Separated From The World: A Command To Holiness For Christian Living
[An Exegetical Study on 1 John 2:15-17]
by Samson Hutagalung
The Command To Avoid Loving The World (v. 15)
Do not love the world, neither the things in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The exertion to prevent loving the world (v. 15a)
This is an exhortation of John to separate from the world. John used the present active imperative a'gapate as the main verbs for this section. The use of this present imperative with mh; implied that before the command was given by John, the recipients of this epistle have continued loving and being part of the world. When they believed in Christ, apparently they were lack of knowledge of how they should conduct themselves according to the ways of God. It pictured the state of their hearts which still attached to the worldly desires. Therefore John gave this command that the recipients should stop loving the world. They should stop what they have been doing pertaining loving the world. Whatever facets of love that practiced must be stopped for it is on contrary to the practice and desire of the believers. Hiebert rightly commented on this use of prohibition, “The form marks a standing prohibition and may imply that the readers were prone to do so but must stop this evil practice. But the prohibition may simply prohibit a practice without implying that it is actually being done. It is a danger against which they must constantly be on guard.”[13]
The imperative verb a'gapate functions as the main verb where all clauses in verses 15-17 subordinate to this verb. Because of a'gapate was in the present imperative, the command not to love has the force of continues or repeated action. In other words, the command is something needs to be uttered repeatedly as to remind the recipients the important of the command. And because of the continuous impact of the command it is applicable even to this present time. The apostle John still continues exhorting the Christians to avoid loving the world.
John used the term ‘world’ kosmov in this epistle as he used in his gospel (John 3:13) but differ in its meaning. John mentioned it 6 times in these 3 verses. The word ‘kosmov’ here refers to “human society, temporarily controlled by the power of evil, organized in opposition to God”.[14] This is to say, whatever thing that is on contrary to the will of God is opposition to God. John further emphasized with the followed phrase mhde ta tw| kosmw| ‘neither the things in the world.’ He commanded the believers to stop loving the world and things associate with.[15] The definite article Neuter Plural ta depicts the collective idea referring to worldly things. Calvin rightly commented, “He said before that the only rule for living religiously, is to love God; but as, when we are occupied with the vain love of the world, we turn away all our thoughts and affections another way, this vanity must first be torn away from us, in order that the love of God may reign within us.”[16] Lenski commented,
“Nor the things of the world” points to the individual deceptive treasures, pleasure, honors of the world, its wealth, its power, its wisdom, etc. we are not forbidden to admire, appreciate, use aright the nature things of this earth as much as relatives, friends, fatherland, the beauties and grandeur of nature, home, occupation, and the thousands of useful, attractive, valuable things which God has put around us. But whatever in its connection, tendency, and influence is hostile to God, to Christ and to his kingdom, however alluring or attractive it may otherwise appear, is “a thing of the world” to which we must be hostile since we belong to God, to Christ and to his kingdom.[17]
Having stated the kind of command as the main verb of the whole pericope, the apostle developed the assumption of probability of something was confirmed to what he had forbid doing the worldly things. In the conditional statement, he used the subjunctive mood to convey the thought of probability in which implied there would be some people who would show deliberately as loving the world. The phrase e'an tiv a'gapa| ton kosmon ‘if any man loves the world’ is truly a subordinate clause to mh a'gapate to\n kosmon ‘love not the world’ in which the statement implies that having commanded to stop loving the worldly things, and yet if any man still loves the worldly things, he declares himself as not having relationship with God. It was the intention of the apostle that if anyone was in that condition should understand that he did not have any relationship with God. People who claim to be Christians will be tested just based on this truth. He might ask himself whether his heart inclines to the fact that he is loving the world or on contrary to it.
There was an exertion to prevent whosoever loving the world. The Lord Jesus Christ deliberately stated, “if ye love me, keep my commandments” (John
The thrust of this passage is to command the believers to pursue holiness and to separate from the world because the world is passing away but the will of God remains for eternity.
The prerequisite of loving the Father against loving the world (v. 15b)
As John developed his arguments of forbidding believers to love the world, he further explained that if anyone still persists to love the world and its lust, John said, ‘the love of the Father is not in him’ ou'k e}stin h` a'gaph tou patrov e'n au'tw|. This is a very clear and strong assertion. The genitive a'gaph tou patrov is used only here in the New Testament. The use of genitive here could be understood three ways. Firstly it could be ablative or source which means ‘love that comes from the Father.’ Secondly, it could be subjective genitive which means ‘Father’s love for the person involved.’ Thirdly, it could be objective genitive which means ‘the person’s love for the Father.’ The last could be more appropriate to the context.[18] In other word it is the opposite of the love for the world. As George rightly commented,
Hence, John’s point is this: love for God and love for the world are by their very nature antagonistic to each other and cannot coexist. That is to say, commitment in any deep sense to worldly things inevitably militates against commitments to God. Thus, John’s imperative is clear: right behavior must follow right belief; because only by the former can the latter be confirmed.[19]
Christians were often addressed by the apostles as beloved which conveyed the idea of being loved by God. The constant and consistent love of God continued shown to believers even before they were Christians. For God had shown His love toward sinners while they were yet sinners (cf. 1 Jn.
This is the danger of loving the world. For that reason, the apostle commanded believers to separate from the world and its lust. Those who do not separate from the world will be confirmed to the world. Separation from the world is the command to holiness for Christian living.
The Gratification Of Worldly Lusts (v. 16)
For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
The apostle John described the worldly things into three facets. They were the old patterns used by Satan to succumb our first parents to his will (cf. Genesis 3:1-8). As a result, Adam and Eve had fallen into sin that caused all human kind also sinned because they were the representative of human being and through them the human kind regenerated. Because our first parents have fallen into sin through these three ways, Satan understood the weaknesses of human being. If Adam and Eve could fail to follow the commandments of the Lord when they were at time still sinless, it is surely much easier for Satan to defeat the rest of the human being. He used these threefold method of temptation to prompt the people to do the sinful things which are the worldly lust.
The lust of the flesh (v. 16a)
It is important to note that 1 John 2:15 is one sentence, and verse 16 is another sentence as well in the Greek Bible.[21] However though verse 16 is a dependent sentence,[22] the thought conveys in this verse is an explanation of verse 15. George commented, “In verse 16, the opening o`ti introduces a parenthetical verification to explain more fully why love for the world is incompatible with love for God. It is because everything in the world is not from God but from the world itself.”[23] Whatever in the world it is for the gratification of the world lust. The apostle John said that pan to e'n tw| kosmw| ‘all that is in the world’ is on contrary to the will of God. In order to give the full meaning of the phrase to e'n tw| kosmw| John explains it in three aspects.
First aspect of the gratifications of the world lust is the phrase h` e'piqumia thv sarkov ‘the lust of the flesh.’ The genitive use of h` e'piqumia thv sarkov can be understood in two ways: first as the ablative of source which means, the desire or lust that comes from the flesh, second as the subjective genitive which denotes the lust or desire that produced by flesh. The second is the most appropriate meaning according to the context.[24] As George further explains,
The desire or craving that has its origin in the flesh. e'piqumia may in itself be either good or bad. It is used three times in the New Testament with a good meaning (Luke
As the apostle explained the meaning of pan ‘all’ here, he understood that this word referred to the lust that comes from the flesh. It is important to note that John does not use the word soma to refer to body but rather he uses the more specific word sarx to refer to the flesh. This implies that this desire that comes from the flesh, in which many people have fallen to, is something that gives satisfaction to the flesh, or something that can make someone temporary feel good.
The apostle Paul has used this term to explain the desire of those who do not possess the Spirit of God. He used the term “the works of the flesh” ta e]rga thv sarkov to sum up the various kind of things that flesh can produce from within. It was the desire of the flesh within that produces the works of the flesh. Thus Paul gave a list of works of the flesh such as, “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings” (Gal.
The true believers in the Lord Jesus Christ must not yield their body unto uncleanness (Ro.
The lust of the eyes (v. 16b)
The second aspect of the gratification of the worldly lust is the phrase h` e'piqumia twn o'fqalmwn ‘the desire of the eye.’ The use of genitive in this phrase also employs the subjective genitive which conveys the idea of eyes that produce the lust. This refers to seeing the unlawful things that finally stimulates the lust of the flesh. George explains it this way, “This denotes to the cravings and lust stimulated by what is seen. The expression points to man’s covetous and acquisitive nature or to the desire of seeing unlawful things”[26]
Truly the eye is the center and direction of outward human body. The Bible said, “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Mt. 6:22-23). Too often people commit sins because what they have seen and then imagine and explore them in their minds and hearts. The greatest temptation man ever encounters is what he has seen and desired to grasp and obtain it whether through legal and illegal, or legitimate and illegitimate, or right and wrong. The impact of the eye on a person is tremendously great. It is for this fact that the Old Testament Law described it as most influence in the life of many people. Thus, the command was “if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out” (Mrk
The pride of life (v. 16c)
The third aspect as the gratification of the worldly lust is the phrase h` a`lazoneia tou biou ‘the pride of life.’ The word tou biou does not refer to life in the same meaning with zwh but rather it refers to ‘living’ or ‘livelihood.’ In other word, “the word a`lazoneia here refers to boasting and arrogance (cf. James
This was true to the fact that our first parents had fallen into this type of sin. The desire to be equal with God was the most longed in their hearts as Satan persuaded them to rebel against God through their disobedient to the word of God. Fatal punishment was just near the corner. Adam and Eve fell into a greatest sin that immersed all his generation into a sinful nature (Gen. 3:1-7). The danger of pride is so severe and yet pride is one of the most common practices seen in daily life. It’s for that reason, John commanded the believers to stop loving the world and its lust because it is the way to destruction.
Believers are commanded to separate themselves from these practices because it is on contrary to what God wants. God desires that every believer should live a holy life for it is the will of God for eternal life. None is indispensable. Everyone is an object of these temptations. Christian should guard their steps. Because of the danger of this sin, Paul exhorted the Philippians, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory: but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Phil 2:3). This was said to the believers at
The last part of verse 16 explains that the three aspect of the gratification of the worldly lust expounded above was not derived from God ou'k e}stin e'k tou patrov, a'll ' e'k tou kosmou e'sti because God only desires holiness and perfection. God is not like man who seeks gratification from the worldly lust. God’s perfect desire is to see His beloved people walking according to the light and not according to the darkness. Thus John rightly said that God was not the sources of these worldly lusts but it is from the world. John used the conjunction a'lla\ to show the contrast of the source of the lust of the world.
The Deterioration Of The World (v. 17)
And the world passes away, and its lust: but he that does the will of God abides for ever.
The demolishing of worldly lust (v. 17a)
Now the last reason given by John as to explain why Christians should stop loving the world is because the deterioration of the world. The world that God created perfectly has become under the power of sinful behaviors. Sins have controlled the world and none can stop it. On the other hand God has decided to destroy the world according to His timing. The sinful deeds of the world have reached their fullness and God has planned what is best for the world. This will be the final end for the world and its system.
The apostle John gives a different aspect of the demolishing of worldly lust. This is seen in the verb paragetai (Present Middle Indicative). Its present tense denotes the ongoing process of passing away. It is the Descriptive Present in its syntactical usage.[30] Whereas its middle voice denotes that the act of passing away will occur by itself. The final goal or destination of the world is the passing away by itself. This is to say that whatever things the world is doing and thinking best for her will be for her destruction. George rightly commented when he said, “Verse 17 gives the second reason for John’s command not to love the world. It talks about the transitory nature of the material things (cf. 1 Cor.
The contrast of loving the world and doing the will of God (v. 17b)
At the last phrase of this periscope, John gives the contrast of loving the world and doing the will of God. This contrast is introduced by the use of conjunction de\ ‘but.’ However the two verbs in verse 17 also show its contrast. The verb used here is menei. It is in the Present Active Indicative third Singular. This verb is being contrasted to the verb paragetai. The two verbs are in the present tense which convey the meaning of ongoing process but they differ in the voice. The verb menei is in the active voice which denotes the active action of the subject namely the one who is doing the will of God. The participle poiwn also is written in the present active which also conveys the idea of being actively doing the will of God. This is not referring to one who does the will of God according to what he thinks or likes but rather a constant desire and actively doing the will of God in his life. There is an ongoing actively doing the will of God, no matter the circumstances are, he will continue in the area of doing what God has commanded in His word. “All the vanity of this evil world with its devices is passing away. It has already begun to purify. It is a corpse not yet buried. But the person who really does the will of God has the breath of eternal life.”[33] Calvin gave a remark on this passage, “Were any one to object and say, that no one doeth what God commands, the obvious answer is, that what is spoken of here is not the perfect keeping of the law, but the obedience of faith, which, however imperfect it may be, is yet approved by God.”[34]
Conclusion
The command to separate from the world is truly a command for holiness. It is a very test of every true believer in his relationship with God. God commands his followers to be holy as He is Holy. Such command is not an option but an imperative command and a must. The apostle John realized the nature of God’s command to holiness. Thus John reminds the Christians of the threefold of temptations in which Adam and Eve succumbed and fell into sins. If Adam and Eve could fail to obey God while they were still sinless, Satan knows that all Adam’s generation can succumb to his temptations.
Christians must love God and hates the world and its lust because the world is in the process of passing away. Whatever the world has; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life will lead its destruction. Only those who love God and His commandment will remain forever. It is the desire of God that every true believer will love Him and His Word.
[13] D
[14] “The term kosmov . . . appears in the letters and Gospel of John with two basic meanings: the created universe, or life on earth (cf.
[15]Calvin said, “By the world understand everything connected with the present life, apart from the
[16]Calvin, 186.
[17]R.C.H Lenski, I and II Epistle of Peter, The Three Epistle of John and The Epistle of Jude (Minneopolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1966), 424.
[18]George Sakariah, Lecture Notes of the Epistles of John (
[19]Sakariah, 21.
[20]Calvin., 186.
[21]H KAINH DIAQHKH “The New Testament: The Greek Text Underlying the English Authorized Version of 1611” (
[22]Verse 16 is a dependent sentence because comprises of one sentence in the Greek Bible. However, by observation verse 16 is begun with the conjunction o{ti. This kind of conjunction is usually a subordinate clause to the main verb within a sentence. But this is different because it is the opening word in a sentence. In other words, the use of conjunction o{ti here is unique. For that reason this conjunction usually translated by Bible translators as “For” or “Because” not as a normal meaning in a clause where it is translated as “that” or “so that.” Therefore the writer of this paper also renders his translation with the use of “For” or “Because” for the conjunction o}ti.
[23]Sakariah, 21.
[24]Lenski said, “This is the sinful desire springing from the flesh or depraved nature which seeks sinful gratification.” Lenski, 426.
[25]Sakariah, 21.
[26]Sakariah, 21.
[27]Sakariah, 21.
[28]Calvin, 188.
[30]Brooks said, “This category is sometimes referred to as the progressive present of destruction. This use of the present describes what is now actually taking place. It might even be called the pictorial present. It depicts an action in progress.” James A. Brooks and
[31]Sakariah., 22.
[32]Calvin, 188.
[33] Barker, 322.
[34]Calvin., 188.