The Word: 1 John 2:12-17

“I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake.
I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one.
I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.
I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning.
I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

Do not love the world nor 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 boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” (NASB1995)

At this point in John’s letter, his focus shifts from the previous focus of love for fellow Christians (“brothers”) to love for God. Although the meaning of 2:15-17 is clear, the purpose behind 2:12-14 might escape readers today. I must admit that on an initial reading of this passage, these verses seem to be foreign to John’s purpose. However, even if the exact reason for addressing children, fathers, and young men may be elusive on a surface reading, what John says to them is significant. As these verses are read, an important emphasis that stands out is assurance, which is an emphasis throughout the letter. Perhaps in light of the previous discussion of who is walking in light and who is walking in darkness, John felt the need to assure his readers that they were in the light. In fact, each of the statements he makes to them have been mentioned previously in the letter as a benefit or evidence of fellowship with God. John appears to be assuring his readers that they are “in” the light. Notice what he assured his readers of:

• “your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake” (children)
• “you know Him who has been from the beginning.” (fathers)
• “you have overcome the evil one” (young men)
• “You know the father” (children)
• “you know Him who has been from the beginning” (fathers)
• “You are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one“

As John repeats his list of children, fathers, and young men, the only real change occurs in what he says to children, and the additional statements to young men the second time. Yet, if each of these statements are drawn together, they formulate a simple expression of the Christian life which emphasizes knowing God, the forgiveness of sins in Christ, and overcoming sin and evil.

The significance of the cycle between “children, fathers, and young men” is hard to discern; perhaps an understanding of the various stages of maturity in discipleship could be in play. For instance, with children, they need to be taught the gospel basics of how to know God and the forgiveness of sin through faith in Jesus. Then, young men should be charged with dealing with sin and temptation and overcome the pressures that come with that stage of maturity. Then, fathers should be encouraged to persevere in their walk with God and continue in what they know to be tried and true. Despite the fact that we may not easily discern why John wrote the way he wrote in these verses, we do know what he wrote which is what carries the significance. His final word of assurance to young men about overcoming evil leads naturally into the next command he desired to make: “Do not love the world nor the things in the world” (2:17).

The phrase “the world” is often used among Christians, and sometimes its meaning is confusing. The Bible speaks often of “the world,” which may be a reference to the universe as a whole, or to the earth, or humanity in general, or a specific reference to humanity and creation as corrupted by sin. In this context, John’s focus appears to be on the last option. He is commanding the believers he is writing to not to love the sinful realities that are present and at work in the world around them (cf. 2:16). In modern terms, John is exhorting Christians not to fall prey to the “sinful world order.” Here again another test arises: those who love the world do not have love for the Father (2:15b). John clearly sets “the world.” which is representative of sin, against the Father, just as he did in 1:5-10. The contrast is strong; John is saying that no one who loves the world can call themselves a Christian!

The reason (“For”) this is true is because “all that is in the world…is not from the Father but is from the world” (2:16). In other words, what John is warning against does not have its origin in God, but in sin. He describes the things in the world as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life” (2:16). Some people have seen a parallel between this verse and Eve’s experience in the garden as she “saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was a delight to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and that the tree was desirable to make one wise (the boastful pride of life), she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6). John’s focus is on warning Christians against Satan’s temptations in this sinful world! These sinful desires can often look good but are intended to draw us away from God and into disobedience to Him. Thus, John says they are not from God, but from that “evil one” he spoke of in 2:14).

As a final word against love for the world, John ultimately says that the problem with worldly desires is that they do not last, and as a result cannot satisfy (2:17). In contrast to one who loves the world is “one who does the will of God.” This phrase echoes Jesus’ words in John 14 and especially Matthew 7:24ff: “Therefore everyone who hears these words and acts on them.” Faith is not simply about hearing God’s will, or even knowing God’s will, but rather doing God’s will! Such a person, John says, “lives forever.”

The Confrontation

1) Identify love for the world and flee from it! The reason this application begins with identifying love for the world is because many Christians today misunderstand what it means to “love the world.” To clarify the point, let’s look at another passage from the Apostle Paul. In Colossians 3:1-4, Paul told believers that they were raised with Christ and needed to “seek the things above…Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth” (3:1-2). As he applied this principle, he said, “Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry” (3:5). What this description does is explain what the “earthly” or “worldly” life looks like: The worldly/earthly life is a life lived in pursuit of sinful desires.

This truth is important to understand because Christians can be misled into thinking that earthly realities such as sports, marriage, having a home, raising a family, growing a successful business, politics, etc. are “worldly.” Although such earthly endeavors can certainly be pursued in a worldly manner, these realities of life are not sinful in themselves and have been ordained, commanded, and/or encouraged by God in His Word!

Now that the proper understanding of what being “worldly” means has been identified, we are called to flee from such desires! For some Christians, this prohibition against love for the world may mean completely ending a specific career or path of life (ex: murderer, prostitute, thief, etc.). For others, they may simply be called to continue what they are doing, but to do so in a godly manner (ex: a crooked business owner begins to operate his business in a godly manner). The point is that in whatever God has given us in His providence and called us to do, we are to do so in a manner that is obedient to Him! That is what brings Him glory.

2) Understand that sin is more than just action; sin is also desire. The Bible is clear that certain actions are sinful. As mentioned in the previous application, murder, stealing, prostitution, etc. are all sinful actions. Yet, the Bible is also clear that such desire associated with sinful actions are also sinful. In fact, Scripture elsewhere details that sinful actions are often preceded by sinful desires. Again, the example of Eve comes to mind – She allowed Satan to deceive her mind into desiring something she ought not to have desired which led to sinful action. James 1:14-15 describes how a sinful desire results in sinful action through the illustration of birth.

Thus, confession and repentance of sin (1 John 1:8-10) is more than just coming to Jesus and “cleaning up our actions.” Rather, Jesus says that we must come to him for a new heart that has new desires that lead to new actions – holy/godly desires and actions (cf. Matthew 5:21-30). A major part of this process is being “transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Romans 12:2; Ephesians 4:23-24; Colossians 3:9-11). If we understand the truth of Christ, then unlike Eve, we can fortify our minds against the deceit of Satan and not allow sinful desires to overrule our hearts and lead to sinful living. In short, Christians must repent of sinful actions, but also sinful desires, both of which are often the result of sinful or wrong thinking.

3) Overcome love for the world through love for God! You may look at your life and despair, “I am overrun by love for the world!” So, you vow to simply just stop loving the world and in your own strength you set goals to overcome some sinful action or desires in your life. Yet, as time goes on, you find yourself frustrated and defeated because you keep running back to the same worldly way of life you want to escape! In this pit of despair, you have become convinced that the gospel is too good to be true and there is no hope! If this describes you, as it once described my life as a younger man, I want you to understand that from this passage, we see that love for the world can only be overcome by love for God.

You see, in your desire to overcome the world in your own strength, you are actually still being distracted by Satan from falling before God and relying on Him. In other words, you’re trying to overcome the world through the world’s power, and that’ll never work! Instead, you need to start by loving God which requires you to grow in your faith and knowledge of Him and seeking godly wisdom for dealing with sin and temptation in your life. The more you grow in this knowledge and love of God, you will experience that transformation of Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23-24, and Colossians 3:9-11 spoken of previously. As a result of this transformation, God will give you new desires which will change how you live your life. Your desires for worldly living will fade, and the desire for godly living will increase. As you persevere in these things, you will find yourself walking more easily in the will of God and in fellowship with Him.

So, if you want to overcome love for the world, you must begin with cultivating a love for God.