, or the pride of possessions. The pride of life is the driving force behind the lusts for the things in the world. This is the aspect of worldliness that desperately wants the acceptance of those in the world. It wants other people to be able to look at you, your life, the things that you have, and praise you for it, like fans to celebrities. The pride of life glorifies self rather than God, praising oneself for achieving worldly success, rather than being thankful to God.<\/span><\/p>\n The pride of life, not in terms of possessions, but in terms of the attitude behind it, of wanting acceptance from the world based upon your life, is such a serious problem among professing Christians and many churches in America today. There is a desire to be loved, accepted, and respected by the world, that can drive you to order your whole life based upon what others will think of you, and not around God\u2019s Word. We could go down a list and start naming different examples of this, but it would be best if we first examined our own hearts and lives, to see whether we feel this pull, to be driven by the pride of life, to be great to some extent in the world, according to its sinful desires and ungodly values.<\/span><\/p>\n Is there any of this in our lives? The world is so enticing to our flesh. It is so easy to be tempted with the lusts of the world. It has been said many times and in many different ways, that instead of asking how close to the world we can get without becoming of the world, we should be asking how close to Christ can we get. How much can we abide in Him? How much can we grow in holiness? How holy can I be? How close to the Bible can I get? So many times we might ask, \u201cHow cool can I be so that the world will see that Christians are cool too?\u201d What a slippery slope that type of question is into becoming the pride of life. Instead, let us ask, \u201cHow holy can I be?\u201d That\u2019s really what we\u2019re talking about here: holiness versus worldliness. <\/span><\/p>\n So often the temptation toward worldliness sounds like this: \u201cThat looks good;\u201d \u201cThat feels good;\u201d \u201cPeople will love you for this.\u201d It plays on all things physical and temporary. It is important to note here that John is not thinking merely about material things (though there is an element of that ), but more about the attitude and sin behind it (pride of life, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes – it is a lust for those things, not the possession itself); for we know that a poor person can still have a love for the world, and wealthy person can be free from the lust for the world. That may be the temptation for most of us – \u00a0to think that because we aren\u2019t wealthy then these things aren\u2019t serious temptations for us. But they surely are, whether we have the possessions or not.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Sin is within our Hearts<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The thing about it is, that sin is not something out there in the world that comes in to us and infects us. But rather, the sin is within our own hearts. When we fall to worldliness, we are not victims, we are perpetrators. We wanted it. <\/span><\/p>\n When someone comes to Christ and is born again, given a new nature, made a new creation in Christ Jesus with new nature desires, they have a newfound love for God, and passion for the things of God and living a godly life, and their worldly tastes begin to go away. But so often there are seasons throughout the Christian life, where the passion begins to wane, the love can become stale, the discipline is not attended to, the guard is let down, the fighting against sin ceases, and then, worldliness begins to creep back in. The comforts of the world begin to cry out to you. They are often very moral looking comforts, so that it is easily justified in your life. The little toys and pleasures of the world begin to catch your eye, and you don\u2019t want to be seen as a crazy Christian by the world, because, well, you want to be comfortable, and enjoy the pleasantries of life.<\/span><\/p>\n This so often is where many professing Christians drift off to: a moral looking worldliness. Again, not that having comforts and possessions is in and of itself sinful, but those things can begin to sap your devotion and discipline to the Lord, dry up your love for the brethren, and on and on it goes, until you no longer look like a Christian.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I cannot think of a more prevalent warning for Christians in America today: \u201cDo not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.\u201d Friends, the allurements of the world have taken more professing Christians down than anything else. So many people who once professed to be believers have forsaken the faith, because they loved the world.<\/span><\/p>\n A biblical example is what Paul writes in 2 Timothy 4:10, \u201cFor Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me\u2026\u201d Demas was a man, mentioned elsewhere who had done a lot of gospel work with Paul, and yet, out of love for this present world, he deserted Paul. He deserted the ministry. It is not an exaggeration to say that the number one reason for professing Christians to fall away is because they love the world and the things in the world. My friends, if we examine our hearts and our lives, and we find that there is a love for the world that is there, we ought to, with all urgency and diligence put it to death, lest it overcome us and cause us to fall.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n But not only is worldliness a great cause of falling for professing believers, but it is a great hindrance to coming to Christ. People do not come to Christ because they despise him, and instead, they love the world. They live for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life! That is their life and their love. I think of the rich young ruler who claimed to have kept all the requirements of the law, but upon Jesus telling him to sell his possessions and follow him, he walked away sad, because he loved the world! The pride of life, was his love, and there was no room left in his heart to love Jesus.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The great theology behind it is this: we are commanded not to the love world, because, \u201cIf anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.\u201d This is a negative test of assurance that John gives us: if you love the world, then you shouldn\u2019t have full assurance of your salvation, because if you love the world, then the love of the Father cannot be in you! This is serious! This is the principle that says you cannot serve two masters, either you will hate the one and love the other, or love the one and hate the other. Divine love and worldly love cannot occupy the same heart. Far too many people believe that they can love both, they find that they cannot, and so they end up loving the world, and forsaking Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The World is Passing Away<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n We are told not to love the world or the things in the world, because if we do, it is evident then that the love of the Father is not in us. But we are also given another reason that we are not to love that world; and that is because in verse 17, \u201cthe world is passing away along with its desires\u2026\u201d This is the sinister nature of the temptation to worldliness – it does not last. It is passing away. It is dying. It will not deliver on its promises. If you love the world, and the things therein, you will perish and pass away with them. There will come a day when the world, in terms of the realm of sin and darkness will be no more, and everything you lived for will be all for not, and you will be burning in hell for eternity, if you love the world! That\u2019s how serious this is!<\/span><\/p>\n You hear people joke around all the time about hell will be a party and that they will see their friends in hell and have a beer in hell with each other. That is foolishness, hell is not a joke, this is not a game, because in hell, all those desires of the world that you love, you will not have in hell, because the world and all its desires are passing away, they will not last forever!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Love God<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In verse 17, the passing away of the world and its desires is contrasted with whoever does the will of God abides forever. In one sense we are given a higher motive for the Christian life. We are not simply told \u201cDon\u2019t love the world, if you do you will pass away;\u201d we certainly are told that, but beyond that, whoever does the will of God abides forever. You see, in Christianity, we don\u2019t do things simply out of fear of punishment. We obey God out of a higher joy than what we could find elsewhere. You can\u2019t love the world and abide forever. It is those who do the will of God that abide forever.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n What does it mean to do the will of God? Doing the will of God could mean different things depending on the context that it is in. In the context of this greater passage, it clearly means, obeying God\u2019s commands – his revealed will in His Word – his law. It means loving him and loving one another. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Some of you may be wrestling a bit with verse 17. Maybe you are asking, \u201cIs John teaching some kind of works based salvation?\u201d No he is not. Verse 17 is not ultimately to be read as a causal statement: \u201cif you do this then you will live forever.\u201d But rather it is a descriptive statement, like its wider context. It is simply stating the fact that whoever does the will of God abides forever. It is describing the statement.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Even if you did take this as purely a causal statement, which I don\u2019t, but if you did, John still isn\u2019t teaching a works salvation, because we would ask, \u201cWho does the will of God?\u201d Only those who who have been born of the Spirit, made new creations in Christ, saved by his grace alone. \u201cWhy does someone do the will of God?\u201d Because they have come to Christ by faith alone, and the Spirit of God indwells them, giving them faith to obey and do the will of God. Doing the will of God is something that only Christians can do. And Christians are Christians by grace. Not by merit, not by worth, but by the sovereign and electing grace of God alone. Unbelievers cannot do the will of God, in the sense of the will of God being obeying his commands. They can\u2019t. They can\u2019t do it. They love the world, therefore they can\u2019t love the Father and obey his commands. The only ones who can obey the will of God are those who love God, and the only ones who can love God, are the ones whom God has shed abroad His love in their hearts, loving them first, drawing them in, and making them his own.<\/span><\/p>\n So as Christians we do not love the world, or the things in the world, but we love God, we do the will of God, and we abide forever. But you see the struggle and the enticements of the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – these are not unique to us, or newly introduced by John. These are the age-old temptations of the serpent.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s Failure<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In fact, these are the very lusts of the world by which our first parents, Adam and Eve, fell by in the garden. And they still are slaying millions every day. Genesis 3:6 tells us, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was a delight to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise [pride of life],\u00a0she took of its fruit\u00a0and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her,\u00a0and he ate.”<\/span><\/p>\n These are Satan\u2019s tools, he\u2019s been using them since the beginning and still to this day. Let us be fervently on guard against the subtlety of worldliness that can come upon us.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Christ\u2019s Success<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Though sin came into this world due to the succumbing to the desires of the things of the world, it is through their defeat that we have righteousness before God, and the ability to say no, if we are in Christ. Satan is a pretty crafty creature, as we saw in the garden, but he is not all powerful. In his foolishness, Satan thought that he could use the lusts of the world to bring down the perfect Son of God. At the outset of Jesus\u2019 ministry, after his baptism, Jesus went out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, the tempter came to him, to tempt him. That old slithery serpent thought the same old tactics of worldliness that worked upon the first Adam, would work on the Second Adam. He first tempted Christ to turn stones in to bread – the lust of the flesh (this is in Matthew 4 for one place, by the way). To that, Christ resisted the physical temptation of the flesh, by Faith, saying, \u201cIt is written, \u2018Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.\u2019\u201d Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said that if you throw yourself down the angels will rescue you – there is the pride of life. Christ responded in faith, \u201cAgain it is written, \u2018You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.\u2019\u201d Then finally, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and said its yours if you just bow down to me – there is the lust of the eyes – all that he could see could be his. But Christ said to him, \u201cBe gone, Satan! For it is written, \u2018You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.\u2019\u201d Jesus Christ succeeded where Adam failed, not loving the world or the things in the world, proving to be a worthy savior for us. Why did Jesus go through that? To redeem us from the fall into worldliness in which we fell into in our first parents.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Final Gospel Thoughts<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Church, let us flee from worldliness and all the enticements and snares that are set for us in the world and run to Christ, the one who has overcome all sin and worldliness, in whom we also have overcome. Let us not allow any love for the world or the things therein to remain alive in our hearts, for we cannot serve two masters. May divine love fill and rule our hearts so that there is no longer any room for worldly love. Let us be filled with God\u2019s love for us, love for God, and love for the brethren. Let us not see how near we can get to the sin and worldliness from which Christ has redeemed us.<\/span><\/p>\n In his death, Jesus took the pain of the cross (denying the desires of the flesh), the scorn of man (denying pride of life), and counted the things of the world as nothing for us (denying the desires of the eyes), to save us. But even more so it was the pain of God\u2019s wrath, the scorn of the Father and the taking of our punishment for us. This is what Christ has done to save – he lived righteously in our stead, and died sacrificially in our place. How could we forsake such a loving Savior for the temporary, deceptive, lusts of the world?<\/span><\/p>\n Christianity is not simply denying our flesh, but it is a receiving from Christ greater and better things than the lusts of the world have to offer. In Christ we have more and better things than the world has to offer. In the New Heaven and New Earth it will be a restored and better paradise than what Adam and Eve had in the garden before the fall. The curses of sin will be no more, and the enjoyment of paradise with Christ will never end. Our happiness will only increase over time, as we have perfect fellowship with God, and all things in Him.<\/span><\/p>\n Even while will live in this world, awaiting that day, the things that we can have now in the gospel are far better than the fleeting desires of the world. In Christ we have the riches of God\u2019s mercy, the beauty of Christ\u2019s righteousness, and we have the approval of God – far better than the approval of man. This is the drive behind many people\u2019s fall into worldliness – they crave the approval of man. Yet that counts for nothing. It doesn\u2019t satisfy, it does nothing for your soul, it has no bearing on eternity. Only one being\u2019s approval matters – and that is God\u2019s. Only through the Lord Jesus Christ, by forsaking the love of the world, and turning to him in repentance and faith, because of his righteous life imputed to us, and his substitutionary death on the cross for us, do we have the approval of God. That\u2019s what matters. That\u2019s what abides forever. That\u2019s what isn\u2019t passing away. It is far better to be temporarily despised by the world, and be loved and approved by God, than to be loved by the world, and despised by God for all eternity. <\/span><\/p>\n So I ask you today, do you have the approval of God? What are you seeking? What do you love? Do you love the world? Then be sure the Love of the Father is not in you. Do you love the Father, but feel so tempted and weighed down with worldliness? Then look to Christ, look to his victory, look to his life, look to his death, look to him now, interceding for you to overcome the evil one and the desires of the world.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Introduction We often hear it said that Christians are to be all about love and acceptance. We are to love anything and everything about anybody with no distinctions, no judging, and no nothing. While it is true that Christians are to be known by their love, it is a love that is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":685,"featured_media":3629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,27,32],"tags":[34,105,205,274,278,387,455,465,467,534,557,678,679,687,699,765,775,792,872,975,1014,1056,1080,1105,1114,1144,1224,1347,1365,1366],"class_list":{"0":"post-3628","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-commentary","8":"category-gospel","9":"category-theology","10":"tag-1-john","11":"tag-adam","12":"tag-bible","13":"tag-christ","14":"tag-christianity","15":"tag-do","16":"tag-eve","17":"tag-exposition","18":"tag-expository","19":"tag-garden","20":"tag-god","21":"tag-jenkins","22":"tag-jesus","23":"tag-john","24":"tag-joshua","25":"tag-lord","26":"tag-love","27":"tag-manuscript","28":"tag-not","29":"tag-preaching","30":"tag-rags","31":"tag-riches","32":"tag-salvation","33":"tag-scripture","34":"tag-sermon","35":"tag-sin","36":"tag-temptation","37":"tag-wilderness","38":"tag-world","39":"tag-worldliness","40":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/1571826-city-coast-party-fog-high-rise-river-skyline-china-photocase-stock-photo-large.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3618,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-true-light-is-already-shining-commentary-on-1-john-2v7-11\/","url_meta":{"origin":3628,"position":0},"title":"The True Light is Already Shining: Commentary on 1 John 2v7-11","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"September 10, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 As we examined the previous verses last week, we saw the moral test for our assurance \u2013 that we can know that we have come to know God if we obey his commandments. Because those that love God obey Him, and walk as the Lord Jesus Christ walked. As\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/1490894-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/1490894-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/1490894-7.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/09\/1490894-7.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3684,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/love-applied-1-john-417-21\/","url_meta":{"origin":3628,"position":1},"title":"Love Applied – 1 John 4:17-21","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"January 2, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"17\u00a0By this\u00a0is love perfected with us, so that\u00a0we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because\u00a0as he is so also are we in this world.18\u00a0There is no fear in love, but\u00a0perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not\u00a0been perfected in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/Dusty-book.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/Dusty-book.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/Dusty-book.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/Dusty-book.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/Dusty-book.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/01\/Dusty-book.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3634,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/abide-in-him-commentary-on-1-john-218-29\/","url_meta":{"origin":3628,"position":2},"title":"Abide in Him: Commentary on 1 John 2:18-29","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"October 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week we looked at these same verses, but we focused primarily on the antichrist while this week we will focus on the Christian. Within this passage there is a contrast set up between the antichrist and the Christian. So as we look at the things regarding the Christian in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/favola.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/favola.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/favola.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/favola.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/favola.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/favola.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3794,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/how-god-loved-the-world-john-316\/","url_meta":{"origin":3628,"position":3},"title":"How God Loved the World; John 3:16","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"July 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Introduction \u00a0 If you have a red-letter bible you will see that John 3:16-21 is in red, meaning these are the words of Jesus. However\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/07\/t08008_10.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4400,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/how-to-be-hated-by-the-world-and-win-the-world\/","url_meta":{"origin":3628,"position":4},"title":"How to Be Hated by the World (and Win the World)","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"March 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"18\u00a0\u201cIf the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.\u00a019\u00a0If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because\u00a0you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.\u00a020\u00a0Remember the word\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/boniface.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/boniface.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/boniface.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/03\/boniface.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3631,"url":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/the-antichrist-and-the-christ-commentary-on-1-john-218-29\/","url_meta":{"origin":3628,"position":5},"title":"The Antichrist and The Christ: Commentary on 1 John 2:18-29","author":"Joshua Jenkins","date":"October 3, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Disclaimer: this post does not cover everything in 1 John 2:18-29, but focuses on the theme of the antichrist within that section. Introduction \u00a0 The word \u201cantichrist\u201d is one of those words that strikes all kinds of emotions and thoughts in the hearts and minds of everyone who hears\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Commentary"","block_context":{"text":"Commentary","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/category\/commentary\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/clouds-like-fire-alexis-keys.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/clouds-like-fire-alexis-keys.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/clouds-like-fire-alexis-keys.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2018\/10\/clouds-like-fire-alexis-keys.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/685"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3628\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3629"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}