Today we look to 1 John 2.15-17 for Law and Gospel in a nutshell. What do we see here? Our Lord commands us. "Do not love the world" (ESV). After all, we realize that there is one Lord. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We look to him in hope. We fear, love and trust him alone. This is God's firm command. But what do we do in reality? We love the world rather than loving God. Is the world bad, then? Not at all. When our Lord created it by his word he proclaimed it good. That's not the issue at all. Even the fallen world, cursed as it is, is a beautiful and wonderful place. We love the world, which is perfectly normal. It's good to love good things. But what does our Lord remind us here in 1 John 2? In verse 17 we see that the world is temporary. It will not last forever. It does not have the enduring quality that God's kingdom has. It will all be stripped away from us. Do we depend on momentary pleasures? In the eyes of our risen Lord all the things of this world are but momentary pleasures. Do we relish our homes, our families, our occupations? That's good. But they too will pass away. They remain just for a moment. They do not bring lasting fulfillment. Do we desire wealth, earthly power, status? All will perish in a moment. So what do we strive for? What do we desire? Let us love our Lord and savior, the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Let us desire his kingdom and his glory. Let us seek the imperishable crown of the one who overcomes and participates in the resurrection from the dead. Let us delight only in our Lord.
It is the last hour. The time is growing short. Our Lord comes soon. Let us then confess the Son, Jesus Christ. He is the one who created all things, who lived a righteous life for us, who died on our behalf, who rose as the firstfruits of the resurrection, and who ever lives to make intercession for us.
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