John 2 15
by Silas Durand

Southampton, Pa., February 1888
1John 2:15
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. --1 John ii, 15.
Dear Brother Respess:--The Apostle John says some things that are at times very trying to me, and seem to come near cutting me off from all hope that I have any part or lot in the matter of salvation. Here is one of those sayings: 'If any man love the world, the love to the Father is not in him.'--1 John ii, 15. However if may be with others, I am constrained to acknowledge that there are many times when I know myself to be very worldly-minded, and to have a good deal of the love of the world about me; and occasionally I set to work in earnest to see if there is not some explanation that can be given such portions of the inspired word as will allow such a poor, vile, worldly-minded sinner still to hope. But I soon find that the word cannot be managed by me so as to suit either my views or my needs. When the Lord applies it to my soul it will be found to exactly suit my ease, whether I understand its meaning at the time or not; and when he opens my understanding I shall understand its true meaning; and the reason of its wonderful effect upon my soul. However much we may be tempted to think that a declaration of scripture ought to destroy our hope, we shall find ourselves hoping still. When the dear Lord gives one a hope in himself it will stay. Nothing can come against it with sufficient force to move it, for it is 'sure and steadfast.' Apostle John says some things that are at times very trying to me, and seem to come near cutting me off from all hope that I have any part or lot in the matter of salvation. Here is one of those sayings: 'If any man love the world, the love to the Father is not in him.'--1 John ii, 15. However if may be with others, I am constrained to acknowledge that there are many times when I know myself to be very worldly-minded, and to have a good deal of the love of the world about me; and occasionally I set to work in earnest to see if there is not some explanation that can be given such portions of the inspired word as will allow such a poor, vile, worldly-minded sinner still to hope. But I soon find that the word cannot be managed by me so as to suit either my views or my needs. When the Lord applies it to my soul it will be found to exactly suit my ease, whether I understand its meaning at the time or not; and when he opens my understanding I shall understand its true meaning; and the reason of its wonderful effect upon my soul. However much we may be tempted to think that a declaration of scripture ought to destroy our hope, we shall find ourselves hoping still. When the dear Lord gives one a hope in himself it will stay. Nothing can come against it with sufficient force to move it, for it is 'sure and steadfast.'
This apostle appears to speak of the children of God in their complex character, as possessing two distinct natures, which are contrary the one to the other, as do also all the apostles, sometimes referring to them in their earthly nature, and sometimes in their divine nature. Paul says: 'The good that I would I do not, but the evil which I would not that I do. Now, if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but. sin that dwelleth in me.'--Rom, vii. 19, 20. He says: 'I delight in the law of God after the inward man,' and yet says, 'O, wretched man that I am!' Here are two natures distinctly presented. That principle which causes him to delight, in the law of God is not the same principle which causes him to do the thing which he hates, and which he would not. But in each case it is the same I, the same personality, although regarded in these two distinct natures, and sometimes spoken of as two men, the outer man and the inward man, the old man and the new man. So the Apostle John speaks of the Lord's people as liable to sin, and declares that none can truthfully say that he is without sin, and yet says that 'whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin.'—1 John i. 8, 10; ii. 1, 2; iii. 9; v. 16, 18. Now, these declarations though apparently contradictory must be in perfect harmony with each other. In our earthly nature we sin; in our divine nature we cannot sin. A brother may sin a sin unto death, and he may sin a sin that is not unto death. In the one ease he must be cut off from the fellowship of the church, which is the death referred to. In the other ease, he who sees the sin shall ask of God, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. Now this is a brother in Christ, a child of God. So when the apostle immediately says, 'we know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not,' it must be that he refers to that divine nature which is manifested in us in the new birth, in which there is no sin. It is in that nature that we stand before God. 'We are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if so be that the spirit of God dwell in us.' Rom. viii. 9.
So when the apostle makes the solemn declaration that 'if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him,' he must speak of the inward man, after which Paul says he delights in the law of God, or the new man, which, he says, 'after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.' If he had meant that the Christian could not, in his old, carnal nature, still love the world, he would not have exhorted them to 'love not the world, nor the things that are in the world.' The love of God is not in our flesh, for it is dead because of sin, if Christ be in us, and in it, there dwells no good thing. 'But the spirit is life, because of righteousness,' and the love of the world is not in that spirit, but the love of God is there. It is not in our flesh, but in the spirit, that 'we stand holy and unblamable before God in love.' Therefore, the apostles all admonish us that we should not. walk after the flesh, for if we do we shall die, die to the fellowship of the church and to the comforts and blessings which are our birthright as children of God. But they exhort us to walk in the spirit as we live in the spirit. Rom, viii. 5, 13; Gal. v. 25. And thus I understand the apostle here to warn us against being controlled in our walk and conversation by that. world-loving spirit of the flesh, for it will surely lead us away from the path of life and spiritual joy, for there is no love of the world in that holy spirit which 'is life because of righteousness.' There is no love of the world in that new man which we are to put on, as the principle or ruler which is to direct us in our walk. There is no love of God in that old man which we are exhorted to put off.
Do you think, Brother Respess, that my deep sense of the corruptions of my nature, and the sinfulness of my heart, and my anxiety to find a suitability to my case in the word have led me to put an undue construction upon the words of the apostle? I hope not; for I would not shield myself at all from the plain truth. I want the word of the Lord to try me, and I want to submit to whatever it says of me. It seems to me that the understanding which I have tried to hint at has been revealed to me by the spirit, and I am confirmed in this by finding it consistent with all the scriptures, and by seeing in it the only explanation of the Christians' conflicting experiences.
I find also that it is not in the flesh, but in the spirit, that our fellowship with each other is. In the spirit we dwell together in unity; and how good and pleasant it is when we are enabled by grace so to control the propensities of our flesh, and to submit one to another, that we can 'keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace,' There is no unity and no fellowship in the flesh. But the multitude of them that believed in the first establishment of the church 'were of one heart and of one soul.'--Acts iv. 32. And then was experienced that inexpressible goodness and pleasantness of which the psalmist so sweetly speaks. He says this dwelling together in unity is like the anointing on Aaron's head, which went down to the skirts of his garments.--Ps, cxxxiii. That anointing upon the head of our great high priest was the spirit of the Lord (Isa. lxi. 1), which reveals to all the members of his body, the church, and which teaches them of all things. 'For ye,' says the apostle, 'have an unction from the holy one, and ye know all things.'--I John ii. 20, 27. Now the saints are exhorted to be of one mind (2 Cor. xiii. 11); to all speak the same thing, and be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1 Cor. i. 10); to be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; to walk by the same rule, and mind the same things.--Phil, ii. 2; iii. 16.
What a careful work is placed before us in these exhortations, to turn from the love of the world, which is in our flesh; to try and see what is of a fleshy character in our mind and judgment, in our walk and conversation; in our doctrine and order and to put it away. To let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves, and 'by love serve one another.' This shall we experience when the unity is, and know how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. There is always something infinitely refreshing about it, like the abundant dew of heaven, for it really is to our souls 'the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.'



Your Brother in the hope of the Gospel,


Southampton, Pa.


SILAS H. DURAND