1 John 2 (#2): Things That Will Pass Away

1 John 2 (#2)  
Things That Will Pass Away

15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 

16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 

17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

◇ John contrasts the world with God. Those who choose the things of the world cannot be with God, and those who choose God distance themselves from worldly things.

The things of the world are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Christians should keep away from these things, not love them, and reject them. The reason we should not love these three things is because they will soon disappear. They are not eternal. When you think about it, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are difficult for humans to distance themselves from. They are things we cannot completely cut off as long as we are alive.

The words "lust" and "pride" describe a state where one cannot control their desires. It seems that lust refers to a negative state where one cannot restrain or control the desires everyone has. Desire itself is not impure, bad, or evil. Couldn’t it even be considered good? What would happen to our lives if we had no appetite? Would this world sustain itself without sexual desire? Could there be overall human progress without the desire for visible things? What about if we had no pride or self-esteem?

The problem is not desire itself, but the inability to control and restrain it. We cannot be without appetite. Occasionally, we see people without appetite, but if it is extreme, they may lose their life. Conversely, excessive appetite can lead to evil. There are even ice creams that cost hundreds of thousands of won, sprinkled with gold dust. Isn’t it a sin to eat such expensive ice cream when there are people starving to death because they lack even one dollar? If we do not control and restrain sexual desire, it leads to evil deeds. The lust of the eyes and the pride of life are no different.

Loving God means managing human desires well to bear good fruit as God intended. The moment our life ends, all these desires disappear like bubbles. Should we live loving these things that will vanish, or should we love God, who is always with us even when our life ends, and live for him?

♧ God, help us to control and restrain the good desires you have given us so they do not become lust! Holy Spirit, guide us in truth. Amen.