Verses 15-17
1. Resisting the World 2:15-17
John warned his readers of worldly dangers that face the Christian as he or she seeks to get to know God better. He did so to enable them to prepare for and overcome these obstacles with God’s help.
"As often in 1 John, a section of parenesis [reminders of what the readers already knew or were doing or of what they knew they should avoid] follows a series of dogmatic statements." [Note: Smalley, p. 89.]
The New Testament uses the term "world" (Gr. kosmos) in at least three ways. Sometimes "the world" refers to planet earth, the physical world (e.g., Acts 17:24). Sometimes it refers to humankind, the human world (e.g., John 3:16), and sometimes it refers to human culture as influenced by Satan, the world system (here).
John again presented three pairs, as he did in 1 John 2:12-14.
| 1 John 2:15 | The love of the world | The love of the Father |
| 1 John 2:16 | comes from the world | comes from the Father |
| 1 John 2:17 | The world passes away | The one who obeys God remains forever |
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