Do not love the world or the things in the world
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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
So what is the “world”? John is saying: “Don’t love the invisible spiritual system of evil dominated by Satan, because if you love that, the love of the Father is not in you.” The “world” is that evil system that appeals to our passions, our vision, and our pride. The world comes at our self-centeredness. I want what I want. I want to fulfill my lust, my passion. I want what I can see, what I covet, and I want what I want for my own personal benefit and self-aggrandizement. That’s pride. That’s what the world is all about. But that’s not of the Father, and so as believers we don’t love that. We are tempted by it, and sometimes we fall into sin. But when we do, we hate that sin. And that’s because it’s part of the passing world. We are those, rather, who are motivated and characterized by doing the will of God, and, therefore, we abide forever. Not because we do the will of God, but because as we do the will of God, it is manifest that we are His and are the possessors of eternal life.