First John: 1 John 2:16-The Second Reason for Obeying the Prohibitions in 1 John 2:15 Lesson # 73
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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. (ESV)
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday July 27, 2017
www.wenstrom.org
Lesson # 73
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. (ESV)
presents the second reason why the recipients of this epistle must obey the prohibitions in .
“The desires of the flesh” is composed of the following: (1) articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun epithumia (ἐπιθυμία), “desires” (2) articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun sarx (σάρξ), “of the flesh.”
The noun sarx means “flesh” and refers to the old indwelling Adamic sin nature with emphasis upon its location in the genetic structure of the human body and the noun epithumia refers to any type of lust which is related to either an animate or inanimate object in the world.
The noun sarx is a subjective genitive which emphasizes the old Adamic sin nature’s desire for various objects.
“And the desires of the eyes” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (2) articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun epithumia (ἐπιθυμία), “the desires” (3) articular genitive masculine plural form of the noun ophthalmos (ὀφθαλμός), “of the eyes.”
The conjunction kai is a marker of result meaning it is introducing a clause which presents the result of the indwelling Adamic sin nature lusting after the various animate and inanimate objects in the world.
Once again, we have the noun epithumia which has the same meaning here as it did in the previous genitive clause and the noun ophthalmos literally means “eyes” referring to the organ of sight and thus the eyes of a human being.
However, when John uses this word he is using the figure of speech called “personification” since a person’s eyes don’t lust after things but rather they are the vehicle or the means by which a person expresses their lust for these things.
“And pride of life” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction kai (καί), “and” (2) articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun alazoneia (ἀλαζονεία), “pride” (3) articular genitive masculine singular form of the noun bios (βίος), “of life.”
The conjunction kai functions again as a marker of result which means that it is introducing a clause which presents the result of the eyes lusting after various inanimate and animate objects in the cosmic system of Satan.
The noun bios means “life” and refers to daily human existence and the noun alazoneia means, “arrogance” which is a mental attitude sin which expresses itself in living independently of God.
The noun bios functions as a genitive of production which would indicate these various types of material possessions “produce” this arrogance.
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. (My translation)
The apostle John presents the second reason why the recipients of this epistle must continue to make it their habit of obeying the two prohibitions he issues them in by asserting that each and every one of these things in the world are unequivocally not originating from the Father.
“The flesh’s lust” refers to a person’s old indwelling Adamic sin nature lusting after the various inanimate and animate objects in the cosmic system of Satan.
The apostle John then presents the result of the indwelling Adamic sin nature lusting after the various animate and inanimate objects in the world, namely a person lusting after these very same objects.
When John refers to the eyes, he is using the figure of personification since a person’s eyes don’t lust but rather they do so through the function of their soul.
The eyes along with the other members of one’s body can be used by the sin nature to express its lusts.
Therefore, this result clause is teaching that the indwelling Adamic sin nature expresses itself through a person or in other words, the indwelling Adamic sin nature expresses its lust for these various objects in the devil’s world through a person.
This takes place when a person obeys the lusts of their sin nature rather than obeying God.
John then presents the result of a person lusting after the various inanimate and animate objects in the cosmic system of Satan, namely it results in the arrogance produced by material possessions.
This type of person defines themselves in terms of whatever status symbol is important to them or which seems to define their identity, whether it be their family, wife, children, an expensive home, car, his reputation, how many degrees they hold, lifestyle or their salary.
A person who boasts about what they possess in order to impress others has a distorted view of reality since everything that they possess ultimately originates from God who created the time, matter and space continuum.
They are the type of person who will boast about how much money they give to the poor.
This type of person boasts about their lifestyle and social status.
They think they have enough wealth and property to protect themselves and ensure their security and thus has no need for God.
Therefore, in , the apostle John presents the second reason why the recipients of this epistle must continue making it their habit of obeying the two prohibitions which he issued them in .
They must obey these prohibitions because each and every one of the things in this world, namely the sin nature lusting through the function of a person’s eyesight resulting in the arrogance produced by material possessions is unequivocally not originating from the Father.
On the contrary, each of these things originate from the devil’s world.
A comparison of verses 15 and 16 reveals that the recipients of this epistle must continue making it their habit of obeying these two prohibitions because first it does not constitute love for the Father.
Secondly, lust for these objects does not originate from the Father but from the cosmic system of Satan.
Notice that John equates loving the things in the world with lusting after them.
Also, notice that verse 16 advances upon verse 15.
The latter emphasizes the continued rejection of the world system of Satan which is opposed to God.
It also emphasizes the continued rejection of the various animate and inanimate objects which Satan’s world system employs to seduce people away from worshipping God and commit idolatry.
However, the former emphasizes the continued rejection of the godless attitude of this world system which places more value on material possessions than obeying God and worshipping Him.
Thus, the advancement is that John goes from warning about loving the world system and the various objects in it to warning them to not adopt the attitude of this world system which places more value on the objects of this world than worshipping God.
John is teaching in verse 16 that Satan appeals to the lusts of their sin nature by attempting to seduce them with the attractiveness and beauty of the various animate and inanimate objects of the devil’s world.
When the believer is deceived by this Satanic seduction and have obeyed the lusts of their sin nature, they adopt an arrogant attitude which is the product of material possessions.
Thus, John is warning against godless materialism and the arrogance which this produces in a person.
He is also warning against sexual lust and lust for money and all types of covetousness which are the result of obeying the lusts of the sin nature.
All of these types of lust produce arrogance in a person which is related to what they possess in life.
Therefore, what John is teaching in is that loving the cosmic system of Satan and its objects by lusting after material possessions which results in arrogance is antithetical to loving God.
They are mutually exclusive.
Loving the cosmic system and its objects by lusting after material possessions not only produces arrogance in them but simultaneously will draw them away from obeying and worshipping God.
Thus, love for the cosmic system of Satan and love for God can never as an eternal spiritual truth or spiritual axiom co-exist.
Consequently, the believer who loves the cosmic system is not experiencing fellowship with God.
In fact, they are involved in evil which in its root essence is living one’s life independently from God (cf. ).