Chapter 2 (NIV–the verses in this chapter were taken from this version. Each chapter will be from a different version to avoid copyright issues.)
Do Not Love the World
v. 15, Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
(FSB) “2:15-17 In these verses, John exhorts believers to oppose the values of the evil one. He also remind his audience that those who love and obey God have the gift of eternal life.”
(Bible Knowl Comm NT) The world “as an entity hostile to God… is always a seductive influence which Chrisian should continually resist. … The world competes for the love of Christians and one cannot both love it and the Father at the same time.”
(Cultural) “God summoned Israel to love him and be consecrated as holy to him, rather than following the pagan values of the nations around them (Lev 20:23-26; Dt 18:9). Likewise, Jesus’ followers must avoid any values in their cultures that conflict with his interests.” (Life) “2:15-16 Worldliness is also internal because it begins in the heart and is characterized by three attitudes. … When the serpent tempted eve (Genesis 3:6), he tempted her in these areas. Also, when the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, these were his three areas of attack (see Matthew 4:1-11). … Do your actions reflect the world’s values or God’s values?”
(ESV) “Love of the Father probably carries a double meaning, referring both to the love god has for his people and the love they have for him. The former generates the latter (4:7, 9-10).”
(Wiersbe) “2:12-17 ‘The world,’ in the Bible, is Satan’s system for opposing the work of Christ on earth. … The world is not a natural habitat for a believer. The believer’s citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20), and all his effective resources for living on earth come from his Father in heaven.)
(Recovery) “Satan, In order to usurp the God-created man, formed an anti-God world system on this earth by systematizing men with religion, culture, education, industry, commerce, entertainment, etc., through men’s fallen nature…” “The world is against the Father, the devil is against the Son (3:8), and the flesh is against the Spirit (Gal. 5:17).”
(NKJV Margin) “Do not love the world” see Rom. 12:2.
(FSB) “The values of human societies should not define believers. … The believer’s passion should not be for what culture offers but for what God desires.
v. 16, For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
(Bible Knowl Comm NT) The world “is a system of values and goals from which God is excluded.” Cravings, desires, lusts “connotes desires that are sinful.” Lust of the flesh “refers particularly to illicit bodily appetites.” The lust of his eyes “points to man’s acquisitive nature.” Pride of life “(lit., ‘the pretension of human life’), which signifies a proud and ostentatious way of life.”
(Moody) “2:16-17. Since no form of worldliness is…from the Father, it is contrary to His will, and He does not sanction it. Examples of worldliness are…” Lust of the flesh “evil desires within oneself.” Of the eyes “greed aroused by what is seen.” Pride of life “arrogance in one’s possessions, accomplishments, or social position. … Since the believer doing the will of God lives forever, only what is eternal is divinely approved as a legitimate object for his or her affection.” (Chapter take-away: Moody’s observations should help us to avoid placing our affections or priorities on temporary, non-eternal things. Should I ask what my priority should be when facing the next task? It’s another way of paying attention to the leading of the Spirit—and not the flesh or the world.)
(Prophecy) “This prophecy foresees the coming destruction of the earth (cf. 2 Peter 3:7-13; Rev. 20:7-10).”
(ESV) “John does not demonize the whole created order (cf. Gen. 1:31). Rather he gives examples… of what the believer should guard against. Human desires are part of God’s creation and therefore not inherently evil, but they become twisted when not directed by and toward God.”
(NKJV Margin) “lust of the eyes” see Eccl. 5:10, 11.
(FSB) Pride of life: “Wealth used for the purposes of personal gain demonstrates a selfish view of self-worth.”
v. 17, The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
(Bible Knowl Comm NT) “The word ‘lives’ renders …meno. It suggests…the ‘abiding life’ of fellowship with God. … life lived in God’s fellowship … is a life with no real ending. A person whose character and personality are shaped by obedience to God will not be affected by the passing away of the world and its vain desires.”
(Life) “Knowing that this evil world and our desire for its pleasures will end can give us courage to control our greedy, self-indulgent behavior and to continue doing god’s will.”
(ESV) “Its appearance of permanence is deceptive. History is not an endless cycle but is speeding toward a conclusion will by God (cf. v. 8).”
(Recovery) “Does the will of God habitually and continually, not just occasionally.” It’s the normal thrust of his life.
(NKJV Margin) “passing away” see 1 Cor. 7:31.
FSB) “Passing away” = John might be saying that the world may cease to exist. Or the world as we know it “will be renewed.” Or “that God’s reign is again beginning via Christ, and evil is being vanquished.”
FIRST JOHN 2 MEDITATION vv. 15-17.
I am to be a channel of God’s life, of the divine nature, the image of God, of His likeness in this world. God does not love the things of the world, the things that attract or exacerbate the flesh principle in me. So if I choose the things of the world, then those actions are not the life of God working through me. They are the outworkings of the flesh, not the Spirit. People will not see the Lord in me, but just fallen me, reacting to and fitting into the world the same way everyone else does.
This is insightful to those who want to remain in fellowship with God. This is not just a principle for monks and nuns, as we see from the opening six verses of this epistle. God is desiring fellowship with humble believers, and wants that fellowship to not only remain unbroken, but to grow. He wants to reveal more and more of Himself to us.
By pointing out the examples of the lust of the flesh, of the eyes, and our arrogance, we understand how our own mind and faculties can deceive us, who desire to live the life of God. God is not the author of things that draw our attention away from trusting Him and finding in Him the essence of life. We want the life God authors, a life of continuing communion with the Father and the Son. This is the subject of John’s epistle; we can know the joy of this fellowship.
If we love the world, we who are children in the faith know how to obtain forgiveness and repent; we who are young men who have overcome the wicked one can use that same wisdom to overcome the world. As spiritual fathers, we see these traits of the flesh in the lives of the children and young men, and our experience of fellowship with God will illuminate them regarding the ways of faith, grace, love, obedience, and the Spirit, and help them to the right path, whether to stay on it or return to it.
The world’s things and values are passing away. Permanency is an illusion Satan fabricates with the worldly systems he controls. Everlasting life accompanies fellowship with the Father and the Son. These thoughts should help us identify and break free of the things of the world that do or can enslave us. The values presented here will clarify whether we really want the life God offers or not.
