First John: 1 John 2:17a-The People Belonging to the World Are Passing Away Along with their Lust Lesson # 74

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. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (ESV)

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Lesson # 74

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. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (ESV)

“And the world is passing away along with its desires” presents another reason why the recipients of this epistle were to obey the two prohibitions John issues them in which are in addition to the previous two presented in verses 15 and 16.

“The world is passing away” is composed of the following: (1) articular nominative masculine singular form of the noun kosmos (κόσμος), “the world” (2) third person singular present passive indicative form of the verb paragō (παράγω), “is passing away.”

The noun kosmos means “world” referring to a vast system and arrangement of human affairs, earthly goods, godless governments, conflicts, riches, pleasures, culture, education, world religions, the cults and the occult dominated and negatively affected by Satan who is god of this satanic cosmos.

This word not only is referring to a system but also an organization in the sense that it refers to the formation into a whole of interdependent and coordinated parts for harmonious and united action against God.

It refers to the assemblage of fallen angels forming a complex whole that is under the authority of Satan.

Specifically, the noun kosmos contains the figure of metonymy meaning that cosmic system of Satan is put for those sinners who are its citizens.

Thus, the word speaks of those sinners enslaved to sin and Satan passing away from the earth along with their lusts for material possessions.

As was the case in when the word first appeared in First John, the verb paragō here in means “to pass away” since the word pertains to something going out of existence.

The word is used intransitively and refers to Satan’s kingdom and his world system, which is totally opposed to Christ’s kingdom, as “passing away” or “passing out of existence.”

Specifically, it speaks of those people who are enslaved to sin and Satan passing away from the earth along with their lusts for material possessions.

In , the present tense of this verb paragō is a customary present tense or stative present, which is used to signal an ongoing state indicating the people belonging to Satan’s kingdom exist in the state of passing out of existence from the earth.

The present tense of the verb is also a gnomic present used to make a statement of a general, timeless fact.

Therefore, it expresses the historical fact that the people belonging to Satan’s kingdom and their lusts exist in the state of passing out of existence from the earth.

The passive voice of the verb means that the subject receives the action of the verb from either an expressed or unexpressed agency.

The subject is the kingdom of darkness and its lust.

The agency is implied from the relative pronoun clause in , which affirms that the command to love one another exists in the state of being true in the life of Jesus Christ and the lives of the recipients of this epistle who are members of His body, the church.

Therefore, the passive voice expresses the idea that the people belonging to Satan’s kingdom and their lusts are being made to pass out of existence from the earth because the command to love one another was true in the life of Christ and in the lives of the members of His church.

“Along with its desires” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “along with” (2) articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun epithumia (ἐπιθυμία), “desires” (3) genitive third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos (αὐτός), “its.”

Once again, we have the conjunction kai, which means “along with” since the word is functioning as a marker of accompaniment indicating that the lusts for material objects in the cosmic system will pass away along with the people belonging to the cosmic system itself.

The noun epithumia refers to any type of lust which is related to either an animate or inanimate object in the world, which produces an arrogance in a person as a result of possessing these objects.

Thus, the word speaks of the lust for material possessions.

The articular construction of this word is employed with the genitive third person masculine singular form of the intensive personal pronoun autos in order to denote possession indicating that these lusts are the possession of the cosmic system of Satan or the people deceived and enslaved to the cosmic system.

Each one of you continue making it your habit of not loving the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone does at any time love this world, then the love for the Father is unequivocally not existing in him. 16 Secondly, each and every one of these things in the world (the flesh’s lust resulting in a person’s lust resulting in the arrogance produced by material possessions) are unequivocally not originating from the Father. On the contrary, they are originating from this world. 17 Furthermore, this world is passing away along with its lust. However, the one who at any time does God’s will is living with reference to that which is eternal. (My translation)

presents the third and final reason why the recipients of this epistle must continue to make it their habit of obeying the two prohibitions which the apostle John issued them in .

The first required that they not love the world, which is a reference to the cosmic system of Satan.

The second required that they not love the things of this system.

This is a reference to the various animate and inanimate objects which the devil and his angels employ to appeal to the indwelling Adamic sin nature of people so as to get them to commit idolatry rather than worship God.

The first reason why the recipients of this epistle must continue making it their habit of obeying the two prohibitions which the apostle John issues them in is presented at the end of this verse in the form of a fifth class conditional statement.

It teaches that if anyone does at any time love this world system of Satan, then the love for the Father is, as an eternal spiritual truth unequivocally not existing in them.

The second reason is presented by John in which asserts that each and every one of these things in Satan’s cosmic world system are, as an eternal spiritual truth not originating from the Father but rather from this world system of Satan.

He identifies each of these things as being the flesh’s lust, a person’s lust and arrogance produced by material possessions.

The second results from the first and the third results from the first and the second.

The flesh’s lust is a reference to a person’s indwelling Adamic sin nature.

Therefore, this indicates that the old sin nature’s lust after these various animate and inanimate objects in this world system of Satan results in a person’s lust after these objects which results in a person becoming arrogant as a result of these material possessions.

Thus, John is speaking of a believer obeying these lusts of their sin nature which results in arrogance.

Now, here in , the apostle John presents to the recipients of this epistle the third and final reason why they were to continue making it their habit of obeying the two prohibitions which he issues them in .

They were to obey these prohibitions because this world system of Satan is, as an eternal spiritual truth passing away along with its lust for material possessions.

What John is saying is that the people enslaved to Satan and their sin nature are passing away along with their lusts for material possessions.

He then teaches that in contrast to those enslaved to Satan and the sin nature, the believer who at any time does the Father’s will is, an eternal spiritual truth living with reference to that which is eternal.

The reference to the eternal is a reference to experiencing fellowship with God which is in essence experiencing eternal life.

In , the apostle John presents the reason why Satan’s cosmic system and reign over the earth is coming to an end.

But from a different perspective, I am providing information in writing at this particular time for the benefit of each one of you regarding a new command, which is true in Him as well as in each one of you, because the darkness is being made to pass away while the true light is already shining. (My translation)

This verse reveals that the reason why the cosmic system of Satan is passing out of existence from the earth is that the command to love one another is an historical fact in the life of Jesus Christ and the lives of the member of His church who are obeying His command to love one another.