The next section is in two parts. The first (2:12-14) contrasts the position of believers who walk in the light with that of the Gnostics who walk in darkness. The second part (2:15-17) warns believers not to fall into the trap of worldliness, as the false teachers did.
The first section is rhythmical, almost lyrical. Two sets of three statements introduced by the words “I write” and “I have written,” or “I wrote” (NIV does not bring out this distinction), are addressed in turn to “children,” “fathers,” and “young men.” We do not know why the author changes tenses, nor do we know the significance of the various forms of address. Possibly John intends to address his entire congregation from two standpoints–that of chronological age (“children,” “young men,” “fathers”) and that of spiritual age (novices in the faith, those whose faith is vigorous and who are responsible for the work of the Gospel, and those whose knowledge and experience in the faith are the foundation on which the community exists). 1JN 2:12 I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.12 “Dear children” is the author’s favorite term for the congregation of believers as a whole and he offers the most basic and universal words of assurance he can give: “Your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.” They have confessed their sins (1:9) and, on account of the name of Jesus (cf. Ac 4:12), or by faith in his name or by faith in him (5:1, 5 1JN 2:13 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, dear children, because you have known the Father.13a “Fathers” is an unusual form of address for senior members of a congregation. According to Jewish custom, it would refer to those who had responsibility for authority. It refers to members of the congregation who were mature both in years and in faith, it is an honouring of the older of the elders, one implying they had responsibility in the community of believers. Perhaps best described as addressing the leadership. 13b The description of the community as “young men” who “are strong” (v. 14b) and “have overcome” adds a new dimension. Believers are to see themselves as not only in conflict with the enemy (which is spelled out in this passage as sin!) but as having perceived the victory in Christ’s name and by his power. The victory obviously was gained through Christ’s death, and now his followers have the task under his leadership of establishing his reign over the world and “the evil one”. This victory does not promise that believers will be removed from the heat and peril of the battlefield. But it does assure them that if they are faithful they will overcome the devil. As Christ has been victorious over Satan, so they too may commit themselves to the conflict without fear of defeat. Now we repeat the process.13c This time the “children” are addressed by a different word (GK G4086). While the word in v. 12 emphasizes the relationship of the dependence, the word used here stresses the immaturity of the child and the need to be under instruction or direction. As children who are under teachers in the faith, John’s readers have come to know God as the Father. Second only to forgiveness in importance for the new community of faith is the relationship to God as Father that comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.1JN 2:14 I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.14 After referring again to the “fathers” (see comment on v. 13a), the author concludes by addressing the young men as those in whom “the word of God lives.” They were indeed “strong” as the children of faith, but the author reminds them that their strength ultimately depends on one fact alone–the Word of God abiding or living in them.1JN 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.15 Having assured the believers of their position before God–i.e., their sins are forgiven, they know the Father, and they have overcome the evil one–John moves to application. He warns them not to love the world and gives two reasons: Love for the world precludes love for the Father, and the investment of love in the world is without meaning because the world is passing away (v. 17). The love of the world versus the love of the Father provides yet another “test” of walking in the light. “World” occurs six times in vv. 15-17. It obviously means something quite different here than in Jn 3:16. There the Father’s love of the world is apparently based on his having willed the world into existence. It is his creation; he created it to be good, beautiful, and worthy of giving glory to him. Likewise those who live in the world are his creatures, whom he loves; even in their desperate state of living in darkness and the shadow of death, he remains constant in desiring to rescue them from eternal death. Here, however, the world is presented as the evil system under the grip of the devil . Love also means something different in this passage. Here it is not the selfless love for one’s brother but the love that entices by an evil desire or a forbidden appetite It is the world’s ability to seduce believers, to draw them away from love of the Father, that concerns John. 16 For everything in the world–the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does–comes not from the Father but from the world.16 The “lust of the eyes” can refer especially to sexual lust, but can also mean everything that entices the eyes. It is a tendency to be captivated by outward show, and especially indicates greed and a desire for things aroused by seeing them (cf. Eve in Ge 3; Achan in Jos 7; David in 2Sa 11). The key term in the third phrase is “pride” (NIV, “boasting”; it occurs only here and in Jas 4:16 It describes a pretentious hypocrite who glories in himself or in his possessions. If one’s public image means more than the glory of God or the well-being of one’s fellow human beings, such pretentiousness of life has become a form of idol-worship. “Pride of life” will be reflected in whatever status symbol is important to me or seems to define my identity. When I define myself to others in terms of my honorary degrees, the reputation of the church I serve, my annual income, the size of my library, my expensive car or house, and if in doing this I misrepresent the truth and in my boasting show myself to be only a pompous fool who has deceived no one, then I have succumbed to the pride of life.
List to verse 17 and this is where we will leave it for today.
17 The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
This is such an encouraging verse. The hassles of the world seem to go on and on and be totally consuming but the perspective here is – eternal focus.
The important thing here is not eternity but doing the will of God.
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