ACF Large Group 3 Notes
1 John 2:12–17
12 I am writing to you, little children,
because your sins are forgiven for his name’s sake.
13 I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father.
14 I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.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 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.
In this passage, John identifies
- 3 progressions in faith (v12–14): little children, fathers, and young men
- A command (v15): do not love the world
- 3 reasons to follow the command (v15–17): the love of the father is not in him, all that is in the world is not from the father, the world is passing away/God abides forever
- 3 progressions in sin (v16): desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, pride of life
(v12–14) John addresses and encourages his readers according to their level of spiritual maturity
John writes to little children because their sins are forgiven and because they know the father. Young children are susceptible to guilt. It is important for new believers to hold fast to the basic truths of the Gospel.
John writes to fathers because they know Him who is from the beginning (this is repeated twice). Although earthly fathers are already in a position of authority, they still submit to our heavenly Father, who is eternal and all-powerful.
John writes to young men because they are strong, have overcome the evil one, and know God’s word. God’s word is our source of spiritual strength.
(v15–17) A command: Do not love the world or the things in the world
We are not to idolize creation above the creator. As Christians, we are in the world but not of it (John 17:16).
John offers 3 reasons to follow this command
- Love for the world is incompatible with love for the Father
- All that the world wants us to love is not of God
- The things of the world are passing away, but he who follows God abides forever
(v16) Characterizing the world, 3 progressions of sin
The character of the world is expressed in the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. This can be related to the story of man’s fall in the Garden of Eden:
i. In Genesis, it writes that Eve took the forbidden fruit when she saw that the tree was good for food. She thought about how the fruit would satisfy her flesh.
ii. It is also said that she took of the forbidden fruit when she saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes. She saw how pretty and desirable it was, how it appealed to the lust of her eyes.
iii. Finally, Eve took of the forbidden fruit when she believed that it was desirable to make one wise. It would enable her to discern between good and evil, like God. She went after the pride of life.
The Greek word used here for desires/lust is epithymia, which refers to a strong desire. The term epithymia has both positive and negative connotations. For instance, Jesus also uses this word to refer to his desire to share the passover meal with his disciples (Luke 22:15).
Similarly, God created us with many amoral desires that can be used for good or bad. It is only when our view of the world eclipses our view of God that these desires become sinful.
Although we live in a fallen world, let us not lose heart! May we continuously deny the desires of our sinful flesh and strive to seek more of God’s glory. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16). Our God is faithful, he will see us through this.
