Chapter 5
1 John 2:14 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.
John in the next verse restates the reason why he is writing to the fathers, using the same line as before, because they know Him, He who is from the beginning. That knowledge of Jesus gives the fathers peace of mind, the mark of a mature believer. John then tells the "young men" that he is writing to them because they are strong and the Word of God abides in them. He also restates that they have overcome the evil one.
When a child is born they are completely at the mercy of their parents or at least someone who can provide for their needs. A child requires significant growth and years of learning before they can be productive on their own. Just like any child, new believers need to be nurtured as Spiritual maturity can take several years to develop, regardless of actual age. John selected three levels of Spiritual maturity, let's go back and examine each one of these a little more closer.
The first stage of Christian maturity John calls simply the "child" or children (see verse 12). In the same way an infant or small child knows their parents (love, protection, provision and perhaps other things but nothing complex), these "babes in Christ" are consumed by a newly found and formed relationship with God and their Savior, resulting in great joy! For example see Luke 5:12-14 regarding the story of Zacchaeus who received Jesus with great joy. These new believers can only digest "milk" from the Word of God (read Hebrews 5:12-14). However, they are susceptible to danger as they have no discernment and can be misguided or easily tempted. Since they do not know what is, or what is not, beneficial for their growth they need our constant encouragement and guidance. The next level of Spiritual maturity is identified by John as, "young men" (see verses 13 and 14). They have studied and continue to study God's Word, however they may also be vulnerable or confused by some false teachings. Then finally the third level of growth and maturity is described and identified as "fathers" (see verses 13 and 14). They not only have an understanding of the Word of God, they have come to know God.
As believers we should all be growing and in the process of transformation. It is a accumulative process that the Bible calls sanctification (read 2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 12:1-2 and John 17:19-26). To what end? What is our goal? The apostle Paul wrote about the purpose of the church in his epistle to the Ephesians and in that statement of purpose he also clarified the ultimate goal of all Christians. "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." (Ephesians 4:11-16, ESV) We should continue to endeavor to grow, it’s your choice, remain immature or seek to know Him personally.
So why did John write this epistle? Even after reading all of the times where he said, "I write to you...because," we may still wonder what the answer to that question is. John is encouraging all Christians, regardless of Spiritual maturity, that we can indeed be true followers of Jesus and grow to experience Him!
1 John 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 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.
John next proclaims a message for all believers regarding the love that God hates! The verse begins with a simple but powerful statement, "Do not love the world or the things of the world." The Greek word translated here as 'world' is 'kosmos' which can apply to all things, however, it is used here metonymically referring to the abode of man, or a way of life. Before we proceed any further we need to understand the scope of what John is talking about. This would include such things as our cellphones, computers, social media addiction, automobiles or careers, essentially anything that can distract us from God (read James 4:4).
John continues by giving us some reasons why we are not to love the world. For starters, if we love the world, the love of our Heavenly Father is not in us (read Colossians 1:13-14; Ephesians 5:5-12; 2 Corinthians 10:3-6). Jesus taught about how things and wealth can get in the way of a close and intimate relationship with Him (read Mark 10:17-31, the same story can be found in Matthew 19:161-30 and Luke 18:18-30).
John is saying that if anyone loves the world, the love of God is not in them. Why? Because Christians are: 1) forgiven (see Isaiah 1:18; 1 John 2:12); 2) have knowledge of God (see 2 Corinthians 2:14; Colossians 1:9-10); 3) have the Word of God abiding in them (see Colossians 3:16; 1 John 2:13-14); 4) have overcome the evil one (see James 4:7; 1 John 2:13-14) and 5) are continually growing in Him (see 1 John 2:13-14). If all this is truly going on in our lives, then we simply cannot love the world too.
John amplifies this by saying, "for all that is in the world," a reference to all that is going on in the world, especially those things that are not of God (remember when Jesus taught us to pray that the Father's will be done on earth as it is in heaven, have you ever wondered what the differences between heaven and earth were? The biggest difference is the existence of sin!) John now classifies these differences into three groups: 1) The desires of the flesh (the Greek word here for 'desires' refers to lusts and desires that are forbidden); 2) the desires of the eyes (see Ecclesiastes 4:8); and 3) the pride of life. The Greek word for 'pride' can be defined as one boasting with empty assurance (no substance) and arrogance. The text reads "pride of life" (the Greek word 'bios' refers to 'life') so why do many translations use the word 'possessions' instead of life? The word can also refer to things by which life is sustained, including resources, wealth, goods, career, etc. John says these things are not from God but from the world (read 2 Corinthians 5:16-21). As sinners, we are not capable of saving ourselves, in a sense we have an incurable disease. So why do some people look for a cure or seek answers from the world? (see Isaiah 1:4-6) John continues by pointing out that the world and all things, including all of its people’s desires and intentions (politics, empires, kingdoms, economy, development, technology) are all temporary and are already in process of passing away (and John would know since he wrote the book of Revelation where God addresses the end of the earth that we know now).
John concludes by reminding us that "whoever does the will of God" will live with Jesus forever. The Greek term for 'will' refers to a choice to to do what someone else desires you to do, in this case we are to do the will of God. John is not talking about going through the motions or following some protocol, ritual, or tradition, he is asking where our hearts are. Do you have a heart for Jesus? (read Romans 12:1-2; John 8:51; 15:10; James 1:22-25 and Philippians 3:1-4:1). Have you made a choice to get close to Him? Remember the words of James, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” (James 4:8, ESV)