1 John 2:12-17

12 I am writing to you, little children, since your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning.I am writing to you, young men, because you have conquered the evil one.14 I have written to you, children, because you have come to know the Father.I have written to you, fathers, because you have come to know the one who is from the beginning.I have written to you, young men, because you are strong,God’s word remains in you, and you have conquered the evil one.

Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 2)

15 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 everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God remains forever.

Before hopping into this week’s passage, I want to refresh where we left off last week. John ends his previous argument in verse 11 by identifying some specific aspects of someone who still walks in darkness, who does not know where they are going in life, who is blind. They are hateful people and not forgiving. They are not abiding in Christ; they do not know him (v.4).

This week’s passage shifts focus. It is almost like John finally finishes his long-winded introduction and wants to say who he is writing to.

12-14: Reasons for Writing/ Who?

“His purpose in writing is as much to confirm the right assurance of genuine Christians as to rob the counterfeit of their false assurance.” —John Stott

John is writing this letter to encourage, not just to judge or scare people. As a matter of fact, he says 6 different things about the people to whom he is writing, those he addresses throughout today’s passage.

He speaks to “little children, young men, and fathers.” These are not meant to be actual ages but spiritual maturity level of his audience. Those who are just beginning their walk in the light (little children), those who are fighting the good fight of faith (young men), and the way to the elders who are raising up those under them and have ripened in their faith.

In these verses, John wants to encourage the church. Here is what he says, summed up:

Your sins have been forgiven, because you have been adopted as the children of God, and you know your Father—because of Jesus, not yourself.

Young believers who are seeing success in their fights against indwelling darkness—you have conquered the evil one; God’s Word remains (abides) in you and gives you strength.

Elders of the faith, who have been faithfully serving and pursuing God for years, you know the One who is from the beginning. You know God in a deep way.

Your sins are wiped clean, you are children of God, you are fighting on the winning side, God’s Word is at work within you, you know God—the God who has never changed or let you down through the years. What greater encouragement is there!

See, John doesn’t want us to fall into legalism, into a system where we determine our standing before God by our works—he has been pointing to evidences of God’s work in the life of the believers. Have they actually surrendered their lives is not the question; the question is “are you acting like the adopted children of God?” “Do you love God as your heavenly Father?”

15-17a: A Warning

And here, in verse 15, John issues a warning. If the church is the things that are listed above, they are to have a different type of relationship with the world. The Christian people he is talking to have been given affirmation of where they stand before God, who they are, now he is telling them a bit about how they should act.

Simply put: “Do not love the world or the things in the world.” So, what is the world? What about John 3:16?

the world: ‘the life of human society as organized under the power of evil’ -C.H. Dodd

“Love for the father and love for the world are mutually exclusive.”—John Stott

This is definitely nothing new to John. Jesus says this in Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 that no-one can serve two masters. James says that friendship with the world is hatred towards God (James 4:4).

But WHY? Why hate the world and love God? What does that even look like? Do we hate our friends, burn our Nikes, and set fire to our possessions, just waiting on God to make everything new and let it the whole thing go down the drain? I don’t think John is saying that and neither do any of the commentators I went to this week. And the reason that is not the case is context—just look what he says in verse 16-17a.

For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 And the world with its lust is passing away...

The things he lists are as follows: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, pride in possessions…

These are a standard three sins:

1. “lust of the flesh”- not just sexual sins, as we might think, but just that part of our nature which is yet to be done away with, that is not yet glorified—worldly ambitions and most clearly for us—>SELFISH aims. to live a life dominated by your senses: what can I see, hear, feel, smell, etc… that will gratify me… And the word “lust” carries with it the meaning that this is never innocent—someone else is always at the receiving end of this lust, whether it be by you getting something they want, you getting something they need, anything that leads you into being a servant of physical desire and not of God.

“John would include anything and any way in which humans improperly fulfill fleshly desires (overeating, drunkenness, etc.).” -Akin.

I would add to that lazily playing video games all day, netflix binging, scrolling tiktok, snap, or insta for hours and anything that is improperly fulfilling the desire to distract ourselves or rest.

2. “lust of the eyes”- you desiring something that is not yours, Jesus mentions this in the Sermon on the Mount.

C.H. Dodd—> “the tendency to be captivated by the outward show of things, without enquiring into their real values.”

John Stott, “Eve’s view of the forbidden fruit as ‘pleasing to the eye,’… an obvious example.”

3. “pride in one’s own possessions”-

“The ...braggart (Rom. 1:30; 2 Tim. 3:2; Jas 4:16), ‘a conceited, pretentious humbug’ (Dodd), who seeks ‘to impress everyone he meets with his own non-existent importance’ (Barclay).” —John Stott

This is boasting of what you have and what you do. I’m sure we can all think of a few examples from pop culture or even from school. And pride that results from worldly acclaim or possessions is a direct offense to God; it makes an idol of our jobs, our activities, and ourselves.

Verse 17a brings up another reason why all of these things are wrong. Not only are they opposed to God (reason enough, for sure); they are temporary. They are passing away. They are empty… BUT

17b: Advice

“…The one who does the will of God remains forever” 17b. All of the descriptions of the believers from v.12-15 will never fade. And all of the good they do in Christ, all of the love they share, all that God has given will be eternal. And those who are doing the will of God are members of Christ’s eternal kingdom.

This passage ends by setting up the next passage’s topic—those who have left the community, who have turned against the kingdom.

But in order to leave room for next week to be its own, let’s sum up what John has said thus far:

Those who have fellowship with God walk in the light and own up to their sin, confessing it and depending upon Jesus, their perfect advocate.

Those who hate others and do not follow Jesus’ commands are not in the light— they are "blind.”

BUT the church family is different. They have been forgiven because of Jesus and his reputation, been given victory over sin and death, and grown to know the eternal God who is unchanging.

If we are members of that family, we are not to live like those who are not, like our own flesh pushes us to. Material opulence and excess, mental and spiritual discontent, and pride have no place in God’s kingdom. These sins show a lack of love for God and a lack of value for God’s ways and will. They do not say with Jesus “thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Conclusion

So tonight, do those declarations made to the believers encourage you? Have you been forgiven, been made new and given the victory of Christ?

And do you see in your life any tendency to love this world?

—material stuff/ luxury

—discontent

—pride

Are you living a life of eternal meaning and joy, or do you think you may have laid down that beauty for something lesser? the gospel is full of joy and purpose. The life of those who walk in the light is a great life, not a burdensome one. There is freedom to confess sins, as we have a perfect advocate, but there is also a call to grow spiritually and seek to show the victory we have been given over sin through our actions of righteousness.

May we not be lovers of the world, but be people who love God, reminding ourselves of who we are in him and showing that by how we live.

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