Of Love and Lust; First John

May the mumbling commence!

Today, we continue our reading of First John.  The first three days have been spent mostly in the second chapter of First John.  Today, we will continue that trend in the King James Version.

Tina Turner once sang a song called “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”  First John chapter two helps to begin the discernment between what is love and what is lust.  Much of the epistle of First John is expanding on the definition of love.  Read yet another passage from chapter two:

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.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (Verses 15-17)

Oh, how the collection of the works of John can be confusing in its definition of love.  We hear, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)  If God loves the world, why shouldn’t we?

The author of First John then expounds upon the thought of not loving the world by saying do not love the things of this world.  Do not have a love for things… money and possessions and the like.  Yes love of things is a part of the definition of idolatry.  Do not love things.  The love of things is not love at all.  As Tina Turner once sang “What’s Love Got to Do with It?”

Think about how carelessly we through around the word love.  I love spaghetti.  I love my car.  I love my kitchen.  The word love begins to lose its meaning.

The love of things is often idolatry.  Idols are a lot more controllable than God.  Idols never make direct commands to us.  We ask and ask and ask for things from idols.  In fact, idolatry is only a veiled focus on me.  What’s in it for me?  We all know that attitude.

Now, we are crossing over into the definition of lust.  Lust is focused on me.  Love is focused on others.  Lust asks, “What’s in it for me?”  Love asks, “How can I best serve others?”

Because lust is focused on me, it will pass away even as I pass away.  Because love is focused on others, it will endure.  Because love is focused on doing the will of the Lord, it abideth forever.  To seek God’s will is to find the purest form of love…

Now, allow me to switch gears for a second.  I noted something in the King James Version that I have not seen in others.  It comes in chapter five.  It also seems to bring forth the theology of the Trinity.  (These words are contained only in the Latin Vulgate and are found in no Greek manuscripts before the fourteenth century.)  Read the verses below from King James and then from some other translations.  You will see what I mean:

⁷ For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  ⁸ And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (KJV Verses 7-8)

⁷ For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.  ⁸ And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one. (NKJV Verses 7-8)

⁷ For there are three that testify:  ⁸ the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (NIV Verses 7-8)

⁷ There are three that testify:  ⁸ the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. (NRSV Verses 7-8)

Anyhow…  Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out