Understanding Christ’s Command “Do Not Love the World”

Jesus said, “Do not love the world or the things in the world” (1 John 2:15). 

What did He mean by this?

He is reminding us that we live in a fallen world—a world marked by sin, corruption, and death. This is the fallen condition we have inherited from Adam and Eve, and it touches every human life. We live amid its temptations and illusions, but our goal as Christians is not to embrace the norms of this world or to try to conform to its values, but to transcend it—to purify ourselves, unite with Christ, and become worthy of eternal life in His Kingdom.

Blessed Theophylact explains that “it is usual for Scripture to call the world the life of sinful people of carnal outlook living in it.” In other words, “the world” refers not to creation itself—which God made good—but to the way of life of those who live apart from God, following passions rather than Christ. We could restate this teaching as: Do not live as those who love the world and its sinful ways, but strive instead to overcome the world within yourself.

Saint John continues, 

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17)

These “three lusts” summarize the passions that dominate fallen humanity. They are not from the Father, because they draw our hearts away from divine love. Everything worldly passes away—but whoever lives according to the will of God abides forever.

This path is not an easy one, even though Christ says, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” It is light when borne with humility and love, yet it remains a struggle. We are all sinners, no matter how good we think we are. Our self-confidence in our own goodness is a delusion born of pride and a great obstacle to spiritual growth. To overcome this fallen nature, we must struggle within the life of the Church—through the sacraments, repentance, prayer, fasting, and the other spiritual disciplines Christ has given us.

Jesus affirms that this path is difficult:

“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matt 7:13-14)

One of our greatest challenges is to recognize our condition and embrace the path that leads to salvation. When we accept that we are sinful and in need of healing, we can begin to change through repentance. As we take a few steps along this path, we start to see our true state and learn not to love the world or to follow its ways, but instead to live according to the Gospel. This is not necessarily a monastic path, but a way of life that can be lived in the world—guided by Christ and following the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov said that the “world” we must renounce is not merely external, but within us:

“This does not mean going off to live in a cave or, if you are married, to go to a monastery. The world we must leave is a condition that exists in us. It’s our separation from god and our delusion that we are a “good” person. It’s a difficult task to embrace the reality that we are of the world that Jesus speaks. Once we are awakened to our fallen nature, we discover how much work we need to undertake to become like Christ.” 

We must live in this world with awareness of its fallen nature—the same fallen world we inherited after Adam and Eve. It is a world of trials and tribulations that God allows so that we may perfect our will to love, no matter the circumstances. Every difficulty becomes an opportunity to grow in patience, humility, and compassion.

Saint Ignatius also warns:

“Do not allow fallen spirits to deceive and seduce you… Do not expect and do not seek praise and approval from human society. Do not hanker after fame and glory. 

 Do not expect and do not seek an untroubled life with plenty of latitude and scope, replete with every convenience. That is not your lot. Do not seek and do not expect love from people. Seek earnestly and demand from yourself love and compassion for others. Be content with the fact that a few true servants of God whom you meet from time to time in the course of your life love you…”

This is what Christ meant when He told us to bear our cross and follow Him. The cross is a life of self-denial, struggle, and at times persecution. We should not expect that the way of God will be welcomed by most people around us. To follow Christ is to accept that the world may reject us, just as it rejected Him.

This path He has given us requires that we bear many trials and learn to submit our will to His. This means learning to constrain our desires and resist temptations. The Church provides us with ascetic practices—prayer, fasting, confession, and sacramental worship—to train our will and strengthen our love for God.

When we struggle against the passions, we can remember the Apostle Paul and the early Christians who lived faithfully in a hostile, pagan world. They lived in an awareness that at any moment they might be captured or killed, yet they rejoiced in Christ. We too can learn to overcome our passions and become “crucified to the world,” living no longer for its pleasures but for the love of God.

We resist taking this path because it is natural to us to love the pleasures in this life, but we must become attached to or expect them. The entire economic system and popular culture are built upon the pursuit of comfort, pleasure, and self-satisfaction. Through constant advertisements, social media, and entertainment, we are lured to love the world and to forget God. But Christ calls us to be free from these illusions—to live differently, to love differently.

Saint Ignatius points to the many passions that keep us enslaved:

“Love of riches, desire for possessions, bodily pleasures from which come sexual passion, love of honor which gives rise to envy, list for power, arrogance, and pride of position, the craving to adorn oneself with luxurious clothes and vain ornaments, the itch for hungry glory which is a source of rancor and resentment, and physical fear. Where these passions cease to be active, there the world is dead.”

Now is the time, life is short, to uncover the passions that control our behavior. As you commit yourself to a life of prayer, repentance, and worship, you will begin to see the nature of this fallen world more clearly. You will discern how its values differ from the Gospel, and you will come to understand what it means not to love the world, but to love Christ above all.

As St Ignatius reminds us: 

“The right use of earthly life consists in preparing oneself for eternal life—making it our one business to please God, borrowing from the world only what is essential.”

As you live a life of repentance within the Church, you will cease to be a servant of the world and become instead a servant of Christ. Your heart will find joy in worship, your soul will be nourished by the sacraments, and your mind will be illumined through prayer and spiritual discipline. In this way, you will make the Gospel your highest priority and the Kingdom of God your true home.

Then you will understand what it means when Christ says, “Do not love the world.”

It is not a rejection of life itself, but an invitation to real life—to live in this world while belonging to another, to walk through its fleeting shadows while being filled with the light of the eternal Kingdom.

References: Saint Brianchaninov, The Harvest, Collected works volume IV