1 John 2:12-17

So far in John’s letter of warning to the church about false teachers, he has alerted his readers to the distinctives of those who follow Christ. These teachers of error were attempting to infiltrate the church with evil doctrine which would ultimately lead believers away from following God’s ways. The biggest distinctive between the apostles’ teaching and the doctrine of the Gnostics was their view of Jesus’ true nature (1:1-4). The false teachers denied Jesus’ humanity, which meant that He could not be an appropriate sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 2:14-17). Rather than centering on the person of Christ, the false teachers focused on developing a “higher knowledge.” This knowledge provided a sense of security and pride within these teachers enabling them to “speak in the name of God.” John was trying to tell his readers that these false teachers do not represent God or His message. How can John judge these teachers? Their actions did not reflect God’s ways and this is clearly seen in the second distinctive, the false teachers’ view of sin (1:5-2:2). The false teachers viewed themselves as sinless, while true believers know that they are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness and help to overcome evil (2:1-2). John mentions two more distinctives of those who follow Christ: view of God’s commandments and view of others (2:3-11). The people who love God will be easily identified because they obey God’s commands and demonstrate love toward others. The false teachers demonstrated neither of these characteristics.

John did not want his readers to feel as if they were failing in these distinctives, so he acknowledges the growth he had witnessed in their lives. When he refers to them as “little children, fathers, and young men” John is recognizing the process of spiritual growth taking place within them. The “little children” know that their sins have been forgiven, but are still in the process of learning (2:12, 13c). The “young men” have knowledge which has assisted them in resisting temptation from the devil (2:13b, 14b). The “fathers” are the spiritually mature in their faith (2:13a, 14a). Although each person is at a different stage of growth in knowledge and love for God, John knows that they are growing toward spiritual maturity.

In contrast to love for God is love for the things of the world. Love for God and love for the world’s system of values and beliefs cannot exist together because they are completely opposite. John says it like this, “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” (2:15). John then defines what love for the world looks like, “For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh [passion to do evil], the lust of the eyes [wanting what others have], and the pride of life [bragging about possessions and accomplishments] –is not of the Father but is of the world” (2:16). In case they were tempted to give into the world, John reminded them that “…the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (2:17). Loving the things of the world brings temporary pleasure while love for God has the ability to sustain life, ultimately eternal life. Who do you love – God or the world? Are your actions representing the one whom you say you love?

Dear God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, help me to love God with all my heart. May I reject the things of the world recognizing that it only brings temporary pleasure, while You bring eternal happiness.