1 John 2:12-17 Bible Teaching

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8 1s John 2:12-17
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May 15th 2016
Alright, after talking about the realities of walking in the light verses the darkness and how hating others is impossible if we claim the light, John goes on at verse 12 and seems to shift gears a little bit, saying:

1st John 2:12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.
14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

Upon first read these words are jumbly, in my estimation. But we’ll break them down. Then he goes on and tells the little children, the fathers and the young men:

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

So I am going to break verses 12-14 using the chart on the whiteboard because maybe by approaching them this way we will gain some insight into what he is actually trying to convey in using the three believer-types.

Before doing so many very conservative scholars even suggest that it appears some corruption has crept into this specific text because of what is known in academia as tautology or saying the same thing in different ways – which admittedly John seems to do. But maybe what we see as tautology is really an inspired manner of saying something we have yet to discover.

So let’s begin by reading verse 12:

12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

12
13A
13B
13C
14
14A

I write unto you . . .
I write unto you . . .
I write unto you . . .
I write (have written) unto you . . .
I have written
I have written you
Greek
Grapho
Grapho
Grapho
Grapho/
egrapsa
Aorist egrapsa
Aorist egrapsa

Little Children
You fathers
Young Men
Little Children
Fathers
Young Men

Teknion
(definitely an infant)
Pater
(A father or a parent)
Nayaniskos (a youth under forty)
Paidon
(could be an infant or a young child)
Pater
A father or a parent
Nayaniskos (a youth under forty)

“Your sins are forgiven you”

(with the added reason of, “for His names sake”
“You have known Him from the beginning”
“Because you have overcome the wicked one”
“Because you have known the Father” (but NOT from the beginning and not the Son)
“Because you have known Him from the Beginning” (reiteration)
“Because you are strong and the word of God abideth in you, and (repeat) you have overcome the wicked one”
12 I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.

While there is a claim for apparent repetition I’m not so sure that we have any authority to omit any of the text because the passage is very much in harmony with the style of the John – remember, his tennis match arroach?

We might suppose that John was attempting to ensure that he addressed every range of potential audience members here – from the babes in Christ to the Young Men to the parents in the faith. For me this seems to be proven by the fact that he uses two different names that are translated in English to Little Children – teknia and paidia. I do not see any reason for him to do this other than to make sure he covers his bases and all have been addressed.

Another question we have to ask is by appealing to these different titles is John speaking of the levels of maturity in the faith or is he speaking chronologically of those who are considered Christians and when he says little children he really means little children.

I was always under the impression that he was addressing people of different maturities in the faith – and this very well may be – but there are some people much smarter than me who see these titles as meaning exactly and literally what they say – a young man is a young man, a father is a father, a little child is a little child.

I tend to think away from this position because when he describes young men he describes them (who are generally though to be between 20 and 40 years of age) as strong and having the word abide in them and to have overcome the wicked one – things young men in the faith might do but that just regular young men rarely do.

So in verse 12 he says he has written to the little children (either in the faith or actual little children) “because their sins are forgiven them for His names sake.”

To me this speaks directly to a babe in Christ.

There, done.

Verse 13

13 I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.

I do not think the Him whom the fathers had known from the beginning is speaking of God but of Christ, who John said in the first verse of His Gospel, was in the beginning.

The fact that John calls these “fathers” implies to me that they have been around both chronologically the longest and are therefore in all probability also “fathers in terms of maturity in the faith.”

The argument is that these had been long acquainted with the principles of Christ and understood it well. It may also be that some of these fathers had actually known Him (Jesus) who “was from the beginning.”

He goes on:
I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one.

As stated the term for young men is a word for those who are still in the rigors of life and most likely between being children and old men, around 20 to 40.

John says he writes to them because “they have overcome the wicked one.”

It seems that John is saying that they have triumphed over the weaknesses that come with being a babe in Christ.

Most commentators believe that John is talking about passions of the flesh which people commit early on in life – vice, lust, avarice, ambition, covetousness, and the like.

These young men have shown that they have a strength of character. This may be the case but I would suggest that they have developed this strength of character in and through the Spirit of faith and love and not just moral or clean living – because that was the aim of the Law.

These would have been known as Christians by their love and we cannot forget this.

Now it is thought, because of a number of manuscripts, that at this point in verse 13, right after John records the words, “wicked one” that he was interrupted in some way. And that a span of time – we don’t know how long – passes before he writes:

“I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.”

The reason this is believed to be the case is because in many manuscripts the Greek for write is not grapho but egrapsa which means I have written (and which is what he uses in verse 14)

This also makes sense because in verses twelve and thirteen the children, young men and fathers each get one: “I write,” and then at the end of thirteen and fourteen each receive an “I have written” unto you.”

Get it?

Reading it this way helps comprehension immeasurably.

I write to you little children, young men, and fathers THEN I have written unto you little children, young men, and fathers.

Admittedly some believe that John is referring to some lost manuscripts when he says “I have written.” This may be true but there isn’t any evidence of this.

In any case, he says:

“I have written you little children because you have known the Father. “ In verse 12 he tells them that he wrote to them because their sins have been forgiven them and putting these two sentences together they are perfect descriptions of babes in Christ who have seen the light, received the blood, been forgiven and entered relationship with God the Father.

We see that John does not say that they have know Him who was from the beginning because they did not know Jesus this way – not like the fathers of the faith did (which is why he says this to them).

Then at verse 14 he reiterates:

14 I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning.

Same thing – they had known Jesus, and I am of the impression that they actually knew Him in the flesh and this is what distinguishes them from all others. And then (for the rest of verse 14). . .

I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.

In the three phases or levels of the Christian walk – babes in Christ, Young men, and Fathers of Maturity – the young men, due to these extra descriptions of them, seem to be the muscle of the faith – in terms of apologetics, missional efforts, service, etc.

John says he has written to them because they “are strong” and “the Word of God abides in them,” and they have (he repeats) “overcome the wicked one.”

They were qualified for active service. The little children were too young and feeble and the aged men had become exhausted. These age groups remain to this day.

Now notice something important here – He has written to all age-groups and now at verse 15 he begins to give them all the same instructions that he wants them to hear. Ready? He says:

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

We have issue today with emphatic and direct statements – with statements of certainty. This is certainly one of them and it is direct:

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world (and apparently the thing that are in the world) the love of the Father is not in him.

This is one of the most defining statements in the faith in my estimation that we find in scripture. It is very direct and because of this we need to make sure we understand what John means:

In scripture the term world seems to be used in a few senses;

(1) it is used as representing the physical universe; the world as it appears to the eye; the world considered as the work of God, as a material creation. Trees, rivers, mountains, deserts, beaches, animals and the like.

(2.) The world as applied to the people that reside in it–” the world of mankind” our world, our interests, ways, views of humanity in a non-moral sense.

(3.) The world view of humans that do not have God in their lives or the Fallen and depraved world.

Why is there no world view for the believer? Our kingdom is not of this world and so it makes no sense for us to be represented by this world when all views are present in these first three.

Again,

The natural physical material world.
The world of human beings
The fallen world.

We can get really off track as Christians if or when we merge all of these terms into one as the result manifests itself in apocalyptic approaches to living, refusals for medicines and medical help, and other zealous views – none of which Jesus endorsed.

There are also a few Greek terms translated “world” in the King James – which is found 203 times in the New Testament alone.

Kosmos is the term used most – 152 times
Aheeon – is translated 34 times in the King James as world but it better means a span of time or age, and
Oikoumene – is translated 15 times as world but better means the land or the Roman empire.

Again, we get into all sorts of trouble when we read world in the King James and assume it means only one thing or one view.

A classic example of this is found in Matthew 24 as the term world is used three times in the King James but each of these three times is a different Greek word and refers to a different view.

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (the Greek term here is Aheeon meaning age)

Then jumping to verse 14 where Jesus says:

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
(the Greek translated world here is Oukumene and it means this area or the Roman Empire)

Then seven verses later we read at Matthew 24:21 “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (and the term is kosmos meaning the whole material earth)

So back to 1st John chapter 2 verse 15 we need to understand what sense John is using world.

First of all everytime we read the term world in the King James is comes from the Greek term KOSMOS so we know that he is speaking of the grand material creation and NOT to a span of time or age nor the Roman Empire alone.

Then we have to admit that John is not telling his reader to avoid that material kosmos of mountains and streams and animals that God created FOR us.

And then we know that he could not be talking about avoiding allegiance to the world that exists for human beings – things like jobs, families, vacations, sleep, eating, and the like – things humans do.

So we come to see that John must be speaking of elements from the fall that make this world and things in it corrupt.

Sex is a great example of this because it was created by God, was created to contain pleasure and was created to be enjoyed by virtue of certain physiological factors that accompany human bodies.

We also know that “God so loved the Kosmos” (which alludes to all of us in and on it) that he gave His only begotten Son to save it. So there is another evidence of God’s love for this world in the material even the human sense.

But the fallen world has taken this element of the human world and taken it into levels and depths of depravity which would fit into what John is talking about.

So it seem pretty clear that John is not telling us to avoid driving motorized vehicles or using electricity but he is describing ways and things and views that have corrupted the world in which we live.

Now in order to really get what John means we have to take verses 15, 16 and 17 together.

Let me read them:

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
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.
17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

So let’s break these verses down a bit on the board.

VERSE
Statement
Warning/Insight
Result
15
Don’t love not the world nor the things in the world
Any man love the world . . .
The love of the father is not in him. (And since we are commanded to love like God we see the need to love NOT the world!)
16
For “All that is in the world” (that John is writing about)
The lust of the flesh
The lust of the eyes, and
The pride of life
Is NOT of the father
But is of this world (this is an expansion of verse one)
17
The World passes away and the lust thereof
But he that doeth the will of the father (which, based on verse 15, cannot have anything to do with this world)
He abides forever.

BIBLICAL CONSISTENCY
JOHN 2:16
Lust of the Flesh
Lust of the Eyes
Pride of Life
Genesis (and Eve)
Saw that it was good for food
Pleasant to the eyes
A tree to make one wise
Matthew (and Jesus)
Take these stones and make bread
Took Him and showed Him all the kingdoms
Cast yourself down! Prove you got the power
Us
Feed the flesh
Food
Sex
flesh
Looks or appears good, desirable, materialism
Serve yourself and your desires. Be better, smart, wise, educated, powerful

Love is always agape or agapao

All that is in the kosmos

The Lust of the Flesh
The Lust of the Eyes
The Pride of life
Greek
Lust is always epithumia – means to “long after that which is forbidden,” “to set heart upon,” “desire.”
Flesh is sarx and means the actual flesh
Lust – epithumia
Eyes is Opthalmos and means either the literal or the spiritual eyes
Pride is typically the Greek TOOFO-O and means puffed up. The Word here is ALAZONAYEA and means self confidence, boasting, and braggadocio.

I think it is directly tied to the other sins of the flesh mentioned her.

So to wrap up with verse 17 and the reiteration

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof . . .

I think we need to avoid taking this literally because John has NOT been talking about the material world here. He has been speaking about the vanity and lust of the fallen world.

Paul puts it this way in 1st Corinthian 7:31

“ . . . for the fashion of this world passeth away.”

1st Peter 1:24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

James 4:14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Therefore John makes it clear that “the lust thereof (of the fallen world) will pass away.

It’s kind of hard for us to imagine – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life passing away. In faith we walk and trust that this is true and in response we don’t build our castles in shifting sands but on rock, the Word, which does NOT pass away.

And John wraps it all up for us by getting to the point:

But he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

This leads me to one last board configuration.

Passing and Abiding
THE WORLD THAT WILL PASS AWAY AND THE THINGS IN IT
THE THINGS THAT WILL ABIDE
IN THOSE THAT DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER (which is to love)
The lust of the flesh
The things of the Spirit
The lust of the eyes
Eyes single to the Glory of God
The pride of life
Humility

Discuss the purging or losing process here.

Q and A